Even before VH1 brought us Behind the Music people had a morbid curiousity about the glamorous world of sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll.
And we do mean morbid. Face it, it wouldn't make a very good story if the cliched rise to the top was not accompanied by some
equally cliched tragedy. And whether we watch the tragedy lead to failure and self-destruction or towards the brighter light
of redemption, with a true rock story, we already know the ending.
Fictional Artists
So what does it take to make it to the top? Well don't look to movies about fictional artists to tell you. This is all about
the myth - the talented underdog, the manipulative manager, the in-band mutiny, the self-destructive tendencies, the tragedy
and what happens after.These movies seem to follow the same blueprint as Based on a True (Rock) Story yet they are rarely
as convincing. Is it because we know it's not true or is it simply that it's impossible to make the fiction as strange as
the truth?
There's no real plot to a Rocumentary/Concert Film. This is the reality of life in rock - the touring, the setting up, the
endless wondering "where are we today." We get to see managers pushed to the brink and the freakish, out -of-control
fans, and the adreneline rush of the live show. Not to mention we get to see the live show without all that pesky buying expensive
tickets and then hanging around in a loud and probably smelly venue. We do, however, learn that life is so very hard on the
road.
