Review - HBO's "The Ties That Bind" Documentary

When they announced The River box set six weeks ago, I thought it was an odd choice.  It has an odd place in Springsteen's discography: of course, it is a classic, but it is arguably the least classic of Springsteen's classics.  It doesn't have the rawness of his first two records, the birth of stardom that surrounded Born To Run, the drama and meloncholy behind the production of Darkness, the experimentation of Nebraska, nor the unprecedented hit-making with Born In The USA.  It came at a point where Springsteen was, more or less, very comfortable with his music career.  Also, it is the 35th year anniversary - while it may be an anniversary worth a quick blog post, it isn't not quite a nice round number for a celebration.  So, I found myself asking, what is the point of all of this?

Well, to help answer that question, along came the HBO documentary The Ties That Bind.  In what is basically a 60-minute infomercial for the aforementioned box set, we sit down with Bruce as he discusses the making of The River.  And, let me be clear, we are only talking to Bruce.  There are no other interviewees - and any other voices heard in the documentary are quick or off-camera (like a bizarro-Springsteen & I).  While this may sound like Bruce-overkill, it is fortunately padded with live performances to break up the interview sections (Bruce plays "Two Hearts", "The River", and "Independence Day", among others).  It is also interesting to note that, at times, they subtitled Bruce while he was singing, which should elicit a chuckle from Bruce-diehards but was probably necessary to help the casual fan follow along.

However, despite my snark present in the last paragraph, the documentary did provide some fascinating insights into this period of Springsteen's life and career.  Without giving away too much, the documentary explores the decision to make The River a double-album, the often clashing dynamic between Jon Landau and Steven Van Zandt, and the issue of Springsteen's live shows being a better experience than his record (a problem some critics may say he never solved).  The most relatable part, to me, was Springsteen talking about entering his thirties, and trying to move from an observer in life into being a participant.  While Darkness came from a period of isolation, he wanted The River to be a movement towards the mainstream.  As a 31-year-old New Jersey boy myself, I can't help but vicariously project myself into Bruce's shoes in the recording studio.

Ultimately, the documentary helped show The River in a slightly new light.  Many people may criticize it for being entirely about cars and girls, it shows Springsteen's maturity as an artist - he had the confidence needed to put out an extra-long album with a variety of genres on it. While the documentary may be hampered with a bit of padding and a lack of voices, I would recommend it to any fan just as confused as I was about this recent celebration of The River.  I can't say that I still don't find the whole thing to be coming out of the blue, but I am enjoying the ride.

You can watch the documentary on HBOGO, or try this link while it lasts.

Coming Soon: Springsteen & I

The other day I was at my local movie theater seeing Man of Steel and I was delighted to see the above poster hanging in the lobby. It brings me great excitement to see a poster for the feature-length documentary Springsteen & I hanging beside summer blockbusters in AMC theaters.

Springsteen & I is a crowd-sourced documentary that compiles footage submitted by fans across the world explaining what Springsteen means to them. I uploaded a video of my wife and I doing the first dance at our wedding to “Happy” but alas, I don’t think we made the cut. Regardless, I’m extremely excited to see the film.

MCN Fathom Events is bringing the film to a score of theaters across the country on July 22 and July 30. You can visit the official website to see which theater near you will be playing the film and buy your tickets in advance: http://www.springsteenandi.com/

I’ll be seeing the film on July 30 so stay tuned for a review. In the meantime, here’s the trailer…

Theatrical Review: Twenty Feet From Stardom

Twenty Feet from Stardom is a new music documentary currently rolling out in theaters across the country in limited release. Directed by Morgan Neville, it details the triumph and the plight of being a back-up singer by profiling such supreme performers as Darlene Love, Lisa Fischer and Judith Hill. The profiles are supplemented by interviews with a cavalcade of music industry legends including – yes – Bruce Springsteen.

Obviously, if you’re only looking for a Springsteen documentary, look elsewhere because this isn’t it – not that it purports to be and nor should it be. Bruce is given equal weight amongst the impressive roster of talking heads and his contributions never overshadow the subjects of the film. That said, Bruce’s comments are just as analytically sound, full of wisdom and clear-eyed as you would expect. I was also delighted to see that the first lines of dialogue in the film are delivered by Bruce and the film concludes with concert footage of Bruce and the E Street Band serving back-up to Darlene Love’s lead vocals.

Over the course of its 90-minute running time, the film wrestles with the challenge these back-up singers face in terms of not receiving recognition or sustained success while contributing signature elements to some of the most successful songs of all time including “Young Americans” and “Sweet Home Alabama.” Twenty Feet from Stardom features some very engaging deconstructions of such popular songs and a breakdown of “Gimme Shelter” is probably the film’s standout sequence – although it also struck me as over-directed with too much editing.

Director Morgan Neville cuts a wide swath as he moves through doo-wop to Motown to classic rock to today. There is some very interesting investigation into both the psychology and the situational context of the back-up singer as well as the objectification of these unsung heroes. Fans of any of these music genres will take great interest in the in-depth detail of these musicians and the filmmakers have assembled a truly remarkable group of personalities to be interviewed.

Twenty Feet from Stardom is currently playing in various states across the country and opens in my hometown of Chicago this Friday, July 12 at the Landmark Century Centre Cinema. For a full list of play dates, visit the film’s official website here: http://twentyfeetfromstardom.com/dates.