comment #1

Hip Hop Homey says ...

@Wells: Isn't this fest in NYC? I thought Rush fans wee nothing but low thread count, tea baggers who drank beer and kicked shit? WTF? It's the end of the world as we know it!

comment #2

Deathtongue_Groupie says ...

Or perhaps could it possibly be because every ardent Rush fan in the Tri-State area came to see it and basically stuffed the ballot box?

comment #3

Pinko Punko says ...

JW: "It's not the band I hate, it's the band and their fans."

Cf. Sloan "Coax Me"

comment #4

longrunner says ...

Oh, hell, he wouldn't like Sloan either.

comment #5

Gordn27 says ...

I haven't seen the doc, but I did see 'Anvil', which was a great doc about a band that makes worse music than Rush.

comment #6

Jeffrey Wells says ...

Loved Anvil like a cousin from Michigan who drives a 14 year-old car -- the ultimate sad-sack aging rocker doc.

comment #7

aris says ...

Didn't we go through this already?

comment #8

LarryGopnik says ...

Despite Jeff's revulsion, it's actually good little film, a very solid doc.

But I must admit, he is right -- at my Tribeca screening, I was pretty much the only person not wearing a RUSH t-shirt and breaking into applause and cheers every few minutes.

comment #9

frankbooth says ...

I have no idea what "mute nostril agony" is (your nares throb but you stoically keep mum about it?) but I like the sound of it. It should be the name of Rush's next album.

comment #10

LexG says ...

We dealt with this two weekends ago, but...

RUSH = single worst band in the history of sound.

comment #11

LexG says ...

Unrelated shit no one will care about:

I have had a copy of THE GONG SHOW MOVIE on VHS for nearly a decade.... I think I accidentally recorded over it for this week's Survivor.

SO. FUCKING. PISSED.

comment #12

Gordn27 says ...

frank - it's a Doors line.

comment #13

Gordn27 says ...

Lex - I'm pretty sure I taped over my copy of 'Mickey One', which I didn't even get to watch. If I didn't, I can't find it.

Always pull the tabs!

comment #14

Rich S. says ...

"What's a tape?"

- Anonymous snarky internet dweeb

comment #15

Rushfan says ...

Is that the whine of sour grapes i hear?

I guess I missed the part why the musical taste of some random film critic is any more significant than any other joker you can pull of the street with bad taste in music. Or maybe you're under the impression that because you have a blog and a small audience that your opinion holds any special weight or value?

in the end, like with this award, the audience does the talking, and I have full confidence that this documentary (from EVERY other review I've hard of it besides yours) will delight existing Rush fans and create many, many new ones.

Sorry about that!. By all means, however, enjoy your opinions as they're all really important and we're all on the edges of our seats to read what golden words of clearly objective truth you come out with next.

comment #16

George Prager says ...

Why are you taping Survivor, LexG? That is the source of your depression right there. You need to turn off that TV, buckle down and write something. And when you're not writing you should be reading. May I suggest "Jernigan" by David Gates.

Anyway. Rush has a couple of good songs, but they seem to attract a fan base that has little use for any other kinds of music.

comment #17

Rushfan says ...

George, speaking as a major Rush fan who knows a LOT of Rush fans, your statement of "they seem to attract a fan base that has little use for any other kinds of music" is ridiculous. There are a tiny, tiny minority of Rush fans (maybe 1%) who listen to nothing but Rush, but all the rest of us have as eclectic musical tastes as fans of any other band.

comment #18

George Prager says ...

I won't argue with someone who calls themselves Rushfan.

comment #19

Ray DeRousse says ...

The only band worse than Rush is Styx.

comment #20

George Prager says ...

I reserve my deepest hatred for "jam" bands and other music loved by Teva-wearers: Jack Johnson, Dave Matthews, Matsiyahu...shit like that.

comment #21

AlexFan says ...

AlexFan = Worlds biggest Rush Fan.

Today I listened to TOOL
Yesterday I pulled out The Church "Starfish"
Friday I listened to R.E.M All day..

Dead on with those comments George...

comment #22

HFC says ...

