Art-punk. No Wave. Anti-music. Noise.
No matter what label is affixed to it, one thing is certain: the music that originated in New York City’s Bowery neighborhood during the early 1970s was unlike anything heard up to that point.
For pioneering acts such as Teenage Jesus & The Jerks, DNA and Theoretical Girls, the songs they created – atonal bursts of discordant notes punctuated by primeval yelps – pushed the limits of what could rightly be considered “music.”
Although the people performing in these groups had no musical guiding force, for those looking to learn more about this unique artistic movement one recent film provides some direction.
Kill Your Idols (the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival’s Best Feature Documentary) helpfully traces the lineage of the art-punk scene: from its abrupt inception, through an introduction to a larger audience via Sonic Youth (whose song “Kill Yr Idols” leant the film its title) up to present-day torchbearers, such as the more mainstream Yeah Yeah Yeahs and the less accessible Black Dice.
Directed by newcomer S.A. Crary, the hour-long film wisely lets the music – in the form of grainy concert footage – and the musicians, themselves – including Thurston Moore and Karen O – tell the story of a genre that often defies description. (However, if I were to attempt such a comparison, I would liken No Wave music to that moment in Guitar Hero when you’re playing at a level above your ability and the game is about to terminate your song because you’re only hitting a third of the notes. And yes, I know purists will hate the fact that I just used Guitar Hero as an analogy to art-punk. But hey, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs just had a song added to Rock Band so it all works out.)
Despite my personal dislike for most of the sounds being produced, the movie itself does a great job of juxtaposing authentic live performance tape with more recent interviews, as well as a healthy sampling of perspectives from generations both past and present.
While some of the observations about the current state of the music industry might seem like the same old lamentations everyone’s been hearing out about for years now, some of the insight and historical details are illuminating (such as the revelation that shows from the early days of the scene rarely lasted more than 10 minutes).
About the only true complaint that can be levied against the film is its need for better mastering (most of the live recordings are very loud and the interviews are very soft). But even this can be chalked up to an attempt by Crary to mirror the poor sound mixing at the venues where many of the bands featured got their start.
For those willing to squeeze in a little counter-culture education between their 8 AM math classes and night-time minimum wage summer job, Kill Your Idols is well-worth the time and couple dollars spent at the video store.
And I checked – That’s Rentertainment has a copy. I hope it gets checked out often in the next couple of months.
Chris Hassen: I goes to shows.
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Chris Hassen
I goes to shows.