Rock Docs

Today's episode of Rock Docs is about "Shut Up and Play the Hits", a 2012 film about the final, uncontroversial, conclusive, never to be reversed ending of LCD Soundsystem directed by Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace. Our guest today is self-professed LCD superfan and New York guy living in LA, film director Luca Morganti. Shut Up and Play the Hits, of course, is about LCD's 2011 retirement show at Madison Square Garden. The documentary features an interview with LCD mastermind James Murphy and journalist Chuck Klosterman, some backstage stuff before and after the show, and James Murphy's French bulldog. And perhaps more Arcade Fire than one would expect or prefer from the vantage point of 2025. Does this era of music and culture hold up? Is it too soon? Is LCD's dramatic conclusion and subsequent reformation the most (or least) interesting thing about the band? When will they finally put out their new album? All this and more in this episode of Rock Docs. Check out the Treble 100 review of "Sound of Silver": https://www.treblezine.com/treble-100-no-52-lcd-soundsystem-sound-of-silver/ Rock Docs is a Treble Media Podcast hosted by David Lizerbram & Andrew Keatts Twitter: @RockDocsPod   Instagram: @RockDocsPod   Cover Art by N.C. Winters - check him out on Instagram at @NCWintersArt  

Today's episode is on "Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius)", a 2025 Questlove jawn about Sly Stone (and the Family Stone). The movie shows us how Sylvester Stewart evolved into Sly Stone, co-founded the Family Stone, and cranked out a pile of classic tunes over the course of a few years. And, of course, we learn about Sly's drug-fueled downfall and late in life redemption. This movie looks and sounds great, and Sly's story is endlessly interesting. But is this the best Questlove can do? Rock Docs is a Treble Media Podcast hosted by David Lizerbram & Andrew Keatts Check out Treble's review of "There's A Riot Goin' On" Twitter: @RockDocsPod   Instagram: @RockDocsPod   Cover Art by N.C. Winters - check him out on Instagram at @NCWintersArt  

Today's episode is on "George Harrison: Living in the Material World", a 2011 film about The Quiet One directed by Martin Scorsese. It's available on Max. Our guest today is George Harrison and Bob Dylan superfan Britt Eisnor. Check out her excellent Dylan content on Instagram. This movie is about George's mysticism, more or less, and weaves in and out of his very famous life story. There are some great talking heads, not all of whom are great people (I'm looking at you, Phil Spector) or come of as well as they think they do (and now I'm looking at you, Eric Clapton), and one conspicuous absence. Also, this movie would have you believe that George Harrison only recorded one solo album. It seems like his career as a musician continued on past 1970, but who can really tell for sure? Check out the Treble review of "All Things Must Pass": https://www.treblezine.com/george-harrison-all-things-must-pass/ Rock Docs is a Treble Media Podcast hosted by David Lizerbram & Andrew Keatts Twitter: @RockDocsPod   Instagram: @RockDocsPod   Cover Art by N.C. Winters - check him out on Instagram at @NCWintersArt  

Today's episode is on "Searching for Sugar Man", a 2012 film about the long-forgotten Detroit balladeer Rodriguez, his mysterious fame in South Africa, and his rediscovery. This Academy Award-winning classic was directed by Malik Bendjelloul. Sixto Rodriguez, who recorded as Rodriguez, had a brief recording career from the late 60s and early 70s. He sold "about 6" records in the U.S., but, unbeknownst to him, his music became wildly popular in South Africa. Rumors abounded about his ultimate fate. Finally, a few intrepid South Africans decided to try to track the man down. The rest is rock docs history. Rock Docs is a Treble Media Podcast hosted by David Lizerbram & Andrew Keatts Twitter: @RockDocsPod   Instagram: @RockDocsPod   Cover Art by N.C. Winters - check him out on Instagram at @NCWintersArt  

Today's episode is on "Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell", a 2008 film about the singer, instrumentalist, composer, collaborator, and all-around musical pioneer whose work has become more widely recognized well after his untimely passing. The movie is directed by Matt Wolf. Our guest today is Matty Monroe, the person behind the Indieheads subreddit and general knower and lover of all things indie music. Wild Combination is a biography of a man who was hard to know. He didn't leave a lot of surviving interviews, spoken audio, or writing. But he left behind a vast trove of music which is still being discovered and released. The film reflects on his beautiful relationship with his longtime partner Tom Lee, his parents, Chuck and Emily Russell, and the many musicians and artists who had the opportunity to work with Arthur. Plus there are some weird vibes from Rock Docs regular Allen Ginsberg. Arthur Russell's music is singular and transporting, and the movie is a fine tribute to the man and his work. Rock Docs is a Treble Media Podcast hosted by David Lizerbram & Andrew Keatts Twitter: @RockDocsPod   Instagram: @RockDocsPod   Cover Art by N.C. Winters - check him out on Instagram at @NCWintersArt  