Something tells me, Mr. Wells, that you like your scotch with the shit blended out of it and your cigars made of filler and clippings. Rush fans are connoisseurs of music, much the same way scotch and cigar enthusiasts like single malts and Cubans. Keep scratching your head like a musical Neanderthal while we enjoy the good stuff. We'll coexist with you just fine!

comment #23

George Prager says ...

Rush
Consumer Guide Reviews:
A Farewell to Kings [Mercury, 1977]
The most obnoxious band currently making a killing on the zonked teen circuit. Not to be confused with Mahogany Rush, who at least spare us the reactionary gentility. More like Angel. Or Kansas. Or a power-trio Uriah Heep, with vocals revved up an octave. Or two. D

http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=rush

comment #24

CitizenKanedforChewingGum says ...

Quoting Robert Christgau in a music debate is a far worse offense than taping Survivor on VHS.

comment #25

The Hoyk says ...

So why is it that Jeff likes the Anvil doc and not the Rush doc? Maybe because in ANVIL, the guys are stuck having to work lousy unfulfilling jobs to sustain a band that still plays for tiny audiences and languishes in obscurity. In other words, the punishment that he would levy upon anyone who wanted to play heavy metal music.

Anvil -> poor and unsuccessful -> worthy story
Rush -> rich and successful -> not worthy story

comment #26

AlexFan says ...

For George

"We've taken care of everything the words you hear
and the songs you sing and the pictures that give pleasures to your eyes"

Geddy Lee

comment #27

HFC says ...

Hmmm. Reactionary? The priests of the Temples of Syrinx (a.k.a the villains of 2112) are reactionary. The hero who holds out for artistic freedom is anything but. Critics need to get their noggins out of their arses and actually get a clue.

comment #28

Rushfan says ...

Quoting Robert Christagu? Jeez, he's worse than Jeffrey Wells (if that's possible), but infinitely more well known. Wells probably worships him.

Anyway, just because someone is a well-known rock critic doesn't mean their opinion is any more valid than yours or mine. I listen to music all the time too. Music is incredibly subjective.

I prefer a site like rateyourmusic.com, which allows anyone to rate an album between 0 and 5. A Farewell to Kings has a rating of 3.95 and is the 34th highest rated album of 1977. Hemispheres 1978 is rated #19, Permanent Waves 1980 is #16 and Moving Pictures 1981 is #2 for their respective years, each with thousands of people chiming in for the consensus opinion.

Am I going to trust the people or Robert Christagu? Ever read his reviews on his site - the guy is completely clueless.

comment #29

Rushfan says ...

Did I ever happen to mention that Rush are 3rd for the most consecutive gold and platinum studio albums behind The Beatles and The Rolling Stones with SIXTEEN (16)?

Of course that information dissolves into meaningless drivel in the face of the opinion of rock critic Gods like Robert Christagu or film critic Lords like Jeffrey Wells.

I bet all those millions of people feel like complete idiots now for buying and enjoying all those albums. I know I do. I sure wish I had read these guys' opinions BEFORE I went out and got countless hours of enjoyment form this band for all those decades!

At least now I know the truth and I can mend my ways.

*goes off to find out what Robert Christagu and Jeffrey Wells' favorite albums are so he can listen only to the good stuff from now on*

comment #30

corey3rd says ...

The marketplace this moment isn't begging for any rock documentaries. They are notorious for tanking - not even scoring as many copies on DVD as the band's worst selling CD. The only exception was that Michael Jackson flick. Is there a scene with Geddy and Jacko do "Black and White?"

Even with all the hype and push from VH1/VH1Classic - the Anvil film made $666K.

I don't blame the producers of this Rush film for stacking the room with fanatics versus normal festival crowd since hopefully the Audience Award might lure someone into buying the theatrical distribution of the doc.

Still would rather see a Triumph biopic - Canada's Other Power Trio

comment #31

HFC says ...

The directors did not stack the audience. It was a grassroots (netroots?) gathering from a WIDE geographic area. Don't talk out of your ass.

comment #32

HFC says ...

In fact, you should have seen the huge group of disappointed folks who were turned away. Don't be ignorant, like a critic.

comment #33

George Prager says ...

