Athens, Ga.- Inside Out (1986)
May 29, 1987
'ATHENS, GA.,' ON ROCK BANDS
By Janet Maslin
Published: May 29, 1987

A NUMBER of the musicians seen in ''Athens, Ga. - Inside/Out'' point to Pylon as the best band in town, but Pylon isn't even operational any more. The group, according to one member, ''just decided to quit while we were still having a good time.'' Formerly art students, the band members now hold odd jobs; the lead singer, a dynamo on stage, works in a copying shop. ''But I never planned on being a musician, so it's no big loss in my life,'' she said. Bear in mind that Pylon, having played several shows with U2 and begun to get some big-city bookings, stood on the verge of stardom while throwing in the towel.

In Athens, Ga., which is the subject of Tony Gayton's bright, scrappy new documentary, this kind of attitude makes more sense than it might in other places. The musicians who are interviewed and perform in concert sequences display a uniformly easygoing attitude toward mainstream success. Some of them have made it (like the B-52's, senior statesmen of the Athens scene, and R.E.M.), and some have little chance. But they all share an appreciation for the friendly and comforting cultural atmosphere of Athens, and for the energy and eccentricity that have put the place on the map.

''Paint sacred art!'' the Rev. Howard Finster says his finger - or, rather, a little painted face that appeared on his finger - told him one day. ''I'm no professional, not me,'' he replied. ''How do you know?'' asked the finger. And Mr. Finster said to himself ''How do I know?'' So he began making primitive paintings, full of faces like the little one on the finger, and eventually a group he thought of as ''Peepin' Heads'' asked him to do an album cover. Actually, it was Talking Heads, and the cover won an award for Mr. Finster, who is better and better known as a primitive artist these days. Mr. Finster fits very comfortably into the Athens scene.

In fact, ''Athens, Ga. - Inside/Out'' recalls ''True Stories,'' the film starring and directed by David Byrne of Talking Heads; though it has none of the ironic detachment, it has much the same fondness for strange real-life phenomena. This is even evident in the wide range of hybrid musical styles Athens has produced, from punk rockabilly to after-the-fact hippie to rock-and-roll Irish lament. The groups heard here, all of them as lively off stage as on, include the Bar-B-Q Killers (named for a local criminal), the Flat Duo Jets (whose crazed-looking lead singer should consider a movie career), the Kilkenny Cats and the Squalls. None of them sounds imitative of any of the others.

Mr. Gayton takes a vigorous and appreciative look at all of this, and his film has a refreshingly homemade feeling; it's as likably odd and unpretentious as Athens itself. If the film dwells too long on such minor details as how and where the musicians acquired their equipment, it's also nicely free-form. The participants are invited to show off their favorite Athens phenomena, and they do it with gusto. One points out his Elvis Presley bathroom, decorated with all sorts of Elvis memorabilia, including what looks like a tiny doorstop by Mr. Finster, a work entitled ''Elvis at 3.'' Another notes that ''Maxie's down the road is the only township that I know of that has an apostrophe in its name.'' And everyone sings the praises of Walter's Restaurant. Athens is the kind of place where Walter can keep an ''M.B.'' plaque on his counter, and explain that it means ''Master of Barbecue.''

Big-Time Small Town
ATHENS, GA. - INSIDE/OUT, directed and written by Tony Gayton; director of photography, James Herbert; edited by Adam Wolfe; music by various composers; produced by Bill Cody. At Waverly 1, Avenue of the Americas and Third Street. Running time: 82 minutes. This film has no rating.