At The Wholeness It's Way Too Big--We Jam Econo--The Minutemen DVD--

 Back in 2006, We Jam Econo: The Story Of The Minutemen was released on DVD to much acclaim. Well I acclaimed it anyway, ad nauseum, to anyone who was listening. My deepest thanks to the Director Tim Irwin, and the Producer Keith Schieron for making this happen.

Corndogs

It's strange, but in a roundabout way they remind me of Ornette Coleman. Once a movement becomes established, when people innovate and push boundaries, people misunderstand and at times even become hostile. I think a lot of people didn't get The Minutemen at the time because they defied labels and people's expectations. They played to hardcore crowds, but they were themselves. So they were greeted with hostility. When Ornette Coleman arrived on the Jazz scene, he was derided by scenesters, panned by critics also. But he changed the course of Jazz music forever. And when I first heard The Minutemen, I didn't get them myself.

But it wasn't long before I was completely won over by this singular band.

And like Ornette, The Minutemen were influential but never truly imitated. But some people got it back in the day. And a lot of those people were musicians. We Jam Econo is overflowing with accolades from musicians, music critics and of course friends and family. John Doe, Henry Rollins, Nels Cline, Colin Newman, Joe Baiza, Richard Hell, Milo Aukerman, Grant Hart, Flea, Thurston Moore, Lee Ranaldo and Ian MacKaye all are represented on the DVD. And they extol Boon, Watt, and Hurley for their great musicianship, both individually and the way in which they worked together as a group. I was watching the DVD and could not help but notice how at times Boon would go into a trebly buzzsaw rhythm guitar mode, and Watt would start playing melodies on his Bass. At other times Watt was just completely funky. Great bass player. And watching George gyrating and contorting, leaning forward into his drum kit. And of course dear departed D. Boon himself, playing lead while bounding across the stage like a big awesome nimble buffalo, as only Boon could do. D.'s been gone 25 years this Christmas and still sorely missed.

As I've said, Double Nickels On The Dime is my favorite album, as a statement as a whole and also as a punk rock manifesto and aesthetic. 46 songs on a double album, a hodgepodge stylistically. The documentary details how they got there and beyond. And the main narrator here is Mike Watt, aided by George Hurley, and also includes some old interview footage with D. Boon. Mike Watt acts as a tour guide here, taking you on a van journey much like a Hollywood Movie Star tour. Except about The Minutemen. he takes you to that fateful spot in the local park where he and D. Boon first met as kids, for example. Pure punk rock kismet.

There is a lot of love and warmth on this disc, but also a lot of emotion and funny bits. They famously championed the phrase "Our band could be your life" and it is so true. They were just regular guys. Or were they? I would say that they were regular guys, who wound up expressing themselves in extraordinary ways. Their story was a testament to hard work, friendship and perseverence. And they deliver an important lesson here regardless of what your aspirations and dreams might be; that anybody can and should create Art. And the possiblity exists that your efforts may lead to something quite amazing.

I hope that people check this movie out, even if they don't care for the music of the band, because there is a lot of wisdom here, and the whole story of the band delivers a really empowering message. There is also a lot of extra footage here, including deleted scenes, videos, and uncut concert footage. And while there is a lot of great footage, and memorable quotes on the album, one moment stands out in my mind. It occurs toward the end, when the boys are performing acoustic set, squatting on the floor like hippies, George playing bongos. They are performing History Lesson Part II, the greatest friendship song ever, I think. When Boon gets to the part where he sings, "me and Mike Watt sittin' playing guitars", Mike Watt's reaction is all you need to know. It's so revelatory.



So please rent or buy this DVD, and go paint something, or write a poem. Or a raise a racket in your garage with your friends. You never know what can happen when you believe in yourself. Certainly at the very least your life will be fuller.