All of these wacky Rush fans coming out of the woodwork. This is almost as amusing as the time all of the Twilight fans came out to trash Wells' Little Ashes review. Makes sense, though, since Rush's bubblegum metal is the music equivalent of the Twilight series.

comment #34

Rushfan says ...

George, I know we're all dying to know. What do YOU consider to be great music, rock or otherwise? Give us the scoop!

comment #35

corey3rd says ...

and did the people who were turned back go see anything else showing? Or did they just go home disappointed?

there is nothing wrong with stacking the deck by appealing to people in the region who would be interested in a project to show up at the festival for the film. We all like to do it. A film I helped produce did it to insure the room was packed and we could impress other festival scouts eager for crowd pleasers. You want those 10s on the ticket.

it won an Audience Award by attracting an audience that didn't even vote or see any other film in the festival. Even on the Tribecca site, the biggest discussion is if you can only buy a single ticket without having to see other films.

Do wonder if this will alter the plan to release the DVD on June 29.

comment #36

George Prager says ...

Rushfan, as I remember it, the question one would pose in 8th grade would be this:
"WHO DO YOU LIKE?"

And my answer would be:

"MOLLY HATCHET!!!!!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgNAfSENE68

comment #37

chad_pole says ...

I watch a lot of documentaries about people I don't particularly "like," but what does that have to do with the overall film? Fact is, anyone could make a Rush doc and Jeff wouldn't like it, because his aversion to the band. So its more than fair that he just doesn't comment on it, because his bias gets in the way of objective opinion. He's basically saying the film shouldn't win because he doesn't like the band, but the film should stand on its own, and his opinion of the band shouldn't be a factor in the overall quality of the film itself. Oh well.

comment #38

CitizenKanedforChewingGum says ...

It's so much safer when you never admit to liking anything, isn't it, George?

comment #39

Rushfan says ...

Um, ok, George, but tell us who your favorite musicians/artists are. I'd seriously like to know. *listening to that video now*

comment #40

Rushfan says ...

Chad - shhhh, Jeffrey might be reading this and we don't want to upset him by inducing logic and being objectivity into the conversation.

comment #41

Rushfan says ...

Shit, I need to give more editing passes before pressing the POST button. Let me try that again:

Chad - shhhh, Jeffrey might be reading this and we don't want to upset him by injecting logic and objectivity into the conversation.

(in my defense the shelf my keyboard on crashed as I was working on that previous post and I got a tad distracted. ;) )

comment #42

George Prager says ...

Just for laughs, since this is an 8th grade conversation, I will let 8th grader George Prager answer this question:

"THE WHO!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTD7xyQ76vk

comment #43

Rushfan says ...

I guess I must have never grown up as I don't know what on earth is wrong with asking someone what kind of music they're into, especially when they trash a group - it seems only fair to know what they're comparing said group to.

I love The Who. That Molly Hatchet song is ok for middle of the road rock Southern rock.

Can't you just give me a list of your 5 or 10 favorite groups without a youtube link? Too 8th grade a question? Back in 8th grade we didn't even have youtube! :p

comment #44

George Prager says ...

KINGDOM COME!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKJiVPt-KRQ

BETTER THAN LED ZEP!!!!!!!

comment #45

Rushfan says ...

Jeez, there's being influenced by Zeppelin and then there's sounding exactly like them!

Ok, I get it, please no more videos.

comment #46

corey3rd says ...

Better than the Hatchet was "Danny Joe Brown and the Danny Joe Brown Band featuring Danny Joe Brown."

comment #47

Terry McCarty says ...

Re MICKEY ONE: Saw that black-and-white attempt at existentialism years ago at UCLA and one could say that if it helped make BONNIE AND CLYDE possible, then it was worth making.

comment #48

York "Budd" Durden says ...

Most of you would think I'm a real dweeb, probably... big Deadhead here, so much so that I'm going over to Brooklyn tonight to hear the Zen Tricksters recreate the famous 5/2/70 Harpur College show.

comment #49

Terry McCarty says ...

Regarding Rush: I still give thumbs-up to Geddy Lee appearing on the Bob and Doug McKenzie single "Take Off."

comment #50

George Prager says ...

