They may have been knocking around for 15 years, but the Foo Fighters are still one of the most popular rock bands on the planet. Last week, at the closing of the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas, the band premiered their latest project: A warts-and-all documentary. Barbie Brady gives us the lowdown...
After hearing about the Foo Fighters film project, Foo Fighters: Back and Forth, for the past 6 months, I had some expectations. I knew the band was recording in Dave Grohl’s garage with legendary producer Butch Vig at the helm. I knew that cameras where there for three months capturing the process. I also knew that they shot at least five hours of footage at the band’s secret show at the Roxy Theater in L.A. in February.
So, I assumed this film would focus on the band's latest antics and concentrate on the making of a new record. Not so. The film actually starts at the logical beginning... with the story of Nirvana.
Without the tragedy of Kurt Cobain’s suicide, and the grief and emotional void that followed, the Foo Fighters would never have been. In heartfelt interviews, photos and old concert and interview footage, the long illustrious tale of a rock behmoth is told.
All the things that Grohl has never really felt ready to speak about in the past, he now recounts in the film in an intimate and deeply moving way. As do all the characters that make up FF, past and present.
In focusing more on the people than on the music, the film makes you fall in love with these scrawny rock kids, turned into seasoned icons. In a story that’s sordid and complex with super highs and devastating lows, the evolution of the Foo Fighters unfolds.
The true allure of this band is that they've always stayed grounded, they don’t take anything for granted and they continue to be entirely true to who they are. If you ever had any questions about the hows, whens or whys of these rock legends, then this movie clarifies it all.
Lisa Johnson
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