Coincidences?

Yesterday I wrote about the movie Anvil! The Story of Anvil. It was a really good movie, but I couldn't help but notice some references to another one of my favorite rock and roll movies, This Is Spinal Tap, spread throughout. Now, I'm certainly not comparing the documentary to the mockumentary. I'm just sayin', is all.

1. The drummer in Anvil is named Robb Reiner. The director of This Is Spinal Tap is Rob Reiner. Weird.
2. While on tour in Europe, one of the members yells out "Hello, Cleveland!" on the way to the stage. The members of Spinal Tap yell this out as they try to find the stage and get lost backstage, one of my favorite scenes. Sadly, Anvil and Spinal Tap play shows in front of about the same amount of people.
3. During the recording of their new CD, there's a shot of one of Anvil's amps set at 11. Nigel's go to 11, too.
4. Anvil record their new CD in England, and on a day off visit historic Stonehenge. Historic Stonehenge visits Spinal Tap in their film, albeit in miniature.

Just had to put that out there.

Never Was

I think how you view life says a lot about you as a person. Are you a glass half empty or a glass half full kind of person? I like to think of myself as a glass half full person myself. I prefer to think things are going to work out, good things happen to good people and life in general is good. I prefer to give people the benefit of the doubt and try and maintain a positive attitude.

That's how I viewed the movie Anvil! The Story of Anvil.

Back in 1985, Anvil were poised for success. But a combination of shoddy production values, nonexistant management and no label support kept them from achieving the level of success they thought they were destined to have. They never made it anywhere close to the type of fame the big four in thrash metal (their genre) did - Metallica, Anthrax, Megadeth and Pantera. More than twenty years later, and into their 50s, singer Lips and drummer Robb Reiner were still trying to make it. The movie follows their journey as they tour Europe, record a new CD and try to get signed to a major label.

I watched the movie and kept hoping for the band to get a break. It seemed as if they took one step forward and two steps back the whole way through. They booked a European tour, great. But they had a tough time making it to gigs, getting paid by club owners and playing to mostly empty houses. One heartbreaking scene showed the band playing an arena with a 10,000 person capacity, with the actual head count being 174. They got in touch with a reputable producer who liked the new material, great. But they went into debt to pay for the recording and got turned down by every major label they approached. Finally, they played a festival in Japan to a capacity crowd who really appreciated the music and made them feel like it was worth it.

As that glass half full person, I was inspired by Steve "Lips" Kudlow. Throughout all the years, all the heartache that he has surely endured, he never lost hope. He never wavered in his belief in himself, his music and his band. In his dream. To me, that's admirable.

Obviously there are those out there who no doubt think, enough already. Just give it up. It hasn't happened by now, it's not going to happen. I can't be that kind of cynic. I still believe in dreams.

It's fitting that Anvil are now achieving success for a film about them not achieving success. The film has won many documentary film awards and the band is still recording and touring. As a glass half full person, I wish them all the luck in the world.