Ondi Timoner's electrifying documentary tells a cautionary tale about the dangers and trappings of the rock & roll lifestyle.
Shot over a seven-year span beginning in the mid-1990s, 'Dig!' follows two bands, the Brian Jonestown Massacre and the Dandy
Warhols, as they befriend each other, have a falling out, and find their careers heading in severely opposite directions.
Mastermind behind the '60s-influenced Brian Jonestown Massacre, the talented and prolific, yet deeply damaged Anton Newcombe
appeared to be headed for superstardom. In 1995 he formed a close bond with Courtney Taylor, leader of power-pop band the
Dandy Warhols, and the two began to conceive of a musical revolution. Unfortunately, Newcombe's mental fragility and
egotistical behaviour continually sabotaged his chances of ever scoring a record deal with a major label.
Meanwhile, Taylor and his bandmates signed with Capitol Records, and, after initially lacklustre album sales, the Dandy
Warhols began to explode overseas. Challenged by their success, Newcombe retreated further into his shell and the
relationship dissolved, bringing a painful end to a once-hopeful era. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary
at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival, 'Dig!' is mandatory viewing for anyone who is interested in the music industry.
Timoner's fascinating film addresses several poignant issues, such as the dangerously thin line between success and anonymity,
as well as stability versus insanity.
The DVD is out now and retails for £19.99, but is currently on Amazon at the link above for £9.98.
News page content input by Dominic Robinson, 2008.
DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TXW32R4 32" widescreen TV
connected to either a Creative Dxr2 DVD-ROM player or Microsoft Xbox and
played through a Sony STR-DB930 amplifier.
PC games reviewed by the editor are on:
Since Nov 2005: Intel Pentium D 830 3.0Ghz, 1Gb RAM, 128Mb nVidia GeForce 6700XL, Windows XP
Since Aug 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.66Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb GeForce4 MX440 graphics, Windows XP
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