Listmania!
10 Must-See Films About Musicians & Bands
By an Amazon.com customer
I Am Trying to Break Your Heart - A Film About WilcoI Am Trying to Break Your Heart - A Film About Wilco
Buy new: $24.99 / Used from: $9.99
Incredible saga of Wilco's ups and downs during and after the making of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.
The Devil and Daniel JohnstonThe Devil and Daniel Johnston
Buy new: $14.99 / Used from: $8.25
So you think Brian Wilson is the only mad genius in the music world? Uh...well...I beg to differ, and this film is the proof.
DiG!DiG!
Buy new: $23.99 / Used from: $10.99
The raveling and unraveling of the greatly under-appreciated Brian Jonestown Massacre.
I Want to Destroy AmericaI Want to Destroy America
Buy new: $21.99 / Used from: $2.74
Who is Hisao Shinagawa, and why is he playing Townes Van Zandt's old guitar? This lovely, sometimes sad portrait of a songwriter on the fringes is unique.
Loudquietloud - A Film About the PixiesLoudquietloud - A Film About the Pixies
Buy new: $17.99 / Used from: $7.91
Okay, for some people a Pixies reunion was just as meaningful as The Beatles getting back together. What's incredible about this film is not so much the music (which is as good as one would expect), but the complex dysfunctional nature of the four band members in relation to one another.
Benjamin SmokeBenjamin Smoke
Buy used from: $24.99
I can't say enough about this film. It is a haunting, funny, and very moving look at a brilliant musician most of us have never heard of.
Townes Van Zandt - Be Here to Love MeTownes Van Zandt - Be Here to Love Me
Buy new: $22.99 / Used from: $18.94
This film does much to look at the private and often inexplicable turmoil that drove both of Van Zandt's darker impulses and the grace that is his music.
The Flaming Lips - The Fearless FreaksThe Flaming Lips - The Fearless Freaks
Buy new: $19.99 / Used from: $8.95
It's a very well done film, and very funny, too. The punk rockers have at last started to take acid, indeed.
Searching for the Wrong-Eyed JesusSearching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus
Buy new: $17.99 / Used from: $12.20
Part documentary, part fiction, Jim White's journey into the dark, flaming heart of the American south is alluring from the beginning to the end.
Jimmy Scott - If You Only KnewJimmy Scott - If You Only Knew
Buy new: $17.99 / Used from: $12.77
Like the Benjamin Smoke film, this is one you just need to see to understand. Scott's story is heartbreaking but also one of resilience. And oh what a voice he has!