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Classic DVD Review: The Rise and Fall of Brit Pop
By Peter Kimmich: 2008-05-13 22:38:47
Independently being a fan of most bands falling under the tarnished, stained umbrella of “Brit pop,” I suppose I can be called a fan of the genre. My allegiance is not without a small degree of hesitance, of course. I don’t particularly dress the part, if there can be anything of a Brit pop fashion on the west coast of the United States in 2008. I certainly don’t subscribe to the belief that “if it’s British, it’s better” (*cough*Rod Stewart), and a couple of the bands on this collection actually annoy the hell out of me.
But. Of all documentaries extolling the virtues and significance of the musical legacy we, and even they, know as Brit pop, this one reigns as sovereign as the Queen. There is no better resource for self-ingratiating, aggrandizing and entirely biased commentary on the movement that swept across the entire world within a few degrees of 51.30N and 0.30W for a bunch of years in the ‘90s. No other phenomenon can explain the existence of Oasis tribute bands (they seem just as argumentative as the originals), idol worship for Ewan McGregor, the simultaneously vitalizing and devastating power of Vanity Faire, and 35 nearly identical versions of the quote, “It was like…something was happening…but no one quite knew what it WAS.” After viewing this DVD, my overwhelming desire is to go out and buy an Epiphone Sheraton so I can feel normal. Cynicism aside, the musical content of the documentary is unbeatable. Featuring live footage and video clips from bands I love (blur, Oasis, Radiohead, Stone Roses, and strangely Nirvana), plus interviews with the MVPs of those bands, and with the journalists who interviewed them, it’s definitely one to induce the flowing nostalgia. Something about listening to famous musicians wax philosophic while in comfortable, personal settings on sunny afternoons makes me wish I could ditch my job and go lie in a field, a soothing but rocking soundtrack filling the air to carry my concerns away. But more importantly, it’s also a great window straight into the minds of two of the most notorious musicians I know of, Noel and Liam Gallagher. What the disc needs is a bonus feature that continuously replays the moment where Noel complains about people buying Morning Glory but not Definitely Maybe “just to piss me off,” back-to-back with the moment where Liam gets uncomfortable and defensive when asked to comment on his supposed reputation as an androgynous figure in rock. Then there’s Noel slamming Liam for appearing in the aforementioned Vanity Faire. Then there’s Liam chastising Noel for appearing at a public function in the home of the prime minister. Then there’s Noel’s not-so-coy aside that his band’s blue-collar background gives them more heart than other bands from cushy, nice neighborhoods (Blur). In a word, it’s fan-effing-tastic, mate. RELATED: Liam Gallagher, noel gallagher, nirvana, stone roses, radiohead, oasis, blur
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