Speaking of being influenced by somebody and then sounding exactly like them, check out this Utopia video that I never knew existed until now:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zB7EJrUKEP0

comment #51

HFC says ...

I have only one thing to say to you, Georgie.

*plugs ears with fingers*

"Lalalalalalalalalalalalalalalala!"

comment #52

George Prager says ...

QUEENSRYCHE OWNS YOUR ASS!!!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhNFeRzs7io

comment #53

CitizenKanedforChewingGum says ...

Are we still being ironic here? Because the last 3 bands Prager has mentioned have been awesome (okay, not so much Utopia or whatever, but DEFINITELY the 'Ryche!).

comment #54

HFC says ...

Speaking of being ironic, it's truly intriguing that Rush's critics, naysayers, and detractors tend to have much in common with those nasty reactionary priests in the Temples of Syrinx. Most of y'all want to oppressively dictate to us what we should find artistically significant, instead of peacefully letting us determine that for ourselves. Well, piss off to that!

comment #55

AlexFan says ...

Corey seriously? Obviously you do't understand the Rush fan at all. The film makers knew full well that Rush fans had been waiting on someone to take on the feet of creating a film about the band and we would come in force. By the way Rush's last two 3 DVD's all triple platinum! I think Banger Films knows exactly what their doing....

comment #56

Freddie Mertz says ...

Best Christgau review ever for the guitar super-group GTR (Steve Howe of Yes and Steve Hackett of Genesis):

His review was 6 characters + a space:

TTL CRP

comment #57

corey3rd says ...

You do understand that for "long form music DVDs" triple platinum requires you've shipped 300K of stock. Which is still a rather small number compared to how many albums Rush moved. Also the gold & plat awards are given out on shipment and not sales.

comment #58

Hip Hop Homey says ...

All you motherfuckers need to chill out. Go listen to the new TMOE CD, "The Wild Hunt." Best album of the year.

comment #59

CitizenKanedforChewingGum says ...

Hopefully they paid that tool Christgau by the actual word for that review.

comment #60

CitizenKanedforChewingGum says ...

Incidentally, "The Wild Hunt" rhymes with the title of my favorite porn from this year...

comment #61

Gordn27 says ...

Terry - 'Mickey One' just sounds so intriguing; I don't expect it to be great, but I like unusual movies like that one sounds like. I think that, when it aired, Jeff was really hyping it (but I might be completely wrong on that; somebody was).

comment #62

Bob Violence says ...

Regarding Rush: I still give thumbs-up to Geddy Lee appearing on the Bob and Doug McKenzie single "Take Off."

also Neil Peart appeared in the Aqua Teen Hunger Force movie as a tiny man living in a flying watermelon

comment #63

Bob Violence says ...

frank - it's a Doors line.

nothing like quoting the Doors to demonstrate one's superior taste in music

comment #64

The Fudd says ...

Molly Hatchet?!?!? they just played a gig at Old Glory Harley Davidson in Laurel, Maryland.

When Mr. Wells admits the "doc isn't bad" he should have stopped there. How does a movie critic become a music critic?

Everyone is entitled to an opinion; opinions are like assholes everyone got one and they usually stink.

Bob V.- Alex Lifeson had made film appearances in "Suck" and "The Trailer Park Boys".

If Mr. Wells was informed he would know that the term "Rush-heads" is a misnomer - we all have our own names.

comment #65

George Prager says ...

Christgau would review 20 albums at a time. So they were always brief. This one is my all-time favorite:

Simon & Garfunkel
Bridge Over Troubled Water [Columbia, 1970]
Melodic. B

comment #66

DavidF says ...

Random interesting trivia, given the Anvil/Rush comparisons...

They're both from the same Toronto suburb (North York) and nearly contemporaneous. Other than having probably hung out at the same donut shops, I don't know how much else they might have in common.

And the thread has a SLOAN quote?
That can't be a bad thread.

comment #67

bluefugue says ...

>RUSH = single worst band in the history of sound.

Umm, no. Tom Sawyer is rather better than anything Stryper came out with...

comment #68

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