Josh Olson's Day 4 at SXSW: LEMMY!

DAY FOUR Just a reminder - I am NOT a professional critic, nor do I pretend to be one. I bang these things out at the end of the day, usually around one or two in the morning, exhausted, and occasionally drunk. I’m not going to dive into serious, cogent analysis, nor am I trying to look at these movies from any perspective other than that of a guy sitting in the audience. One of the most frustrating things you can hear at a story meeting is “I get it, but will an audience?” It always baffles me, this notion that somehow those of us who make these things are a different species than those of us who sit in dark rooms and watch these things. So this isn’t some insider’s perspective, and it isn’t an attempt at serious criticism. I’ll leave that to the pros. I’m down here because I love movies, and if I can tip you to one or two that you might otherwise not have seen or heard of, fantastic. So. Day Four. I wish I had more movies to tell you about today, but I only have one. Lemmy, Greg Olliver and Wes Orshoski’s documentary about the legendary Lemmy Kilmister of Motörhead fame, is an absolute blast. I’ll forego the bullshit that I suspect some critics will try to sell you - I’m not a Motörhead fan. I’m not a hater, though - it’s just not my kind of music for the most part. I’ve been aware of the man for decades, and always found him highly entertaining. I just never knew much about him or the band. The great thing about the movie is that it’s ridiculously entertaining and informative for a schmoe like me, and it also is a deeply pleasurable experience for hard core fans, of which there were many in attendance tonight. As was the man himself. The film starts by following Lemmy around his day to day life in Hollywood today, and it’s a nice way into his story. You get a real sense of his place in the day to day world, and how he fits into the scene there. Then it goes into his past, and provides tons of great performances and interviews with fans ranging from Dave Grohl to Slash to Ice T. There’s no ego in these guys when it comes to Lemmy. Everyone is happy to bow down and pray at the altar of the man they all acknowledge as the Godfather of Heavy Metal. This may sound weird to say about a film about an unrepentant rocker who drinks, smokes and indulges in all manner of illicit substances, but it’s one hell of a cheerful movie. It goes well beyond the usual rock documentary in that there’s no white-washing going on here. Lemmy’s excesses are addressed honestly, and without apology. His scenes with his son are quite moving in their own weird way - at one point they talk about the time when they swapped girlfriends, and you get the sense that these two have a real connection. A lot of movies would have cut this stuff out, or glossed over it, but Lemmy deals in reality. They’re not trying to appeal to some false morality. This is Lemmy, this is how he lives, and you can take it or leave it. Which, I have no doubt, is a line that’s featured in more than one Motörhead song. Anyway, it’s a delightful, fun and wildly entertaining look at a genuine living legend. It clocks in at over two hours, but it breezes by in a heartbeat. And that’s it from me for today. The only film I saw that I wanted to pass along to you. Thunder Soul, the incredible documentary about the Kashmere Stage Band that I told you about a couple days ago will be playing again on Friday. I had the incredible privilege of seeing the band play tonight, and they’re even better now than they were in the film. I got to meet several members of the band, too, and I gotta tell you - I deal with movie stars all the time. In my line of work, it becomes your day to day life. But tonight, I was genuinely star-struck. Josh