[MellySingsDoom]

(reviews continued)

"Gimme Danger" (2016, dir. Jim Jarmusch): A documentary by the director of "Stranger In Paradise" and, uh, some other stuff, on the much-cited Ann Arbor-based group The Stooges. It pretty much runs through events in chronological order, with input here and there (some archive) from various commenters.

First the positive side of this release: the archive Stooges film/TV foootge contained here has been fully restored, and has never looked or sounded better (so throw away your You Tube rips now). Now the negative: Does the entire planet REALLY need yet another variation of The Iggy Pop Story? I didn't have great hopes when I sat in front of this, and very quickly my suspicions became fully confirmed. I'm sure that Jarmusch and Osterberg are both fine erudite wits on a general level, but why the fuck does Jarmusch not ask ONE actual insight-led question, and let James Newell recycle the same old (disproved) "facts" all over again? I felt sorry for poor James Williamson, who is relegated to a mere sideman role in this whole documentary. Oh and by the way Jimbo J, well done for excising any mention of Mike Watt at all, considering he and Mascis helped single-handedly kick-start the Stooges reunion in the first place.

In many ways, this is a documentary that should never have been made in the first place. Seeing as both Asheton brothers are no longer with us, how on earth can this in any shape or form be considered to be any form of actual documentary, let alone "definitive"? Also, Jarmusch should, for obvious reasons, never have been allowed to direct this, if this really had to be made at all. Imagine, if you will, if this had been made in, say, the late 90's, with some real key insight from ALL the main players, plus insight from those with an actual encyclopedic knowledge of this group (Mick Farren, the original line-up of The Cramps (Miriam Linna-era), Niagara). I can understand why John Holmstrom decided not to get involved with this documentary, not least because prize clown Legs McNeil would have whined on about it endlessly (fuck you McNeil!).

You know what - and I'm being entirely serious about this - there are people who have posted here in past and present times who could have come up with a far better go at this documentary, which goes to show the utter paucity and pointlessness of the whole thing. Not recommended at all.

(reviews to be continued)