Fugazi
'Instrument' (video)
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Fugazi
'Instrument' (video)
Dischord, 1999
RiYL: |
In the case of Fugazi, the 12-year-old juggernaut of the Washington, D.C., hardcore scene, even its awkward phases are worth capturing on film. One wouldn't think it just by glancing at this band of four white males (Ian MacKaye, Guy Picciotto, Joe Lally and Brendan Canty), who collectively just happen to be some of the most respected musicians of the decade. There's little flash in the Fugazi stageshow save Picciotto's trademark contortions, and for the most part, it's the off-stage portions of "Instrument" that reveal the most insight into this still-influential group.
Known more by some for their political stance than their diverse body of work, the staunchly independent Fugazi has consistently refused interviews, and as such any non-musical information about its members has remained a bit of a mystery. As directed by Jem Cohen (no relation to this reviewer), well-known for his work on R.E.M. videos, "Instrument" is a fascinating melange of concert footage, rehearsals and random moments that goes a long way in diffusing some of the misconceptions brought about by the band's dislike of the media. Although the film does move forward in somewhat of a chronological order, Cohen's tasteful hodgepodge assembly renders a linear flow unnecessary.
The story is told in a variety of ways. We here Lally talk excitedly about the band's early chaotic gigs, and we see Picciotto go from audience member to flailing backup singer (who else would stick their head in a kick drum during a song?) to full-fledged musical contributor. Cohen spotlights the band in various eras of live performance, as it holds court over throngs of sweat-drenched youth. As the shots change speed and tint, we're reminded of the rare magic present when band and audience connect on a personal level. The band has made politics a prominent part of its business from note one, and much of the live footage is drawn from benefit shows. In what passes as light relief, we see MacKaye and Picciotto talking politics with a nervous eighth-grader during a video interview for a middle school TV show.
As early as 1990, MacKaye knew his band was in a class of its own. "To exist independent of the mainstream is a political feat," he says to an interviewer. Still, there are some genuinely funny moments where the message is hopelessly lost on the audience (MacKaye booting an obviously drunken teenager out a gig, the band playing a 1990 show at a prison in front of about 10 inmates) or when the band takes great delight in subtly mocking the status quo (MacKaye being interviewed in a lavatory by some slick Canadian MTV knockoff). It ain't all politics and dead serious staredowns. "Instrument" emphasizes that Fugazi's members are really no different than the rest of us.
In one particularly revealing bit during a pre-recording rehearsal session, MacKaye describes a fan who had heard through the grapevine that band members all lived in one big house with no heat (untrue). "I guess we are just a bunch of monks eating rice with no heat," Canty laughs, noting the irony of this particular shot: the band members are all sitting around a table in dim light eating vegan meals. We see studio boredom overtake Picciotto during the sessions for the 1995 Red Medicine album, as he gets silly with a Casio sampler and then plots the "murder" of actor George Burns.
Cohen manages to touch on all of the band's many facets: its do-it-yourself aesthetic (MacKaye counting the money after the gigs, the band hauling its own equipment into a venue), the intense concert experience and a very revealing series of shots of fans standing in ticket lines outside shows. Sure, the kids in 1991 were wearing Jane's Addiction t-shirts and the kids in 1997 weren't, but these fleeting glimpses of audience members reinforce the personal connection that has made Fugazi an important part of so many people's lives.
"Instrument" definitely runs a little long, but squeezing 12 years worth of band history into one compendium is no small task. In a way though, the film's hefty size ensures that it will appeal to a casual observer just as strongly as a hardcore devotee. Keep on rockin'..
JONATHAN COHEN | Jonathan Cohen co-created Nude As The News with his Indiana University mates Troy Carpenter and Ben French. When not traversing the globe for business and pleasure, he holds down the fort as a senior editor for Billboard in New York. Stop him and he just may ask, "what for lunch?"