Got this in the mail tonight from netflix. Glad I didn't impulsively pick it up. First, the DVD only clocks in at 1 hr, with no special features, though I wouldn't hold that against it if the film was worthwhile.

The film for the most part begins with Suicide and sets them up as the purveyors of New York's No Wave movement. Perhaps, maybe, who knows. It then flashes forward to 1982 where the gut of the film stays. Profiling ever so slightly Theoretical Girls, Lydia Lunch, Contortions, etc. All give their outlook on the scene, and how it was a ragtag bunch of kids alienated, and living in utter squalor of early 80s NYC. Interesting yes, but more of a primer for someone completely unfamiliar with the scene, or the key artists of the era. Sonic Youth, Swans, and Foetus are then covered. Which segways nicely into--*what band bridges the gap between 1982 and present*--Sonic Youth. Apparently nothing was happening of interest in NYC between those years because we leap to The Liars, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Black Dice, Gogol Bordello, etc etc of the "new" scene of NYC. The main point being made though was how disgraceful the new bands are. All the old bands featured let loose on the "fashionista" attitude of the new bands. Lee Ranaldo's comment about The Strokes was especially telling with his statement of how the Strokes were virtually unknown to the music world until the press created them. True? I don't know, since I don't/didn't live in NYC when they broke but it was an interesting statement from a guy I hold in high regard. All in all people like Gira and Lunch seemed completely sickened by the new scenesters. Branca and Jim Thirlwell from Foetus at times come off as aging, forgotten artists, grasping for their last chances at relevancy in the film. Eugene Hutz from Gogol Bordello did however go along with their sentiments as he expressed dismay of many bands being "retro". Karen O. from the YYYs grated on my nerves. She could barely formulate a sentence without saying "you know" 2 or 3 times.

Don't really recommend this unless you'd like to witness a trainwreck, or are completely in the dark about No Wave (still though, wouldn't).

Didn't The Strokes just follow a well established tradition of American bands coming to the UK, getting famous and then going back and becoming successful in their homeland?

From Hendrix to Pixies, Nirvana to The White Stripes many 'unknown' American bands got their big break here....including, funnily enough, Sonic Youth who got their first record deal in Britain.

True, but I think his main point was in saying that basically, the Strokes were touted as this New York thing, and that no one in New York had seen them, heard them, or even cared until the media started being into them. All those bands you mentioned had played/gigged the US before hitting it.

I should also add that this situation with the Strokes illustrates the polarity between "old school" and "new school" New York as well, or as the filmmakers were perhaps trying to portray it.

Terribly unfocused film. Smoldering garbage. Arto Lindsay's take (all of 0.5 secs) on Strokes was it's only redeeming factor.

word.

back to the original comments, branca is still doing his work - my friend just played in symphony #13 out in l.a. & said it was a tremendous experience, which i believe.
the fact that they skipped over much of the mid 80's is reprehensible.
as far as bridging the gap tho, i would challenge anyone to find a nyc band around in 1982 that is still attempting to be at the forefront of creating interesting new music.
and for what it's worth, people said the same thing about sonic youth copping the scene back when they started up, borrowing from people like branca and rhys chatham, among others, and knowing all the right people [including the swiss folks that used to invest in them].

You specified band, but Michael Gira (Swans/Angels of Light) immediately sprung to mind. Not a massive AoL fan, but he's still making some wicked cool sounds.

definitely. i like the angels stuff a lot...well, i like m gira a lot. like i *like him* like him. you know, like *that*.
hahaha.

The thing is though, SY actually had ties to Branca, and played with him prior to all their success. He was big news, them lowly guitar slingers. I think much of the animosity is the fact that a band can feasibly form and play a couple of shows and get a record deal. Hypothetically. In 82, that just wasn't an option, much less an audience. I'm biased on the whole whether or not SY was viable thing simply because I'm a huge fan of theirs. So, any point about them being anything but gods of music will probably be met with a kneejerk "nu-uh" response.

sonic youth = the strokes

ha ha not so easily will you drag me into this though. If you do a little digging you'll find my dislike of the Strokes. I would however say, SY actually has talent, and has lasted for 20+ years (for better or worse). We'll see if the Strokes continue to put out records for that period. But I'm not going to comment further on that topic