L: Unsung Artist/Band Documentaries
These are documentaries about bands that flew under the radar, or didn't get the recognization they deserved.
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21 titles
- DirectorAlex GibneyStarsFela KutiYeni KutiFemi KutiA look at the life and music of Nigerian singer Fela Kuti.
- DirectorJeff FeuerzeigStarsDaniel JohnstonMabel JohnstonBill JohnstonDaniel Johnston, manic-depressive genius singer/songwriter/artist is revealed in this portrait of madness, creativity and love.
- DirectorEdgar WrightStarsRon MaelRussell MaelBeckA musical odyssey through five weird and wonderful decades with Ron and Russell Mael celebrating the inspiring legacy of Sparks.
- DirectorBrett WhitcombStarsPeter BaumannDon BuchlaDorit ChryslerAn exploration of the life and innovations of composer and electronic-music pioneer Suzanne Ciani.
- DirectorDon HardyStarsGerald CasaleLes ClaypoolChris CombsTheory of Obscurity tells the story of the renegade sound and video collective known as The Residents. A story that spans 40 years and is clouded in mystery. Many details surrounding the group are secret, including the identities of its members. Our film takes viewers inside this incredibly private group with unprecedented access to their archives and their recent 40th anniversary tour. The Residents have released more than 60 albums, performed all over the world and inspired many people to be weird, take chances and find their own voice. Now, our film will introduce The Residents to a whole new generation.
- DirectorJohan von SydowStarsTiny Tim'Weird Al' YankovicJonas MekasThe story about the outcast, Herbert Khaury's rise to stardom as Tiny Tim. Either considered a freak or a genius Tiny Tim left no one unaffected.
- DirectorMatt WolfStarsBob BlankErnie BrooksDavid ByrneDirector Matt Wolf's critically acclaimed documentary examines the life and work of Arthur Russell, an influential singer, songwriter, cello player and disco auteur who died tragically in 1992.
- DirectorMichael WolkStarsGary WilsonChristina BatesButch BottinoA documentary about musical genius Gary Wilson. Hailing from a small town in New York State, he revolutionized music forever.
- DirectorMonika BaranImogen PutlerStarsTim BurgessMac DeMarcoTheophilus London'Cool Daddio' is a tragicomic odyssey to discover underground music icon R. Stevie Moore, a man who recorded over 400 albums in his bedroom. Now in his 60s, Moore is finally receiving recognition, is it all too much and too late?
- DirectorAndrew HornStarsKlaus NomiAnn MagnusonDavid BowieHaving failed to break into professional opera in his native Germany (where, as an usher in West Berlin's Deutsche Oper, he would serenade the staff after the real performances were over) the diminutive Klaus Nomi headed for NYC in 1972. The vibrant New Wave/avant-garde gestalt of the mid/late '70's East Village proved to be fertile ground for the development of his unique talents. Working by day as a high-end pastry chef, Nomi began to stage his outlandish performances, first launching himself upon an unsuspecting public at the New Wave Vaudeville in 1978. The hip and cynical young audience was stunned by this weird combination of falsetto arias, booming classical orchestration, Kraftwerk-style electronica, futuristic costumes and outer space imagery. An odd assortment of artists, choreographers, designers, songwriters and musicians jumped on to the Nomi bandwagon and the phenomenon began to take off - first attracting thousands to South Manhattan events (including performances at the legendary Max's Kansas City) and culminating in a recording contract with the French division of RCA. With the release 'Klaus Nomi' in 1981 and 'Simple Man' in 1982, it looked as if Nomi was on the verge of superstardom. Having established himself in Europe, he made a triumphant return to New York City. But Nomi's moment of glory proved to be his swansong. Within only a few months Nomi had succumbed to the ravages of AIDS. One of the first celebrities to be killed by this mysterious new disease, Nomi died a lonely death, largely abandoned by those who had seen him as a passport to their own success. Today, the otherworldliness of 'The Cold Song' and 'Dido's Lament' is like an ethereal voice calling from beyond the grave.
- DirectorKieran TurnerStarsJerry BrandtJayne CountyDennis ChristopherCalled "The American Bowie," "The True Fairy of Rock & Roll" and "Hype of the Year," Jobriath's reign as the first openly gay rock star was brief and over by 1975. Now, 35 years later, "Jobriath A.D." spotlights his life, music, groundbreaking influence and the new generations of fans slowly re-discovering him.
- DirectorSacha GervasiStarsRobb ReinerSteve 'Lips' KudlowTiziana ArrigoniSince 1978, Anvil has become one of heavy metal's most influential yet commercially unsuccessful acts. In 2006, after a fledging European tour Anvil sets out to record their thirteenth album and continue to follow their dreams.
- DirectorJosh RubinStarsWild Man FischerHarold BronsonSolomon BurkeA documentary on the life and music of manic-depressive, paranoid-schizophrenic cult music icon Wild Man Fischer.
- DirectorChris BagleyStarsJello BiafraTabitha SorenHoward SternA look at the life and work of controversial rock musician and cult hero, Wesley Willis.
- DirectorMark Christopher CovinoJeff HowlettStarsBobby HackneyDavid HackneyDannis HackneyA documentary on the 1970s punk trio Death, and their new-found popularity decades after they disbanded.
- DirectorMalik BendjelloulStarsRodriguezStephen 'Sugar' SegermanDennis CoffeyTwo South Africans set out to discover what happened to their unlikely musical hero, the mysterious 1970s rock n roller, Rodriguez.
- DirectorThomas LatterStarsDean ReedRamona ReedMike WallaceMeet Dean Reed, the American popstar who defected to the Soviet Bloc in the '70s and became a superstar. He packs stadiums, preaches Marxism and inspires a generation...until his body is found, drowned, in a lake in East Berlin.
- DirectorStephen KijakStarsSara KestelmanArnie PottsJarvis CockerA documentary on the influential musician Scott Walker.
- DirectorNik TriantafyllidisStarsScreamin' Jay HawkinsFrank AshArthur BrownPortrait of an important American musician through the testimonies of fellow musicians and people from his environment, but also through archival material and documents from various stages of his life and career.
- DirectorLisa RovnerStarsKim GordonJean-Michel JarreWendy CarlosFollows the story of electronic music's female pioneers, composers who embraced machines and their liberating technologies to utterly transform how we produce and listen to music today.
- DirectorJohn SanbornStarsPenn JilletteThe ResidentsTellerA pseudo-documentary about the band The Residents blends comedy with live clips, music videos, interviews and documentary footage. Spanning the years 1972 to 1990, and including clips from the recent album The King and Eye and fragments of the band's "media mercenary" work, the program romps through established notions of pop culture, the music industry and the nature of musical invention, replacing them with the iconoclastic vision of The Residents.