Few truly influential bands seem less suited for such status as the men that make up Dinosaur Jr. The unparalleled trio of J Mascis, Lou Barlow and Murph helped shape the alternative rock bands who modern bands look upon with awe. Without groups like Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins, the contemporary music landscape would look vastly different, but they themselves rest somewhere in the shadow of Dinosaur Jr. Yet, you would have to hunt for any indication that they would put themselves in such high regard. It is not that the members are not confident that they have created something of value. On the contrary, they look back upon their legacy with a reluctant pride. This is the necessity of the new documentary Freakscene: The Story Of Dinosaur Jr. from director Philipp Reichenheim. Sometimes the most reserved geniuses need a reason to shine a light on their brilliance.
This feature delivers exactly what the title promises. From their formative days as hardcore teens in Massachusetts in the early ‘80s to the steady veterans selling out shows in the present day, there is a rich and sprawling history to cover in less than 90 minutes. The band was never on what could be considered steady ground, as the members attest to in various anecdotes. The enigmatic Mascis radiated a sense of healthy disinterest in his fellow bandmates. Drummer Murph was a bit too much of a wildcard for his bandmates. These three were all guarded in their own ways, but the one thing they were aligned on was the vision of what the band could be.
The group was amping up the fuzz and laying the groundwork for the grunge movement which would really bubble over in the ‘90s. Their groundbreaking music earned them a legion of fans who would complement the Dinosaur Jr. experience with the other crucial piece of the puzzle: their live shows. The lore of seeing Dinosaur Jr. live spread like wildfire as the band refused to simply play a simple show, instead choosing to “assault” the audience with their music. The volume of their performance earned them few fans among club owners, but such was the mystique of being a true rock and roll musician. Despite some confrontations being decades in the rearview mirror, there is a sense that these memories are as clear as day as certain details are relayed.
While the main trio can be a bit inconsistent on what is revealed, especially the grumpy Mascis, the film wisely fleshes out the story with some of the luminaries who were right beside them and knew them best including Bob Mould, Kim Gordon, Thurston Moore, Kevin Shields, Kurt Vile and Henry Rollins. The success that accompanied touring with their friends in Sonic Youth only led to greater acclaim, along with greater tension among the band members. The splintering off of members and eventual dissolution in 1997 is covered without being dwelled upon. Instead, a greater emphasis is put on the reunion and resurgence of the original trio in 2005 which has continued into modern times.
This goes towards the slightly inconsistent nature of this particular portrait. Much credit has to be given to the band members for not totally sanitizing how they are portrayed in their own story. Mascis is the prime example of this, as he is continuously shown to be at best a bit standoffish, bluntly admitting to his disinterest in singing and writing lyrics. And do not even think that he is having fun – “I don’t know where people got this idea that music was supposed to be fun. It never occurred to us that it was supposed to be fun. Music was really important.” Despite this, the movie takes a very easygoing approach to their story at large, never digging into one topic with great authority. The initial breakup of the band is handled more matter-of-factly in order to not reopen old wounds.
Freakscene: The Story Of Dinosaur Jr. is a great crash course on a landmark American band which did impact the trajectory of modern music. For a band that still does not have the mainstream cache that they deserve, this might be enough. It will be the devotees of the band who may feel the most divided about the experience. The lack of earth-shattering insights may feel like a missed opportunity to finally get to the bottom of certain pieces of band lore that has been built up over the years. Yet, getting the personal insights we do get from the group and those who know them best is an experience that no fan is likely to give up so quickly. The documentary is very functional and entertaining, and those open to immersing themselves into their corner of the musical world should feel rewarded to one degree or another.
Video Quality
Freakscene: The Story Of Dinosaur Jr. comes to Blu-Ray in its original aspect ratio from a really nice high definition master which represents the film as well as can be expected. The film mostly subsists on a substantial amount of archival footage with some new interviews interspersed for additional context. The footage both old and new looks as technically excellent as it can look in high definition. The transfer appears to have plenty of room to breathe and there are no issues with compression artifacts, banding or other digital nuisances to muck things up.
The footage of the older material seems to be the best version of it that would be possible, with much of it looking pretty gritty and ragged as you would expect from basic recording equipment from decades past. New interview segments look sleek and clear depending on the shooting location with natural skin tones and detailed facial features. The colors featured in the film are natural and vibrant as they provide a nice visual pop on screen, especially in certain graphics with bold colors. Black levels are appropriately deep and retain some amount of detail in shadows when the conditions allow for it. I do not see how this set could have been improved visually. It’s a beautiful transfer given the original source material that is handled with care by Utopia and Vinegar Syndrome.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray comes with a very strong DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that executes this material well. Music is the driving force of the film and it always comes through to the best of its ability when the conditions allow for it. Certain archival material is understandably going to have some baked-in deficits which is not the fault of the presentation. The filmmaker does a decent job of capturing the subjects considering much of this material was filmed in various public environments where sounds were drowned out by competing noises. Environmental sounds are plentiful and are replicated perfectly in the surround channels. You could not have asked for a better audio presentation for this one. There are optional English SDH subtitles included for those who desire them.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary: Director Philipp Reichenheim provides a very steady commentary track in which he discusses how this project came together, the herculean effort it took to track down all of this footage, the limitations of having subjects so hesitant to discuss themselves, additional connections with and anecdotes about some of the subjects on screen, further background about certain moments and much more that is worth a listen.
- Bonus Interviews: There is 12 minutes of additional footage provided here with J Mascis, Kim Gordon, Lee Ranaldo, Thurston Moore, Mark Lanegan, Henry Rollins and more which provides numerous different snapshots that allow for some great anecdotes that could have fit neatly into the movie. A standout story is Lanegan speaking about his interactions with Lou Barlow over the years.
- New York Premiere Q&A: A 29-minute conversation with director Philipp Reichenheim and J Mascis in which they discuss their collaboration over the years, showing the film to the band for the first time, shaping the story in the editing room, footage that was left out of the final edit, the logistics of asking questions in an interview and more. As you might expect, Mascis is more reserved during this session, but both subjects offer up some interesting points.
- Theatrical Trailers: This disc provides the Green Band Trailer (2:30) and the Red Band Trailer (2:33).
Final Thoughts
Freakscene: The Story Of Dinosaur Jr. is a really entertaining overview of one of the most intriguing American rock bands around. There is interpersonal drama that will entertain nearly any audience, but the exploration of the music and its impact is what makes it special for fans. You are always going to be left wanting a bit more insight into your personal areas of interest, but as a primer on the band it works effectively. Utopia and Vinegar Syndrome have released a Blu-Ray featuring a great A/V presentation and a few stellar special features. If you are a fan of the band or simply love a good music doc, don’t sleep on this one. Recommended
Freakscene: The Story Of Dinosaur Jr. is currently available to purchase on Standard Edition Blu-Ray or with a Limited Edition Slipcover exclusively through Vinegar Syndrome.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Utopia and Vinegar Syndrome have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.