Lisa Quijano Wolfinger’s “The War on Disco” is a great documentary—if you have minimal to zero knowledge about disco music. For an hour long documentary it does very little to take advantage and explore the lesser known corners of the Disco boom of the 1970’s. It’s all pretty much a superficial and speedily paced buffer about the entire craze called Disco Music. Known for a long time as an enemy to rock music, Disco was a sub-genre of dance music that allowed for a lot more diversity, which prompted a lot more people to hate it.
Tag Archives: Documentary
The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus (1968)
The Rolling Stones “Rock and Roll Circus” is quite the rock and roll bonanza that was been hindered by egos. The idea of an all star Rock and Roll show is great, and the idea for the concert involved a circus aesthetic and a mix of other artists that would culminate into an extended set by the Stones, who’d not only open the show but close it. The show, conceived by Mick Jagger as a way to promote the Stones’ album Beggars Banquet, was shot on December 11th, 1968 – and into the morning of December 12th but never hit the airwaves, oddly. It was shelved for decades by the Stones, only to appear on VHS and Laserdisc, remaining the obscure gem for such a long time that we didn’t get to see it until 1996.
Milli Vanili (2023)
If you were alive during the early nineties, you remember the infamous rise and shocking fall of the pop band Milli Vanilli. For many, many years they were synonymous with really bad pop music. Their crash and burn on stage with a malfunctioning machine that revealed their lip synching to a massive crowd also amounted to their ultimate downfall. Although what many didn’t know over the last twenty five years is that while Milli Vanilli were perceived as con artists, they were sadly pawns in a massive scheme to artificially build pop super stars.
Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, And Rage (2021)
Maybe it’s time to—I don’t know—stop hosting Woodstock? I don’t know, while the original concert was something, as the documentary accurately explains, romanticized, it was also a disaster. It also acted as a means for a whole generation to blow off steam and wreak havoc. 1999’s “Woodstock” which ushered millennials in to a new century ended up not just as pure chaos and mayhem, but it indicated that new generation were just getting fed up with the boomer generation. Not to say that those that were involved in the massive riot and incident at the 1999 Woodstock concert were justified, but were coming off a tumultuous decade.
Not only did we have to deal with wars and recessions, and the implosion of idols like Bill Clinton and OJ Simpson, but we ended it all on a massive school shooting that foreshadowed darker times.
Jimi Plays Monterey (1986)
People like Jimi Hendrix come along only once every so often. If we’re lucky they enrich our lives with amazing, outstanding art for decades to come, but too often they fizzle out in their prime as Jimi Hendrix did. Although a lot of Hendrix is recalled through is iconic performance at Woodstock, Hendrix also pretty much blew everyone out of their seats in the equally important Monterey Pop concert in 1968. With his ability to take control of the crowd with his smooth words, sultry vocals and extraordinary guitar licks, Hendrix was in a league all his own.
Nightclubbing: The Birth of Punk Rock in NYC (2022)
“Max’s was where punk was a movement; CBGB’s is where you went to get a record deal.”
I’ll admit that while I’m very well versed in the history of rock and roll, I almost never heard of Max’s Kansas City. I always heard about CBGB’s throughout my life, but almost never heard about Max’s Kansas City. The club was known as the premiere scene for not just rock and roll stars, but movie stars, celebrities, tabloid makers, and anyone that the alternative scene could produce. There’s a very fascinating story behind Max’s Kansas City and how it set the template for the punk rock scene, but never really got the credit it deserved. All the while CBGB’s was almost universally heralded.
The History of Metal and Horror (2022)
It should serve as no surprise that heavy metal and horror go hand in hand. If there’s horror there’s bound to be a heavy metal fan. If there’s heavy metal, you’re sure to come across at least a dozen hardcore horror geeks. But why do the music and the genre work so well together? Mike Schiff’s documentary “The History of Metal and Horror” is a great look at the history of the genre and the roots of heavy metal that are deeply embedded in the roots of horror. Schiff leaves no stone unturned going back to medieval times and dropping us right down in to modern times.