Today's episode is on "Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band", a 2024 film about Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's 2023-2024 tour. It's directed by frequent Springsteen collaborator (and a guy who shows up a lot on Rock Docs), Thom Zimny. The film can be found on Disney+, the official home of rock and roll. Our guest today is Caryn Rose, whose newsletter jukeboxgraduate is essential and whose essay "Why Bruce Springsteen's 'Road Diary' works so well" inspired this conversation. Road Diary follows Bruce and the band as they embark on their first post-Covid world tour. Do they shake off the dust and rediscover their connection to the rock and soul that inspired them so many years ago? Does the film feature loads of great previously-unseen archival footage? Does our pal Steven Van Zandt get in a few classic zingers? You bet! Rock Docs is a Treble Media Podcast hosted by David Lizerbram & Andrew Keatts Twitter: @RockDocsPod   Instagram: @RockDocsPod   Cover Art by N.C. Winters - check him out on Instagram at @NCWintersArt    

Today's episode is on "No Direction Home: Bob Dylan", a 2005 film about Bob Dylan directed by our old pal Martin Scorsese. Our guest today is Erin Callahan, host of the "Infinity Goes Up on Trial" Bob Dylan podcast. Please also check out the Treble 100 essay on "Blonde on Blonde". No Direction Home was originally broadcast as part of the American Masters series on PBS. It features lengthy interviews with Bob as well as many of the musicians and other folks he interacted with on his rise to superstardom. It ends in 1966 and then that's that. It's the kind of documentary that mostly hits the highlights, but honestly, the dude had a lot of highlights! So that's OK. Rock Docs is a Treble Media Podcast hosted by David Lizerbram & Andrew Keatts Twitter: @RockDocsPod   Instagram: @RockDocsPod   Cover Art by N.C. Winters - check him out on Instagram at @NCWintersArt    

Today's episode is on "Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary", a 2024 MAX/Music Box documentary about the smooth sounds coming out of LA's finest music studios in the late 70s & early 80s. We're joined by the director of the film, Garret Price. Garret previously joined us to discuss his 2021 documentary "Woodstock 99: Peace, Love and Rage". As you'll hear, this one is way mellower but no less compelling. The movie features luminaries from the era such as Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins, Christopher Cross, various members of Toto, and (sort of) Steely Dan's Donald Fagen, as well as contemporary musicians who are inspired by the genre. Also included are the creators of the mid-2000s Yacht Rock webseries that ended up defining "Yacht Rock" as a thing. Garret tells us how the movie came together thanks to a surprising pair of roommates, shares the real story behind the Fagen encounter, and happily engages in the time-honored "What is Yacht Rock?" debate. Rock Docs is a Treble Media Podcast hosted by David Lizerbram & Andrew Keatts Twitter: @RockDocsPod   Instagram: @RockDocsPod   Cover Art by N.C. Winters - check him out on Instagram at @NCWintersArt  

Welcome to Nick's Pick's Vol. 4, in which we invite our friend and returning champion Nick McCann on to discuss any documentary he chooses. Today's episode is about "Backstage", a 2000 doc about the 1999 Hard Knock Life Tour that featured several of hip-hop's top acts including Jay-Z, DMX, Method Man, and Redman. As well as, of course, Pain in da Ass. The movie was directed by Chris Fiore. If you like arguments about which hip-hop record label's brand should appear on the official tour jacket, then this is the doc for you. Rock Docs is a Treble Media Podcast hosted by David Lizerbram & Andrew Keatts Check out Treble's review of Jay-Z's "The Black Album".   Twitter: @RockDocsPod   Instagram: @RockDocsPod   Cover Art by N.C. Winters - check him out on Instagram at @NCWintersArt

Welcome to the Very Special 100th Episode of Rock Docs! Today's episode is on "History of the Eagles", a 2013 film about the California rock band, directed by Alison Ellwood. Our guest today is our pal, American Painter Jake Longstreth, who's in the bands Mountain Brews and Richard Pictures as well as being a co-host of the Internet Radio Show Time Crisis. Our longtime listeners may recall Jake previously joined us to discuss "We Are Twisted Fucking Sister!" History of the Eagles is, of course, the Godfather of rock docs. It's the ur-text from which this all began. Rock Docs is a Treble Media Podcast hosted by David Lizerbram & Andrew Keatts Check out this cool Treble article on the Talking Heads Live in Rome Twitter: @RockDocsPod   Instagram: @RockDocsPod   Cover Art by N.C. Winters - check him out on Instagram at @NCWintersArt  

