Back in New England, one of the most brutal winters in recent memory was still in full swing. Two thousand miles away, a Bostonian vacationing in Austin during South by Southwest shifted his gaze from the gorgeous blue sky above to the free beer in his hand to Raleigh-based pop-rockers The Rosebuds performing (also gratis) onstage. He let out a contented sigh. Weve died, havent we?
While he certainly wasnt alone in viewing SXSW as a little slice of heaven, there are always dissenters.It has become something of a tradition for cranky letters to appear in the Austin Chronicle in the weeks surrounding the annual music, film and interactive conference, most of them penned by long-time locals who dread the yearly invasion. The major complaints: Its not like the olden days, the wristbands are too expensive, the lines are too long, its all a schmooze-fest for record industry weasels and the unsigned bands remain unsigned when its over.
Theres some validity to these gripes, but heres another undeniable truth: If you cant have fun during SXSW, you might as well give up.Its true that the long sold-out wristbands were fetching upwards of $300 on eBay in the days leading up to the festival, but as resourceful music fans know, officially sanctioned gigs are only the tip of the South-By iceberg.Free day-long showcases abound, from the backyard of barbecue joint Pok-e-Jos to the dank inner sanctum of legendary punk club Emos.You can see local favorites The Gourds play an afternoon show in someones front yard and then catch them closing out that evenings free concert at Auditorium Shores, the biggest outdoor stage in town. Wristbands?We dont need no stinkin wristbands!
The film festival is another matter. Badges or passes are a necessity, at least in the early days, but many of the films play several times throughout the week, and the later screenings are much more accessible. The notion of SXSW as a crossroads of music and film was made explicit this year with a slate of rockumentaries that could serve as a seasons worth of VH1s Behind the Music episodes in an alternate universe.Profiles of eccentric rockers ranging from Brian Wilson to Townes Van Zant to Wildman Fischer were featured, but the heart of the order belonged to two troubled Austin legends, Daniel Johnston and Roky Erickson.Though they take very different approaches, The Devil and Daniel Johnston and Youre Gonna Miss Me are dark reflections of each other and vital documents of the Austin music scene.
Devil is largely pieced together from archival materials, including Super-8 footage and many hours worth of audio cassette recordings Johnston made, both of his music and his musings.The son of Christian fundamentalists, young Daniel found himself in Austin as the music scene flourished in the mid-1980s.His quirky homemade recordings earned him a cult following among local musicians, but a mental breakdown left him delusional, imagining himself at war with Satan.Johnstons long road back from his private Hell included several hospital stays, aborted gigs and one-way romances, and an ill-fated major label record deal. Director Jeff Feuerzeig weaves the found footage with new interviews (including a bizarre chat with Butthole Surfers singer Gibby Haynes as he undergoes a dental procedure) into a clear-eyed but compassionate portrait of a tormented artist, as well as a love letter to a special time and place.
Youre Gonna Miss Me, on the other hand, is more reminiscent of the 1994 classic Crumb, as it favors you-are-there verite over existing footage. In fact, that comparison suggests a suitable tagline for the poster: Makes the Crumbs look like the Cleavers. Unlike Johnston, Roky Erickson met with commercial success early in his music career as a member of the seminal psychedelic band the 13th Floor Elevators.A similar fate awaited, however; mental illness, institutionalization and constant battles with imagined demonic forces.Until recently, Erickson has been much less functional than Johnston, living in poverty and squalor in a semi-catatonic state.Whereas Johnston had a support system of family and friends, Erickson has depended on a mother who nursed her own peculiarities while denying him his medication.The film follows the efforts of one of Rokys brothers to win his custody away from their mother in hopes of restoring some quality of life.Its telling that even the normal Erickson brother comes off as a little odd; Youre Gonna Miss Me walks the fine line of exploitation and sometimes stumbles across it.
Other films that made their U.S. premiere at the festival include: