Review: DiG! (A)

DiG! (2004)
Directed by Ondi Timoner
Starring The Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Dandy Warhols, Anton Newcombe and Courtney Taylor- Taylor
MPAA: R
Grade: A

Review by Ellyn Elm

Before sitting down to watch DiG! I vaguely remember listening to and liking the Dandy Warhols and had heard of the Brian Jonestown Massacre in passing. Given my limited knowlege of both bands, I must confess DiG! was a revelation. It is a fascinating, downright compelling look into the indie music scene spanning seven years starting in the mid-nineties.

I won't give too much away by saying that DiG! documents the rise of the Dandy Warhols, fronted by the uber-charismatic Courtney Taylor, and the simultaneous disintegration of the Brian Jonestown Massacre led by the messianic Anton Newcombe. Initially friends, members of both bands meet, share music, lots of drugs and a mutual admiration before going their vastly separate ways. Watching the success of the Dandies and the implosion of the BJM as the story unfolds is not unlike witnessing a train wreck in slow motion. It’s painful and tantalizing and absolutely riveting.

Narrated by Taylor and replete with live footage, interviews and smug character analyses of and by everyone involved, DiG! offers an interesting interpretation of what constitutes success – commercial or otherwise. Required viewing for anyone who wants to be “famous”.