Eddie Vedder’s prickly and lonesome guitar soundtracks the mountain climbing training regimen of tour manager and grunge scene legend, Bobby Whittaker, in a new clip from Return to Mount Kennedy.
Whittaker worked for years with bands like R.E.M., the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Mudhoney, but the film centers around his desire to climb Mount Kennedy in Yukon, Canada. Mount Kennedy holds a particular importance for Bobby: The mountain was named for John F. Kennedy after his assassination, and, in 1965, Bobby’s father Jim — a legendary mountaineer who...
Whittaker worked for years with bands like R.E.M., the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Mudhoney, but the film centers around his desire to climb Mount Kennedy in Yukon, Canada. Mount Kennedy holds a particular importance for Bobby: The mountain was named for John F. Kennedy after his assassination, and, in 1965, Bobby’s father Jim — a legendary mountaineer who...
- 11/5/2019
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
In 1989, Bruce Pavitt, the founder of the Seattle label Sup Pop, hatched a plan to boost the profile of several of his bands, including a pre-fame Nirvana.
“During the pre-internet 1980s, it was difficult for struggling regional bands in the United States to achieve any national media attention,” he wrote in the 2013 book Experiencing Nirvana. “In England, the situation was different.” Pavitt attributed this to two factors: “The swift transmission of information enabled by the mutually combative ethos of the weekly U.K. music magazines” and “the country’s geographical compactness.
“During the pre-internet 1980s, it was difficult for struggling regional bands in the United States to achieve any national media attention,” he wrote in the 2013 book Experiencing Nirvana. “In England, the situation was different.” Pavitt attributed this to two factors: “The swift transmission of information enabled by the mutually combative ethos of the weekly U.K. music magazines” and “the country’s geographical compactness.
- 7/30/2019
- by Elias Leight
- Rollingstone.com
NEW YORK -- The timing is right artistically, if not commercially, for Doug Pray's documentary examining the rise and subsequent exploitation of the Seattle music scene, which was ultimately responsible for such chart-topping groups as Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden. Now that the sound and look of grunge has entered the mainstream, it's no longer quite as hip, so the film takes on an air of almost ironic detachment. Thanks to the presence of the aforementioned bands, though, the film should do well in specialized situations before enjoying good sales as a longform music video.
The film, done sans narration, is a straightforward examination of the Seattle sound, combining extensive performance footage with interviews with various participants and onlookers, including band members, journalists, fans and record-industry folks. Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, never a particularly talkative figure, offers reasonable and insightful commentary. Although the superstar groups aren't ignored, the real stars of the film are the influential bands who didn't quite hit the heights, including the Melvins, Hammerbox, Zipgun, 7 Year Bitch, the Gits and many, many others.
The commentary is as amusing as it is insightful. One wag, merely by changing the rhythm of his voice as he pounds out a rock beat, offers as succinct an illustration of the Seattle sound as you're likely to hear. And big laughs are garnered by one record label employee's explanation of how she made up an entire "glossary" of grunge terms, which ultimately found its way into the New York Times. The film also humorously depicts the infiltration of grunge "fashion" into the mainstream. Two of the more prominent interview figures are Jonathan Poneman and Bruce Pavitt, the co-founders of Sub Pop Records, which took the local music and turned it into a multimillion-dollar business. They are not reticent here to take credit for their achievements.
Nonfans of the often abrasive Seattle sound may find many of the musical performances hard to sit through, although a clip of what is described as Nirvana's first live rendition of their classic "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is a fascinating piece of historical footage.
HYPE!
CFP Distribution
Director Doug Pray
Producer Steven Helvey
Co-producers Lisa Dutton, Pete Vogt
Narrative structure Brian Levy
Editors Doug Pray, Joan Zapata
Director of photography Robert Bennett
Color/stereo
Running time -- 84 minutes
No MPAA rating...
The film, done sans narration, is a straightforward examination of the Seattle sound, combining extensive performance footage with interviews with various participants and onlookers, including band members, journalists, fans and record-industry folks. Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, never a particularly talkative figure, offers reasonable and insightful commentary. Although the superstar groups aren't ignored, the real stars of the film are the influential bands who didn't quite hit the heights, including the Melvins, Hammerbox, Zipgun, 7 Year Bitch, the Gits and many, many others.
The commentary is as amusing as it is insightful. One wag, merely by changing the rhythm of his voice as he pounds out a rock beat, offers as succinct an illustration of the Seattle sound as you're likely to hear. And big laughs are garnered by one record label employee's explanation of how she made up an entire "glossary" of grunge terms, which ultimately found its way into the New York Times. The film also humorously depicts the infiltration of grunge "fashion" into the mainstream. Two of the more prominent interview figures are Jonathan Poneman and Bruce Pavitt, the co-founders of Sub Pop Records, which took the local music and turned it into a multimillion-dollar business. They are not reticent here to take credit for their achievements.
Nonfans of the often abrasive Seattle sound may find many of the musical performances hard to sit through, although a clip of what is described as Nirvana's first live rendition of their classic "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is a fascinating piece of historical footage.
HYPE!
CFP Distribution
Director Doug Pray
Producer Steven Helvey
Co-producers Lisa Dutton, Pete Vogt
Narrative structure Brian Levy
Editors Doug Pray, Joan Zapata
Director of photography Robert Bennett
Color/stereo
Running time -- 84 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 11/14/1996
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.