Wednesday, September 10, 2008
National Skyline It Might Get Loud, Which Might Be Inconvenient
Posted by Steve Haruch on Wed, Sep 10, 2008 at 9:39 AM
And I thought guitarists were just the prima donnas of rock. The new feature by Davis Guggenheim, It Might Get Loud, is a history of the electric guitar, as told by Jimmy Page, The Edge and Jack White. Partly filmed in Nashville, the documentary premiered last week at the Toronto International Film Festival. According to the festival description:
Unlike rock 'n' roll documentaries that focus on backstage drama, this one concentrates on the music, giving us intimate access to the creative process. Each guitarist describes his own musical rebellion: Page against the saccharine pop of the sixties; The Edge against the self-indulgent solos of the seventies; White against the soulless bass machines of the eighties. The film also travels to the locations that left a mark on each player. Page visits the stone halls of Headley Grange where “Stairway to Heaven” was composed. In Dublin, The Edge pulls out the original four-track rehearsals of “Where the Streets Have No Name.” And in Tennessee, White describes being inspired by the raw style of bluesman Son House. What's more, we see each musician play new work that has yet to be released.
Guggenheim, as you may remember, directed An Inconvenient Truth, though I don't think Jack gives a slideshow presentation at any point in this one. He was funny at the press conference, though. (Video.)
Comments (4)
Showing 1-4 of 4
"Each guitarist describes his own musical rebellion: Page against the saccharine pop of the sixties; The Edge against the self-indulgent solos of the seventies; White against the soulless bass machines of the eighties."
That is awesome, it almost makes it sound like each is rebelling against the last one!
like
dislike
I saw the movie at the premiere in Toronto on Friday and it is without a doubt going to inspire a generation of aspiring guitar legends. It is an honest portrayal of the passion and determination that these three guitar greats have for their art.
I am not in the movie business or the music business - but just a guy who has loved playing a guitar since he was 13 years old now 39 (three kids and a minivan). I had goosebumps watching the movie, what with all the rare footage and pure love for the electric guitar. It was not unlike the first time I stood right in front of SRV and watched him play "cold shot"! You get the sense you are being truly blessed to have this moment.
Words cannot describe how much I loved this movie - just watch it you will not regret it at all.
Cheers - Eric
blog.pickuppal.com
I was hoping Noel Murray and Scott Tobias would cover this in their excellent day-by-day Toronto dispatches at The Onion AV Club. But the stuff they've seen sounds awesome: good-to-great new films by the Coens, Olivier Assayas, Arnaud Desplechin and Christian Petzold; the new French goriest-movie-ever-made contender Martyrs; and what may be this year's movie to beat, Jonathan Demme's Rachel Getting Married.
Nostalgia Alarm: I saw SRV at the Opry House circa 1986 with B.B. King. The man was indeed amazing, and his closing duet/duel with King was less head-cutting than hat-tipping, sweetly respectful of a man he clearly revered. SRV played a torrent of licks that was absolutely dazzling, and then King stepped forward and hit just one trebly note that went through every soul in the room like zigzag lightning. SRV just shook his head admiringly and looked down with a mile-wide grin.
Vote here for best Band of the Week
Slideshows
Top Commenters
