DVD Review: Rush & The Doors finally get their due with “Beyond the Lighted Stage” and “When You’re Strange” rock docs

Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage & When You’re Strange: A Film About the Doors
RATING

I’ve always felt that Rush and The Doors shared a similar awkward space in the rock and roll firmament. Both bands have sold millions of records and are beloved by fans around the world for their virtuosic musicianship and heavy lyrics, and both bands have been vastly underrated and disrespected by music critics and the hipster intelligentsia for decades. 

In a word, these groups are outcasts, albeit well-known outcasts, but outcasts nonetheless, forever exiled to the fringes of the universe of the legendary. Somehow, when mentioned in conversation or written history, they just have never seemed to be able carry the same weight or (dare I say it?) gravitas as some of the other acclaimed artists of their respective generations. 

Why is this so? 

Frankly, I never understood it, as I have been a huge fan of both these bands all my life. 

Well, the uninitiated world-at-large will finally get to judge for themselves as this week saw the serendipitous DVD release of “rock docs” on BOTH of them; “Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage” and “When You’re Strange: A Film about The Doors”, respectively.

Much to my delight and surprise each of these are remarkable efforts, representing the pinnacle of the documentary filmmaking genre.  Their approaches differ, but the end result is the same; they both show the audience something new, and provide interesting, fresh perspectives.

Since Rush is very much an active band, with all members still alive and kicking, “Lighted Stage” has way more of a perpetual forward motion to it.  It’s an in-depth history of the band, sure, but it never lets you forget that these people still exist and are out there playing at a theatre near you or as Jack Black (one of numerous musicians interviewed for this project) puts it, they’ve “got an untapped resource of ‘Rocket Sauce’”.

One of its running themes (that is not taken on in the Doors film) is the matter of their being terminally unhip.  The film begins this way, actually, as Billy Corgan (who proves himself rather eloquent in all of his scenes) poses that very question; “Why has this band been marginalized?” which is immediately followed by the stirring opening chords to the song “Limelight”.

The question itself is not really answered.  What IS shown, however, is the appreciation and devotion of their fans; a plethora of whom grew up to be famous rockers in their own right.  From Jack Black singing lines from “Spirit of the Radio” to Primus’ Les Claypool playing Geddy Lee riffs on his bass to Billy Corgan recounting a touching story of playing a Rush song for his mother when he was a teen, you really get to see the genuine affection these self-confessed “music nerds” have for this much maligned group of canucks.

Aside from the special guests, you get up close and personal with the band themselves…  Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart each get to tell their story from their childhood all the way through to present day, and they don’t skimp on the details, going through the nuances of each album. It’s a fans delight.

Personally, they all come off, unsurprisingly, extremely articulate and intelligent.  What wasn’t so apparent heretofore, was their humor, which is abundant.  It was a sheer joy to see the closeness and warmth they all still feel for each other.  The most moving scenes came when describing Peart’s harrowing journey out of the pit of despair when he lost his daughter and wife in the same year..

In between all the talking is a whole lot of music, busting with loads of archival footage I’ve never seen before, making it one of the greatest music documentaries I’ve ever seen.

The Doors film, “When You’re Strange” takes us on a different, more stated journey.  Instead of the surviving band members relaying their story, they chose Johnny Depp to narrate the band’s history against a series of archival footage never before seen.  This gives the doc much more of a dramatic feel. 

The clips they use are just incredible too, most of which I’ve never seen before, or if I have, only in small fuzzy parts.  What I particularly loved is how they used the never-released (and only seen by Doors fans in poor quality bootlegs) 1969 film, “HWY – An American Pastoral” as the filmic thread that runs throughout.  “HWY” is perfect for this as it is basically just documents Jim Morrison driving around through the desert and back roads in his blue Shelby… It gives the film a reckless amble, a sort of anxiety that drives the audience closer and closer to the doomed finale of its hero and focus… The Lizard King.

Although Mr. Mojo Risin is definitely the focus of this movie, as it should be as he was one of the most compelling characters in all of rock history, the band’s music runs a close second.  As you hear snippet after snippet of their mammoth hits, one is awestruck by how much they accomplished musically in such a short time.  

In this way, this is a movie that really SHOWS more than it tells, in more ways than one. 

As for the basic gist of the film, if you have seen Oliver Stone’s biopic, then you already know it.  However, the experience is so much more visceral this time around, because you are actually seeing the REAL THING unfold before you.  This is due to the ingenious editing of the archival footage.  There were times when I was watching it and had to rewind to see if it wasn’t an actor playing Morrison in certain scenes because it looked like it was shot recently.  Not only was the quality of the film pristine, but Morrison’s presence was so compelling it was if he was acting, when in fact he was just being Jim.  Depp’s able narration lays a terrific foundation as well.

As the movie detailed the band’s infamous Miami gig where Morrison either did or didn’t expose himself to the audience, the use of audio and photos really made you feel as if you were there, experiencing that sad tension that they all felt as their careers were laid on the line due to the shenanigans of a drunken monster poet they could neither live with or without.

The most moving parts to me, however, were the scenes where Jim was interacting with his audience and the shots of them in the studio.  He seemed to really like being among people and exuded a childlike, impish charm that was underpinned with a madman’s thirst for self-destruction.  This was a man possessed with just way too many demons, he would have never been long for this world. 

Both films are by far the best rock docs I’ve seen in years and are splendid looks into two bands that have been shamefully overlooked through the years and showcased poorly to the world. 

Hopefully, maybe this will give a broader audience an opportunity to see them as their fans have always seen them…  That would be something.

Check them out and play them LOUD!!