Sound City Movie is Effing Rad.

Yesterday I went analog and left my cell phone at home for the afternoon/evening, and I took myself on a little date to see Sound City, a documentary by Dave Grohl that illuminates the history of one of the most instrumental recording studios in the history of American rock and roll music. The irony is that Dave Grohl, famous former drummer of 90s grunge rock band Nirvana and later, lead singer/guitarist for The Foo Fighters, had not the slightest inclination of the history of the dumpy Van Nuys studio when he and his neophyte band Nirvana had stumbled in there to record Nevermind, which ended up selling 30 million copies worldwide and reaching number one on the Billboard charts, trumping Michael Jackson's Dangerous. This was his journey back to the recording studio which started it all, but this time he recounted its history in full, from the days when Stevie Nicks recorded there as did Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. The studio also acted as a launch pad for Rick Springfield, as it skyrocketed him to fame with the hit single Jessie's Girl. Countless acts recorded their record there, and from watching the film, the place looked something of a sh*thole. Although I look nothing like a person who would be into rock music, when I was in high school, I discovered that I loved Queens of the Stone Age, Rage Against the Machine, Nine Inch Nails, Foo Fighters, and etc. etc. These were some of the newer acts to record in this studio. At the end of the film we find out Dave has a sense of nostalgia for this piece of rock and roll history. Upon the demise of the studio, Dave said he would do anything for the custom Neve console (analog soundboard) that had been installed there at the studio's inception. So, he purchased the console and had it installed in his own personal studio where he and Paul McCartney had a little recording sesh. My favorite moments of the movie happened when Dave was interviewing the brilliant electronics engineer, Rupert Neve, the man responsible for engineering the famous Neve console, and Dave makes a face of utter confusion while a subtitle appears with the question, "Does he know I am a high school dropout?" There is also a moment when they are laughing in the studio as Dave and Paul McCartney record a song, and the producer (Butch Vig) on the other side of the studio is giving them orders, and Dave says sarcastically, "yeah tell Paul McCartney what to do." The film is rich with history, good humor and just all around interesting stories. I think it can speak to everyone because it is about a fundamental cultural identity of America - Rock and Rollllllllllll! *Says that in shouty/screamy voice* The film brings up questions about the authenticity of art. And this does not apply to just musical artists - but to all artists. We all live in a digital era - the analog tools they used before are being ditched in favor of more digital methods. Because the studio's console used tape to record the songs that were made there, songs were recorded and mixed in analog. Some of the songs recorded there were even recorded live! This is based on the notion that art and humans are by nature, imperfect and the imperfections make their music special. What drives the artists to choose the right song is a "feel" - it's just a special feeling they get when they know it's right - it might take one session to record, or hundreds and the notes might be off key, the timing off tempo, but it just has that special feel, a quality that can't be explained. The film basically states outright that the tools that artists use should be no more than tools; what underlies all great artists is their willingness to learn and work hard, and the talent that is acquired because of this. Consequently, a lot of artists that have no business being in the music industry [and have little to no talent] record their songs on their laptops using Pro Tools.

Now, the film doesn't blast new technology entirely. It makes what once was not accessible, accessible to the masses. And Sound City artists like Trent Reznor use digital tools as a means to get different sounds out of the instruments he plays. In one part of the film, it depicts him recording a song on a keyboard, while it was being mixed into the computer, revealing a warped more digital sound altogether with Dave in the background explaining that "he is one of the smartest people he knows." Trent talked about how the music he created has been a result of his parents' decision of having him take piano lessons when he was a child. He learned everything he could about music structure and form, recording at Sound City back in the 90s as Nine Inch Nails, but also allowing digital technology to influence his signature sound. More recently he has written and composed scores for movies such as Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Social Network. I agree with Trent's style and philosophy of creating art - you must have a foundational talent that stems from learning the art form classically, before you can use digital methods as another tool to create art. Your talent does not just get "given" to you simply because you were given a tool to create something with (I'm talking to you and your crappy music, Ke$ha). It starts young and is a learned talent. As for me, I was drawing and painting when I was old enough to hold a crayon. I went to art school, developed my drawing and painting skills before I could learn to create digital art using a computer. I think it's better that way - the foundational skills are very necessary and are always there. The only qualm I have (if any) about the film was that it kind of beat the viewer over the head with enthusiasm for making music. On coming out of the theater, I heard one guy say sarcastically, "That film makes me want to go out and record music now!" It was kind of like, go do it! Don't think about the consequences! Who cares if you are driving around without any money living in a van! As long as you have a dream you'll be okay! I'll take that with a grain of salt, as the lifestyles of musicians are absolutely nuts! haha. But absolutely splendid documentary. GO SEE IT! Here is the link to the movie's web site.

And, LOLz: