John B Posted February 22, 2005 Report Posted February 22, 2005 (edited) from Pitchfork: Minutemen Documentary to Premiere This Week James Gregory reports: As our punk heroes wage the treacherous battle with middle age, more films chronicling the glory days of the once-vital movement are slowly making their way to the silver screen. Following in the wake of last year's well-received Ramones documentary End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones, comes a new documentary tribute to legendary California trio the Minutemen. Produced by Rocket Fuel Films, We Jam Econo: The Story of the Minutemen compresses the band's all-too brief five-year lifespan into a feature-length history lesson. Directed by longtime fan Tim Irwin, the project details the band's existence from its early-80's inception, through five classic SST studio albums, to its 1985 disbanding after the death of frontman D. Boon in a tragic car accident. Bursting with creativity and a sense of improvisation previously unheard in the American punk scene, the band skirted the lines between punk, hardcore, free jazz, folk, and rockabilly (as heard in songs like "Corona", which served as the theme to MTV's Jackass). The Minutemen's SST output, especially the classic '84 release Double Nickels on the Dime, has cemented the band's place as one of indie rock's landmark bands, and its influence can still be heard throughout the community to this day. According to the film's official website, the upcoming documentary began filming in January 2003, and the final edit features over eighty interviews, including input from surviving band members Mike Watt (bass) and George Hurley (drums), as well as Thurston Moore, Flea, Henry Rollins, and Ian MacKaye. We Jam Econo is also full of previously unseen Minutemen live footage, which director Tim Irwin recently shed some light on in a post on the film's site. "We were blown away by some of the stuff that came out of the woodworks," Irwin wrote. "Most notably a two-camera recording of a show at the Starwood in November of 1980. We also have a show at the 9:30 Club, a performance at Irvine Meadows, the acoustic session from a public access channel, and various other one-offs." According to producer Keith Schieron, the film has about 25 live performances in it and the DVD will have about fifty. Although a distribution deal has not been worked out yet, We Jam Econo will make its theatrical premiere on February 25 in San Pedro, California. The screening will be followed by a Q+A with Irwin and Schieron, as well as Watt and Hurley. Additional screenings are being planned for major cities across the country. Edited February 22, 2005 by John B Quote
doubleM Posted February 22, 2005 Report Posted February 22, 2005 This is great news! I want to see it now! Quote
Brandon Burke Posted February 22, 2005 Report Posted February 22, 2005 (edited) I read about that too. Reminded me that I guy I worked with years ago used to have (or still has?) a well-edited video tape of the Minutemen playing the Ballroom of the Student Union at the University of Kansas in 1984. It's been at least ten years since I've see it (or him, for that matter) but the footage is great. Whoever filmed it also conducted interviews with the whole band and each member individualy. I wonder if that footage ended up in this film? Edited February 22, 2005 by Brandon Burke Quote
maren Posted February 22, 2005 Report Posted February 22, 2005 This is great news! I want to see it now! Me too, me too! Saw them play live twice in NY, once on a bill with Black Flag, I believe... speaking of Henry Rollins... Quote
AfricaBrass Posted February 22, 2005 Report Posted February 22, 2005 I'd like to see this documentary. I have a few of their albums. I was a little young to go to Minutemen shows, but I saw my share of Firehose. I remember watching the Minutemen on the old IRS Cutting Edge TV show. Quote
BFrank Posted February 23, 2005 Report Posted February 23, 2005 Sounds good to me. I always thought they were ahead of their time. Quote
dave9199 Posted February 23, 2005 Report Posted February 23, 2005 Definately looking forward to this. I wish a documentary would be done on Husker Du also. Quote
John B Posted February 23, 2005 Author Report Posted February 23, 2005 (edited) The trailer for this movie has now been posted online: http://www.theminutemen.com/med.html looks great! This requires Quicktime to view. Edited February 23, 2005 by John B Quote
dave9199 Posted March 15, 2005 Report Posted March 15, 2005 New D. Boon cd info http://www.billboard.com/bb/daily/article_...t_id=1000837181 Quote
billyboy Posted June 27, 2006 Report Posted June 27, 2006 This film is being released today on DVD, with a second disc containing 3 complete live shows! I was lucky enough to see them twice, including one just a few weeks before D. Boon's death. Although I haven't listened to it in a while, I don't think I've ever loved an album more than Double Nickels on the Dime. At the time, it just had everything I was looking for. Quote
dave9199 Posted June 27, 2006 Report Posted June 27, 2006 I just into them 6 months after Boon's death. Bought Double Nickels; their best one though I love everything before it also. After is good stuff too. Quote
dave9199 Posted November 12, 2006 Report Posted November 12, 2006 I just bought We Jam Econo and didn't like it as much as I would've liked to. I think it was the format of it; it didn't seem to have much with the interviews. I need to watch it again. There's an unreleased song on the 2nd disc from The Starwood show called Art Analysis; great song. The unedited Bard interview is hard to sit through with the interviewer instruction them on how to answer.What stuck out to me is towards the end when talking about their tour with REM which was about to start, Boon says his own date of death; December 22 (1985). Just enough to send a chill possibly. I also found it amazing how Boon would be out of tune, still play, and it didn't sound extremely bad. Some of the things he played, he didn't need to be in tune for. Quote
BruceH Posted November 13, 2006 Report Posted November 13, 2006 This film is being released today on DVD, with a second disc containing 3 complete live shows! I was lucky enough to see them twice, including one just a few weeks before D. Boon's death. Although I haven't listened to it in a while, I don't think I've ever loved an album more than Double Nickels on the Dime. At the time, it just had everything I was looking for. It surely is a great album; one of my favorite double-albums (in the sense of 2-LP) of all time. Have to say I like What Makes A Man Start Fires just as much though. Quote
Chalupa Posted November 13, 2006 Report Posted November 13, 2006 This film is being released today on DVD, with a second disc containing 3 complete live shows! I was lucky enough to see them twice, including one just a few weeks before D. Boon's death. Although I haven't listened to it in a while, I don't think I've ever loved an album more than Double Nickels on the Dime. At the time, it just had everything I was looking for. Did you see them in Philly at the Opera House on 3rd and Brown??? The Dead Milkmen opened. It was supposed to be Billy Bragg but he had visa problems. Anyway, great show. Quote
clifford_thornton Posted November 13, 2006 Report Posted November 13, 2006 (edited) This film is being released today on DVD, with a second disc containing 3 complete live shows! I was lucky enough to see them twice, including one just a few weeks before D. Boon's death. Although I haven't listened to it in a while, I don't think I've ever loved an album more than Double Nickels on the Dime. At the time, it just had everything I was looking for. One of these days I'll get a DVD player. Maybe I should get the DVD now anyway. Saw it in theaters and thought it great... was a wee one when the band was actually around, as is the case with so many things. Edit: remembered that I don't even have a television! Edited November 13, 2006 by clifford_thornton Quote
BFrank Posted April 1, 2007 Report Posted April 1, 2007 Mike Watt currently the bassist on the Iggy & the Stooges tour. Quote
Noj Posted April 2, 2007 Report Posted April 2, 2007 The SST catalogue is on eMusic. I grabbed some Minutemen and fIREHOSE in my last batch. Quote
J Larsen Posted April 2, 2007 Report Posted April 2, 2007 I'm a bit too young to have caught the Minutemen (who I still think are one of the best rock acts of my lifetime), but I was around for the first Firehose tour. The Minutemen were a much better band, though... Quote
Noj Posted April 2, 2007 Report Posted April 2, 2007 fIREHOSE only happened because the lead singer of the Minutemen was killed in an auto wreck. As I understand it, Watt was going to quit music entirely and took quite a bit of convincing to try again with fIREHOSE. I love the Ragin', Full On album. I hadn't had it since losing the tape years ago, so it was great to get it from eMusic. Quote
BFrank Posted April 2, 2007 Report Posted April 2, 2007 Both bands were ragin', full on! Never saw either, but have a fair amount of both on either vinyl or CD. Quote
J Larsen Posted April 2, 2007 Report Posted April 2, 2007 fIREHOSE only happened because the lead singer of the Minutemen was killed in an auto wreck. As I understand it, Watt was going to quit music entirely and took quite a bit of convincing to try again with fIREHOSE. All true. I don't know Watt, but he is a close friend of a friend. Quote
Chuck Nessa Posted April 2, 2007 Report Posted April 2, 2007 So, am I to understand this isn't Paul Revere and the Raiders? Quote
Chuck Nessa Posted April 2, 2007 Report Posted April 2, 2007 Can I also take it this isn't about the "Sixty Minute Man"? Quote
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