ROTFL! New Metallica documentary film oddly similar to This Is Spinal Tap

[Wonk]

(snip)

There is a delicious sense that things will only get worse. Berlinger and Sinofsky were contracted to shoot the making of Metallica’s new album, St Anger. What they capture is a band in fabulous crisis. There is nothing quite so exciting as watching a documentary turn into Spinal Tap before your eyes.

Metallica haven’t released any new material or toured for years, and relations are at a low. On the eve of their first day recording at a deserted army barracks in San Francisco, the bass player, Jason Newsted, leaves the band. To stop their multimillion-dollar partnership unravelling completely, they hire a group therapist, Phil Towle, to help thrash out their personal issues at a mere $40,000 (£21,000) a month. The creepy “ performance enhancement coach” sees lucrative years ahead. The band not only discover that they hardly know each other, but also quickly arrive at the notion that they might hate each other.

Petty jealousies become immovable grudges. Kirk Hammett’s guitar solos are criticised as out of date. Lars Ulrich’s drumming isn’t “solid” enough. Towle’s useless therapist has a field day. “He’s under the impression that he’s in the band,” says an exasperated Hetfield. They are not thrilled by the mission statements Towle chalks up on boards, or the bits of paper stuck all over the studio with the word “zone” scrawled on them. But they are crucified by their fears, alcoholism and inadequacies. It slowly dawns on the band that this kind of documentary exposure is professionally insane. Conversely, no one wants to appear vulnerable by pulling the plug, so the film ploughs on like a runaway train. That, simply, is why it is such a sensation.

more...
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,7948-1000282,00.html

[beevul]

1. Interesting article...

and a neat quote from it:

"If the film has a lesson, it’s that the exercise of control is the fault line in every democratic relationship. It’s the Achilles’ heel of rock music, and, arguably, civilisation itself."

[aquaman]

2. It's a shame they suck

They haven't been worth a damn since "and justice for all."