I first heard of Beulah in November of 2001 while I was sitting in the Riviera Theatre anxiously awaiting Cake's entrance from behind the stage. No backup band was advertised but, instead of my cowboy hat and white shirt wearing heroes, Beulah emerged. Within ten minutes time, this impatient Cake fan was won over by their performance. Maybe it was the melodies or maybe it was their enthusiasm, but, whatever it was, they were quite hypnotic. That weekend, I went out and bought their CD, "The Coast is Never Clear." It was a good purchase because I still listen to it today, and there are numerous albums that I cannot say that about. Due to my favorable evaluation of the band, I was excited to see that a documentary had been released concerning them. Happily, this weekend I had a chance to view it.
Unfortunately, the movie does not make a good impression initially. During the introduction, the lead guitarist and leader of the band, Miles, began disrespecting Bob Dylan, a man who truly, unlike most of today's entertainers, deserves the title of artist--if not poet. Miles states that his new CD is superior to "Blood on the Tracks," and his rationale for why this is true was even more comical than the statement itself. He thinks the fact that he put more "emotion" into his work makes it better. Hardly. Emotion has absolutely no correlation (actually, in my opinion, it has a negative correlation) with musical quality. He further offended the fans of the greatest songwriter in the history of rock & roll by saying "F--- Bob Dylan." I almost turned off the DVD right there.
I'm glad I didn't though as, despite its inauspicious beginning, it turned out to be an interesting documentary. After the first thirty minutes of banal equipment moving and tire changing, A Good Band is Easy to Kill improved immensely. Other than Miles, the band, the chief subject of the film, seem to be a group of mature, authentic, and likable fellows. It's too bad that the lead guitarist gets so much of the spotlight as he's the only one whose personality grates, yet I should mention that he was the only person who made me laugh out loud. I laughed with him as he complains on his cell phone that they are being force to play in a "living room." He then complains that "a bunch of hippies are having a cooking class in there" and don't have intention of clearing out so the band will have enough time to get ready.
The scene in which they get into it with an effete, trendy Canadian is absolutely priceless. The camera pans to a self-righteous pseudo-intellectual fan who succeeds in spoiling an after concert party by reflexively bashing America for the most irrational of reasons. It seems all we do is declare wars. Ah, no. Since World War II, what has his country done for anybody? They act like they're the conscious of North America but their government doesn't care about anyone, especially the citizens they're supposed to be serving. Their legislators are devoted to taxing the people into poverty. At their current rate of spending, they'll achieve third world status by 2050. Enjoy! Although, we should all be grateful to Canada for showcasing to the world that socialized medicine is an inefficient, corrupt, people-killing mess.
Anyway, in the scene, one of Beulah guys points out how irrational the priss's views happen to be because he hates war but then wants to declare war on capitalism. He said, I think you're a bit confused, war can't be good and bad at the same time. Young Pierre Trudeau has no answers. Another band member later said that this heroic anti-corporate guy had an entire place crafted from IKEA stuff, which, as we know, sells products that are not 100% derived from the efforts of unionized labor. I don't know of too many other performers who would stand up for our nation under any circumstance, and even fewer who would ever consent to have their defense filmed for the sake of posterity. Bravo! The live concert sequences are the strongest part of the documentary. The were extremely entertaining and they illustrate that these musicians possess considerable ability. Indeed, the venue footage is riveting. My favorite scene is where they allow some 17-year-old fans to come in early to see them practice as their age barred them from being present for the actual show. The youths are amazed at their proximity to Beulah and were as appreciative as could be. It was a very nice, and sincere, moment. It's always pleasurable to see entertainers take a heartfelt interest in their supporters. The way that they brought audience members up to dance and play the tambourine on stage further illustrated their connection to their admirers.
A Good Band is Easy to Kill may lack the polish of Wilco's I Am Trying to Break Your Heart but it's definitely worth your time.
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