Today's episode is on "Listening to Kenny G", a 2021 film about the saxophone colossus, directed by Penny Lane. Our guest today is Franz Nicolay, multi-instrumentalist and composer, who records his own music and also is known from bands such as The Hold Steady. Franz' fascinating new book, Band People, features interviews with musicians who have made a career in the music industry, often outside of the spotlight. Listening to Kenny G was released under HBO's "Music Box" series, which may no longer be a thing? The G man himself sat for extensive interviews and the film dispassionately explores what makes his music both appealing and controversial to audiences and music fans around the world. It's a rich text, and one could view Kenny as either the hero or villain of the movie. Plus: Is Kenny G like Phish? Co-host Andy Keatts was unavailable for this episode, so he didn't get a chance to weigh in on this important topic, but we bat it around a bit anyway. Rock Docs is a Treble Media Podcast hosted by David Lizerbram & Andrew Keatts Twitter: @RockDocsPod   Instagram: @RockDocsPod   Cover Art by N.C. Winters - check him out on Instagram at @NCWintersArt  

Today's episode is on "Supersonic", a 2016 film about the trio Oasis, directed by Mat Whitecross Our guest today is Brendan Dentino, an Oasis superfan who wrote the excellent article "The hope and selfishness of Oasis". Please also check out "1995: The year Oasis made us want to live forever" on Treble. Supersonic is a chronicle of the band's rise right up to their triumphant shows at Knebworth in 1996 - and it ends exactly there. Like Liam Gallagher, we are living in an eternal 1996. Along the way, we learn about the benefits of taking a hammer to the head, explore "the Oasis brothers" and their respective personas, and we discuss the time Noel Gallagher popped into a pub in San Diego to watch some footie. Rock Docs is a Treble Media Podcast hosted by David Lizerbram & Andrew Keatts Twitter: @RockDocsPod   Instagram: @RockDocsPod   Cover Art by N.C. Winters - check him out on Instagram at @NCWintersArt  

Today's episode is about "Not Not Jazz", a 2024 film about the trio Medeski Martin & Wood, directed by Jason Miller. Our guest today is Josh Frisch of the Dad Rocks podcast, which we were on years ago, and now we get to return the favor. As you'll hear, there was a bit of confusion, as Andy ended up watching a different MMW documentary. But we made it work. "Not Not Jazz" asks as many questions as it answers - when was it filmed? What happened to the music that was being recorded during the filming of the movie? Why is it coming out now? Is music really its own kind of language, man? Rock Docs is a Treble Media Podcast hosted by David Lizerbram & Andrew Keatts Twitter: @RockDocsPod   Instagram: @RockDocsPod   Cover Art by N.C. Winters - check him out on Instagram at @NCWintersArt  

Today's episode is about "Instrument", a 1999 film about the D.C. post-hardcore legends Fugazi, directed by Jem Cohen in collaboration with the band. Check out "Celebrate the Catalog: Fugazi" on treblezine.com Our guest today is Vish Khanna, the host of the Kreative Kontrol podcast. This is a first for Rock Docs...in prep for this episode, and in recognition of the film's 25th anniversary, Vish got Jem Cohen and all four members of Fugazi together for a rare interview on his show. You can listen to that episode here. We over at Rock Docs HQ are thrilled to have played any small part in that momentous event. Nonetheless, we managed to keep it together and have a lively conversation with Vish about the band, his history with them, and this incredible film. Finally, Vish was also nice enough to share his thoughts about his friend, the late Steve Albini, a Rock Docs legend who we never approached about being on the show, to our regret. Rock Docs is a Treble Media Podcast hosted by David Lizerbram & Andrew Keatts Twitter: @RockDocsPod   Instagram: @RockDocsPod   Cover Art by N.C. Winters - check him out on Instagram at @NCWintersArt  

Today's episode is about "Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple", a 2024 HBO/MAX doc about Little Steven aka Miami Steve aka Silvio Dante aka the Lillehammer guy, directed by Bill Teck. This doc has almost everything you ever wanted to know about the legendary sideman, front man, and Renaissance man. The man who likes scarves, who loves rock & roll, and who ain't gonna play Sun City. If you're a fan of almost any subgenre of rock music between approximately 1955-1990, or if you just thought he was fun in The Sopranos, you'll dig this one. Rock Docs is a Treble Media Podcast hosted by David Lizerbram & Andrew Keatts Check out Treble's piece on the Springsteen classic "Born to Run": https://www.treblezine.com/bruce-springsteen-born-to-run-treble-100-no-33/ Twitter: @RockDocsPod   Instagram: @RockDocsPod   Cover Art by N.C. Winters - check him out on Instagram at @NCWintersArt