Summary
Working as both a blast from the past and revelation of forgotten fragments, this is a portrait of a scene told from deep in the weeds.
Memory is a funny thing. If you were anything like me, you spent the better part of the ’90s watching movies, wearing checkered shirts, and sporting black Chucks. Mind you, the 2010s have not been dissimilar. The music that stands out are the bands that still get played on Double J. The rest? Well, that’s what filmmaker Shaun Katz wants to explore.
Much of UNDERGROUND INC: THE RISE AND FALL OF ALTERNATIVE ROCK was spent with my significant other on the sofa exclaiming “Oh! I remember them!” Which is kind of the point of the excellent doco: this film is about the bands that shone brightly for a brief period in the wake of Nirvana’s success and the so-called “Seattle scene.” The ones that ‘made it’ did so because they sold records, but that’s not a reflection on the quality or the scene as a whole.
With a mixture of bands I was familiar with from the time (Afghan Wigs, Rocket from the Crypt) and ones I definitely have to check out (Drive Like Jehu), this documentary offers a great snapshot of a scene – not to mention a cool digital playlist in the making.
There’s an amazing roster of interviewees, with some significant contributions from Matt Tecu (Dig), Steve Albini, Walter Kibby (Fishbone), Chris Connelly (Ministry), Peter Mengede (Helmet), and dozens of others from the likes of Filter, Jawbox, Cop Shoot Cop, PiL, Failure, Primus, My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult, Sepultura and many more. They are joined by A&R reps, producers and commentators from the era. It would have been great to hear a few more female voices from the scene, though: Laurel Sterns and Sean Yseult are two of the few women interviewed, and L7 gets a mention.
The tension between major labels and indies is palpable, anger has turned to bitterness for some, and lessons have been learned for others. What the doco demonstrates is how the scene paved the way for some genuinely innovative voices who did their own thing, and how the height of consumerism led to the birth of a true indie scene. As a sidebar, it was also fun to see the Rage logo on Scatterbrain’s “Don’t Call Me Dude” music video: the song was a Top 20 hit here in Australia, but didn’t make as much of a splash elsewhere.
UNDERGROUND INC is an excellent oral history of an era told from the people in the trenches. If anything, it only skims the surface of a mass of bands that could be explored in an entire series on the 90s alternative rock scene. Even so, this is an excellent film to hand to people who want to explore the a decade of music beyond Smashing Pumpkins and Pearl Jam.
2019 | Australia | DIRECTOR: Shaun Katz | WRITERS: Shaun Katz, Jb Sapienza | CAST: Sean Yseult, Matt Tecu, Neil Fallon, Steve Albini, Walter Kibby | DISTRIBUTOR: Sydney Underground Film Festival (AUS) | RUNNING TIME: 96 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 12-15 September 2019 (AUS)
UNDERGROUND INC. is appropriately playing at the Sydney Underground Film Festival. Tickets are available at suff.com.au.
