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A Kings of Leon Movie?

So, we seem to be getting attacked by movies about the back stage life of bands and performers these days.
Kings of Leon are set to release one, Justin Bieber released one (right there I'm against this concept, not to mention that it was in 3D, as if I want to see the 12 year old in that much detail!) and I never saw any adverts for it, but I saw on the news that AC/DC released one. I've heard people talk about how this is great, about how it gives artists a new medium to reach their audiences and that it gives the fans an unprecedented view into the lives of the artists.

Fuck right off.

What's creative about watching some bearded dude with jeans and a flannel shirt (I should point out now I don't like the Kings of Leon's music, and don't really know anything about the band, other than I hated what I heard on the music channels back in the days of Molly's Chamber) drinking beer, sleeping with hookers who's only charge is that they get to take the experience to the news papers when it's over, in the hope they can impress their grandchildren with it or whatever.

When I was a little boy (we're talking about ten years ago) a little known group called Nickelback brought out a live DVD (shock, no theatrical release) that had the usual concert, some bonus music videos and some other video things showing the back stage antics (they went to a bar and had a beer. No hookers were fucked in the making of this DVD) and I think that right there makes calling any of these band movies an unprecedented look into the backstage lives a load of rubbish right there. Granted, it hadn't been put onto a big screen before then (don't scream Quadraphenia at me just yet, we'll get to it)  but you get that sort of thing all the time in nice half hour slices on MTV and stuff all the time. Hell, any time Piers Morgan interviews a musician you may as well call it an unprecedented view into the musician's life, because Piers goes deep, man.

I don't actually have anything against the concept of these movies in concept. Kenny Vasoli of the Starting Line and Person L started up his own label to release his Person L stuff. Make a movie about that! It would be interesting, informative, and have some artistic value, in a way. Andrew McMahon got cancer. Make a movie about that! Well, they did, but make another, and put it in the cinemas. (The Andrew McMahon movie, Dear Jack, is fantastic and you should all check it out. Also check out his bands, Something Corporate and Jack's Mannequin, they are amazing and have more artistic merit than some film about the guys from Kings of Leon getting smashed.)

Of course, musicians getting on to the silver screen is no new thing. We've had things like High School Musical and Camp Rock plaguing us for years, and way back in the days of my dear mother and father being kids (I assume this was back when cinema was first invented) there were a few bands that made movies. And not just movies about the stuff they did off stage, but actual movies, with story lines and acting. And if my mum is to be believed some of them were actually pretty good!

So. That's the end of my rant. If you adore Kings of Leon, knock yourself out, but don't go telling me any rubbish.

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