DIG! XX (2024) - 10/10

I’ve not watched DIG! since its first release. Not that it’s not brilliant, as Dave Grohl says in the new intro here, it’s (one of) the greatest rock and roll documentaries of all time. It’s pretty full on though, but with an added half an hour, DIG! XX is the perfect excuse for a rewatch. As Dave says, “it’s honest, warts and all”. Two bands, The Dandy Warhols and The Brian Jonestown Massacre, on the road playing gigs, navigating the music industry and all that entails. Mid 90s, documenting 7+ years with bucketloads of candid footage. Pre digital, it’s immediate and throws you right in. Hang on, it’s going to be a wild ride. In a large cast of characters, Anton Newcombe, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist for The Brian Jonestown Massacre is the star. His tamborine wielding goofball grinning cohort Joel is captivating too, but Anton is magnetic, visceral and quite possibly insane. He’s full on, right on, hippy rock n roll personified, you dig? The Brian Jonestown Massacre are the cooler band and arguably the one that’s aged better… but they’re not accessible and don’t create hits. In fact they’re the antithesis to all that sell out success stuff. Enter The Dandy Warhols. They’ve got the hooks and the looks… and the record deal with a major label. The Brian Jonestown Massacre don’t  have a deal at all. This fact along with Anton’s dictator-like god complex is what makes DIG! so intensely watchable, well that and that he’s a drama queen. It’s a slow motion car crash. Not that Anton needs anything to light his touch paper. He’s a walking, fast-talking, self-contained bomb, that keeps exploding. He may think he’s a revolutionary punk and when I first watched DIG! I recall thinking he might be. The sad reality is, he was an egotistical drugged-up wanker. I say was, these days he’s much calmer. Gigs finish on time. Gigs start! Riots don’t break out, as much. Whilst I’ve declared Anton the star and many would agree. Maybe that accolade should go to Ondi and David Timoner, who shot, directed and edited this. I can’t imagine how they went about pulling a coherent narrative from all this footage, but the edit is what makes this so engaging. I’m not sure where the extra footage is (aside the coda), it’s so well put together, it blends effortlessly. That said, was it always this skewed toward The Brian Jonestown Massacre mayhem. Probably yes, but I suspect the extra footage is all them. On initial release the expose side of this, calling out the screwed-up music industry seemed quite a revelation. Now of course we all know how parasitic it was in the 90s, still is in many ways, although the scam has shifted. It’s not really important to the competition between the bands, but it puts more meat on the bone as both bands wrangle with people in offices who don’t always get the artistic vision. The Brian Jonestown Massacre do make great records though and a lot of them. Anton’s drive is impressive, but honestly DIG! XX despite its 2 hour 30 minute runtime doesn’t really showcase that. It’s part of the make up, along with sleeping on floors, driving vans, hanging out on streets outside gigs. The Anton circus, but you do need to dig (ugh) into their catalogue. I’d start with the early records to get some grounding. The Dandy Warhols though. You can see why they had hits. I’d forgotten how good they were. They’ve got focus, a work ethic, responsibility and bloody good songs. Now with 12 albums under their belt, I’ve got some catching up to do. Anton must’ve seen this and it fuels his jealousy. Fabricating a rift between the bands that becomes real. He’s all about being authentic, heart on sleeve. Courtney from Dandy’s and Joel from BJM narrate here, but not Anton. I’m sure he was asked, but he’s not one to belittle his actions with explanation. It’s a rollercoaster, with mostly lovable lows, but there are highs too. Are The Brian Jonestown Massacre really going to break the big time? The fact that most people still haven’t heard of them (people who’ve made bad musical choices) probably tells you the answer. Some parts are hard to watch. Like really hard to watch. The music is fantastic, but the personalities are toxic. Joel should be given more credit. In a film where everyone’s got great hair, his is the best. He shakes a mean tambourine and he’s got the patience of a bonafide saint. Despite being shot lofi, it’s packed with style. Packed with potential. Packed with drama. It really is brilliant. The question isn’t which is the better band, but is XX an improvement on DIG! and remarkably I think it is. A stunning documentary about two great bands and some fascinating people.

10/10