Rock ’n’ roll pneumonia

by JOHNSON CUMMINS

In keeping with Pop Montreal tradition, my immune system finally shit the bed about halfway through the fest. I know I’m not the only one whose late-night boozing, lack of sleep and constant rush between venues finally confined us to our couch at festival’s end. Although things are a bit hazy, I do know Patti Smith made me cry, Pere Ubu’s David Thomas made me grin like an idiot and NXNE’s free booze fest almost killed me. If you’re feeling the head-clamp hangover of Pop Montreal that will have you under house arrest this week, there are thankfully plenty of recently released punk rock DVDs to help ease the pain.

Probably one of the best rock-umentaries ever made, hated, gets an anniversary release. Directed by a young Todd Phillips (Old School, Starsky & Hutch) as a student during his stint at NYU, Phillips captures all the thrills, spills and chills of rock ’n’ roll’s potty-training dropout, GG Allin. Sit back and enjoy the non-stop car crash as GG lets his nihilism and feces fly, sends his audience home in an ambulance and basically acts like the world’s most demented stand-up comedian. Not only does this edition add a bunch of bonus features, but it also includes a sheet of stick-on tattoos, so you too can look as utterly fucked up as GG. The scene where he repeats his mantra of “I hate you, motherfucker” over and over again is worth the price of admission alone. P.C. kneejerkers steer way, way clear.

If any of you were privileged enough to see Qui’s David Yow in action on Friday night at la Sala Rossa, you should dig a little deeper and catch Yow’s now-defunct band the Jesus Lizard on the just-released eponymous concert video, recorded in Boston in ’94. The band fires on all cylinders and prove why they were without a doubt one of the best live bands the ’90s produced. Think I’m blowing smoke here? Just shove this piece of plastic in your DVD player and then tell me Yow and co. weren’t the tits during the grunge fallout era. Shot on three cameras with a 5.1 Surround Sound treatment, songs like “Nub,” “Boilermaker” and “Mouthbreather” leap off the screen and are far superior to Albini-produced studio versions. Bonus material includes an interview with an oddly sober Yow and a lo-fi document of a show at CBGB’s in ’92. Watch this, find out what the hubbub is about and then get ready to impress at cocktail parties, to the shock and amazement of all your blogster friends!

Finally seeing the light of day, after only existing on YouTube in inferior, bite-sized versions, is Dead Boys: Live at CBGB’s 1977. If you called bullshit on those rose-tinted lenses slipped over the camera’s eye on docs about CBGB’s glory days featuring (gulp) the Talking Heads, you have to hear Stiv and the Boys pummel with “Sonic Reducer,” “Ain’t Nothin’ to Do” and the Stooges’ “Search and Destroy.” The Surround Sound is a perfect complement to the pro-shot doc, but sadly, safety pins are not included.

TV party tonight! Jonathan.cummins@gmail.com