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From Nirvana to Sonic Youth, Red Hot Chili Peppers to Cage the Elephant, many popular bands of the last five decades have recorded covers and discussed the influence of The Stooges. And in the rock-documentary Gimme Danger, director Jim Jarmusch takes a look at the band’s tragedies and triumphs.
Gimme Danger documents the rise, fall, and eventual reunion of the innovative band The Stooges. The film opens in a strange place in the story—the band’s rather anticlimactic disbanding in 1973—before taking a step back in time to explore the band’s origins. The story is told mostly through interviews—especially by the band’s lead singer, Iggy Pop (though he’s introduced here by his given name, Jim Osterberg). And through these interviews—along with archive footage and some eccentric animation—it tells the story of a bunch of kids from Michigan who made some strange music together and, despite their relatively brief initial career, influenced the growing punk music scene.
If you’re a music lover—especially if you’re a fan of the Stooges or the punk acts that they inspired—you’ll enjoy this look at the creation and collapse of an iconic band. Unfortunately, the music itself doesn’t play a large part in the film, but the various players and their stories make it an entertaining documentary nonetheless.
The band’s eccentric lead singer gets most of the attention here—and not just because he and the director are reportedly good friends. Iggy Pop isn’t just an intriguing artist; he’s also a captivating character—and one who gives a remarkable interview. Whether his interview takes place inside an old trailer or in the more luxurious surroundings of what one would assume to be his home, he’s simply fascinating to watch. And he has all kinds of stories to tell, too. As he gives an overview of the band’s story, he also relates stories about his childhood, growing up in a camper with his parents, he discusses his early days as a musician, and he offers up amusing anecdotes about everything from the band’s early days to Andy Warhol’s songwriting suggestions.
Jarmusch adds to the entertainment value with plenty of stills, old clips of concerts, animations of some of the stories, and quirky b-roll footage. It’s all pretty creative and clever—and often as amusing as the band’s fascinating frontman.
Gimme Danger isn’t necessarily an in-depth look at the story of the Stooges. After watching it, you probably won’t feel like you know the whole story—and you may want to dig for more information. But it’s an enjoyable rock-doc for music lovers
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