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I NEED THAT RECORD!
I NEED THAT RECORD! THE DEATH (OR POSSIBLE SURVIVAL) OF THE INDEPENDENT RECORD STORE
Melbourne International Film Festival
Thu 30 July, Wed 5 August
I need to preface this review by revealing a terrible and dark secret that has plagued my conscience for years now – I went for a job at Sanity Music. Let me set the scene a little to justify this harrowing revelation. I had returned from a jaunt in South America and had very little interest in acquiring anything as demanding and responsible as a career. I had grand plans of bumming around, listening to tunes, catching up with mates and achieving as little as possible. I was young and naive and thought that a fair knowledge of music would be all that is required. I’d recommend to anyone who was keen for a job at a franchise record store not to snigger and laugh during the interview when the Interviewer states the importance of ‘placing both hands on the bag and making good eye contact with the customer to cement the sale’. From that point on it became apparent that my services would not be required.
Everything changed when I moved out of home and to the inner city. From here I was exposed to the world of the Independent Record Store. With it’s community and local influence, here is somewhere that I could relate, not only to the music, but to the employees and patrons alike.
This sense of community is captured in ‘Technicolor’ by Brendan Tollers documentary I Need That Record.
It would be so easy to have a run of the mill talking-heads doco with a few muso’s waxing lyrical about the good old days, but that would diminish not only the importance of such a documentary, but why this story needs to be told in the first place.
Toller achieves the balance between research and facts versus anecdotes and story with a sense of ease. This Lo-Fi viewing begins with Toller interviewing a few record store owners that he has befriended over the years who have been forced to close their stores for a host of reasons including expiring leases, poor sales and general economic decay. The film’s strength is weaving the footage of these stores closing (a staggering 3,000 in the last 10 years) with the interviews of such industry luminaries as Legs McNeil, Ian Mackaye (Fugazi), Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth), Pat Carney (The Black Keys), Glenn Branca and Lenny Kaye, just to name a few. Mike Watt (Minuteman) is a standout in his own rambling and random way as is Noam Chomsky’s contribution, providing the basic laws of supply and demand on the music industry.
Toller’s research is meticulous and covers off a range of topics including the major record labels (their inability to function in the modern economic models), the cost of production, the launch and death of MTV and the internet as a distribution tool. The archival footage (take particular note of George W Bush’s iPod discussion and the Chuck D vs Lars Ullrich file-sharing debate) mixed with Matt Newman’s incredible animation really add depth and range to the film while keeping that independent and raw feel throughout the screening.
So dont be expecting the employee hijinks and Hollywood endings of High Fidelity, but, if you spend a tonne of time immersed in the Greville St or Polyester communities then this is one documentary worth seeing.
More info: http://www.ineedthatrecord.com
