My Favorite Rock Docs

If you’ve spent any time with me…

…you have likely been given a suggestion for the perfect rock-n-roll documentary for your musical tastes.

I am not a frustrated musician – my guitar skills (or lack there of) are locked up tighter than the Apprentice outtakes. But it was my career ambition at the age of 15 to be a roadie. And as a lifetime music fan and video / audio engineer, I love to learn about the recording process. What better time to dive deep than in the midst of the pandemic.

A friend of mine asked me recently if there was a list of my favorite music documentaries I could point him towards. This is the start of that list.

Where to start?

In the streaming era, music documentaries are everywhere, many of them bad. From fawning portraits captured by the children of the famous – to ponderous interviews of rock journalists – I am amazed at the crap that is put forward. The worst of these so-called documentaries don’t include a note of the musicians music (holy rights fees Batman). But there are so many more that are fantastic, insightful tributes to the artists we love and the art they make.

Sound City

Sound City is a love story between a grunge hero and…a mixing board.

Nirvana drummer (turned Foo Fighters front-man) Dave Grohl directs this homage to the storied recording studio that birthed the album Nevermind, brought Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham to Fleetwood Mac and was the place where two generations of great rock albums were recorded. Read more…