|
I do realize this has been out for months, but unlike Janey and those in other big cities who do have the great luxury of seeing documentaries and foreign films on a timely manner, I don't. But "Some Kind Of Monster" opened here on Friday and I went to see it last night.
I am a Metallica fan, or I should say I was a major fan between 1986-1991, and after that I felt their music was watered down. That doesn't take away from the impact they made in music, and in my teenage years. This documentary film is about the band going through therapy after they booted bassist Jason Newsted out of the band. I talked about this in my blog, but this is on the level of "Let It Be" or "I Am Only Trying To Break Your Heart" in terms of seeing the members of a band go through the motion and almost coming to blows. This could have lead to the break-up of one of the greatest bands of the last 20 years, but through a lot of open discussion, they were able to see things through.
One of the most revealing moments happened to be a meeting between drummer Lars Ulrich and Megadeth guitarist Dave Mustaine, he being one of the original members of Metallica before they were signed. Mustaine goes on to say that he hates the fact that he will always be considered "second place", and it's one of those moments that the fan experiences in any fashion. Music myths are legendary, the stuff you hear or read about, but never get to see. For the first time, you get to see and hear Mustaine tell Ulrich, more or less, fuck you for doing something that has given me frustration for the last 20 years.
You also get a chance to see each member of the band in humbled settings: James Hetfield attending his daughters ballet class, Kirk Hammett on his ranch riding a horse or him surfing (he was taught by his now-wife, who is originally from Hawai'i), and Lars Ulrich knowing and respecting his wealth by being a bit "cultured". This isn't the Metallica you've read about in Rip, or seen on tour, or watched on MTV, it's three separate individuals who are in this for the love of music, but finding that egos can tear things apart. The therapy sessions eventually result in what would become the ST. ANGER album, but this is less a documentary about the making of a record, and more about a group of guys who have been together for 20 years, and coping with the realities of life outside of music and growing up. They are open about how they don't like what's going on in music, and how they do not want to follow the trends simply to fit in. Metallica were once a band that, outside of college radio, didn't get massive airplay until the early 1990's. Now I'll turn on the radio and hear Metallica Midnights.
As a fan of the group, but also someone who sees more than just "THE ROCK BAND", it was great to see a human side that a lot of bands rarely show. James Hetfield talked about how he hates having to have the "Metallica" umbrella above him 24 hours a day, and how going away from the group for over a year forced him to look at himself a bit deeper. For any of us who were fans, we knew Hetfield as the raging alcoholic with a deep love for vodka. The therapy sessions in the film were meant to be between Hetfield, Ulrich, and Hammett, but when Hetfield goes away for detox, it puts fear in Ulrich and Hammett when the detox period stretches to a longer period of time. They both fear that maybe they could be seeing the end of the group.
A few hours before I watched this film, I feared that this would have turned into some wack ass MTV/VH-1 type of Behind The Music documentary, but this is far from the case. I am sure there's a lot of good things we didn't get to see, but the fact that they allowed a crew to film them, and that they allowed so much to be put into the film, is a testament to the group itself. Moreso, it pops the bubble on what Metallica means as an "entertainment entity", and shows that they are three guys with a friendship that involves stress, tension, and occasionally bursts of happiness.
Throughout the film, you get to see hints of what their career has given them: Hammett's ranch, Lars' home with his art collection, and Hetfield and his love of cars. You also get to hear the fact that they paid their therapist $40,000 a month, and the therapy sessions went on for almost two years. Eventually MTV calls their management and tells them that they want to give Metallica "ICON" status. With months of therapy and sessions, they hadn't found a bass player. They go through auditions and find a number of well known bassists in the metal field, including those from Kyuss, Marilyn Manson, and Corrosion Of Conformity, until they come across Robert Trujillo (Ozzy/Suicidal Tendencies/Infectious Grooves). When he plays with the band, they ask him what he wants to play and Trujillo says "Battery", from their 1986 album MASTER OF PUPPETS. They look at him and go "you want to play that fast?" They cut into the song, and Trujillo knows the song inside and out. Afterwards, the guys in the band say that they haven't played like that since Cliff Burton died (Burton was their original bassist who died in 1986 when their tour bus in Europe turned over, and he died inside from the impact). They call him back and say "here's a million dollars, and this is just an advance for you being in the band." They then cut to Trujillo's apartment, and him practicing in his little bed in his little bedroom, and how this will become a big opportunity for him. It's basically seeing a dream come to life, and you can't feel anything but happy for the guy.
Then you see the scenes from Jason Newsted and you can't feel anything but a mixture of pride and sadness. He is devoted to his music, but also states that he gave up wanting to raise a family and having children, as he wants his music to be his babies. His ultimate joy is from his music, and any of us who loves music understands that to a degree. But as one gets older, we all realize that music may be a driving force, but it isn't the only thing in life to aspire to. Producer Bob Rock, who has worked with the band for the last 15 years, eventually says that Newsted was nothing more than "a replacement bassist, not really a member of the band", and considering that the band became mainstream darlings after the death of Cliff Burton, he himself questions if his presence in the band meant anything to them.
"Some King Of Monster" isn't just a bunch of soundbites edited together for clarity, you get a chance to see and hear the individuals that make up the group that is Metallica. They all realize that they have been very fortunate, and throughout the film they realize that the immortality that the media has created is bullshit, that by the end of the day, what was important to them was the friendships that made them form the group in the first place.
All music groups have their own brand of hype, Metallica was one of many who were praised as the next movement of heavy metal, and I think many, especially after the Napster incident, felt that they thought their shit didn't stink. Yet reverse the situation and ask yourself what you would do. It's music, it's business, it's friendships, and as their therapist told them, "sometimes going into your fears instead of avoiding them will allow you to find the genius within."
Excellent film.
p.e.a.c.e.
-
---------
John Book presents UNLOCKED: show #18 coming September 25, 2004
---------
"The Run-Off Groove", column #20 @
---------
: downloading and trading live shows responsibly
---------
(NOT work friendly)
=========
"them shits are all hair baby" - gypsyojos
THE HOME OF BOOK-NESS:
http://thisisbooksmusic.wordpress.com
http://twitter.com/thisisjohnbook
http://www.facebook.com/book1
|
Printer-friendly copy 
Email this topic to a friend
Pass The Popcorn 
