Last Days Here

Bobby is so much like me... he and Phil Anselmno are talking on this... Phil says it's Never too late. Just inspired me.

Many musicians I've met over the years have proudly proclaimed "Music is all I have man, it's all I know". But what happens when the years pass by, the success is few and far between and the musician is reduced to a withered husk waxing nostalgia? After a while, that declaration becomes a sad one, and it leaves said person in a questionable state. Last Days Here is an intense and unflinching look at the life of Bobby Liebling, lead singer for underground doom metal legends Pentagram. For many this will feel familiar, either like an episode of the reality show Intervention or along the lines of "from obscurity to greatness" rockumentaries, but there's something else to it. It's extremely raw.

Last Days Here will inevitably draw comparisons to Anvil: The Story of Anvil, but there are major differences. First and foremost, unlike Anvil, Pentagram was actually a good band in their day. Anvil were lauded by some as being pioneers of thrash metal of sorts, but watching that film it became apparent that the reason they never made it big was simply that they weren't very good, and that their music was far too cheesy and badly dated to be taken seriously. Bobby Liebling actually had considerable songwriting skills and came very close to securing a deal with Columbia Records. I could easily see old Pentagram songs such as "Forever My Queen" and "Wheel of Fortune" being played on classic rock radio stations alongside Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple. Second, while the people in Anvil were struggling, they were not in the state that Liebling was. And third, The Story of Anvil turned out to be a rather dishonest film in terms of the continuity editing, whereas Last Days Here plays out from start to finish, and the stakes are much higher.

After decades of drug abuse and failure, Bobby spends his days consuming crack, heroin and whatever else in his parent's basement in rural Maryland. He's an awful sight, looking just as ghastly as the ghouls he sings about in his songs. His parents, though well meaning, are profoundly naive and gutless. He has no real friends left. But then we meet Sean "Pellet" Pelletier, a die hard music fan and employee of the highly respected record label, Relapse Records. Pellet is the secondary protagonist of this story, a die hard fanboy who worships Pentagram and wants to share their music with the world. He becomes Bobby's manager, friend and number one supporter. For the duration of the film, Pellet does his best to wrangle Bobby into some kind of productivity of sorts, but it's an EXTREMELY bumpy ride.

What makes this documentary compelling is the position the viewer is put in while watching Bobby. It's strange, because most of the time you don't really feel sorry for him. He is his own worst enemy and is the main saboteur of Pentagram's success. He has burned countless bridges, destroyed many relationships, ruined promising opportunities of major label deals and has ripped a lot of people off. There's no real back story of childhood abuse or any personal tragedy to warrant his self-destructive lifestyle and arrogant behavior. Indeed, if anything his family is too supportive of him and are enablers of his addiction. What makes you believe in Bobby is the fact that Pellet believes in him. In many ways Last Days Here is about an unusual friendship between musician and fan rather than a narrative of a rocker's resurrection.

Things get more intriguing when Bobby has a romance with a very attractive 20 something music fan named Hallie. It presents both a boon to his existence and a challenge to Pellet's efforts to get him on the right track.

As a Washington DC native, I had never heard of bands like Pentagram or the Obsessed growing up. To me DC was all about hardcore punk and Go Go. But today, people of all ages are hungry again for solid heavy rock, and a lot of obscure bands are finally seeing their dues. Bobby may have been a jerk and junkie for most of his life but his art does stand on its own and redemption appears possible. Last Days Here is often not easy to watch, but it has its rewards.

This documentary ripped my heart out, stomped on it, glued it back together, put it back in, made it beat again - and Then did that whole procedure all over again! Its raw, its real and its larger than life.

Sometimes you come across stories that touches you beyond belief, although you are just an observer you cry and laugh like you yourself is the one going through what you are watching. I love Bobby Liebling now for giving me perspective and strength!

At first I was skeptical because I'm not a big rock-fan, but from the very beginning I understood that it was going to be much more than just a music-documentary. In fact, even though the music is the fundamental reason it was made in the first place that is not what moves you or what makes your lips tremble and your skin crawl all at ones.

Bobby Liebling has lived in the basement of his parents house for decades. With everyday sitting on his couch either with a crack-pipe in his mouth or a needle in his arm. He believes that termites live underneath his skin and daily he wants to do nothing other than to die. Already this is heartbreaking and you really feel for the sorry bastard. But the fact that at one on point in his life he could have become one of the greats in the rockworld, with his unique voice, understanding for the music genre, with his unbelievable performances on stage and his dedication to rock it only makes it that much sadder.

We follow Bobby and his friends who are trying to assemble this broken man to make a new album and with that some sort of comeback. And while this seems like a mission impossible, Bobby really is trying his best to cut the album, but with many setbacks and the fact that Bobby is a junkie, all of everybody's efforts may fall through. But life is full of surprises and sometimes even in the darkest places a little ray of beautiful shining light makes it's way through.

This documentary makes you think and reflect on life and how precious and fragile it is. It awakes sympathy and love for people around you. And at least for me it reminded me about the fact to continue to not judge and look down on anybody, because you never know their story and what makes them do what they do.

Watch this documentary, it is one of the best!

I often watch previews on I-tunes and when I saw this one and heard the opening chords of forever my queen I just knew I had to find out more. I got seriously hooked on the music and have replayed the album first daze here over and over ever since. I finally got to see the movie and it didn't disappoint. It's a real bummer these guys didn't make it but the story of Bobby Liebling is pretty incredible. I wish I could personally thank Pellet for having the patience and heart to see this through. I think he saved Bobby's life through sheer persistence. If you don't see the movie go get some of the music. it's some of the best metal i've ever heard from that era and it deserves to be mentioned along with the other gods of rock.

everything is all wrapped up. nothing more to be said oh no.

10 is a high rating, I know. It's worthy not only because this film is simply a great documentary film, but a great film in general with stand- out, staying potential. Albeit, if only at a cult level. It's absolutely possible that in the near future this film will be used as a tool at drug rehabilitation centers, music business schools, inspiration seminars and pot parties alike. The people close to the band and drawn to it's music that appear in the film have an interesting charm but not close to it's two main subject's, the cartoon-ish, scary, lovable Bobby Liebling and the equal knock out of the piece, passionate manager, Sean "Pellet" Pelletier. It's fitting the majority of the film is set in Pellet's native Philadelphia as he emits the true blue, battered, underdog ethic of the city's most beloved, fictitious native, Rocky Balboa. In this regard, so does it's main character , Liebling who's demons affect both men in different ways. There is also more at stake here than a music career, it's life itself for one. It's the career of another. And all of this mind you, stemming from the essential, newly uncovered, proto-heavy metal songs Liebling wrote between '70 and '74. It's a surprising, sincere portrayal of faith and friendship that lurks below the dusty covers of hard rock, hard love and hard drugs. It's brutally honest but manages to soften the blow by delivering the story mainly through the endearing eyes of Pelletier. The film makers manage you get the viewer inside the man's heart which creates your own desire to see Liebling conquer his demons. I'm not saying you won't cringe at times, it's an essential ingredient when having to express the magnitude of certain essential factors in the film. Whether they be positive or negative in nature, they're strong and must be visibly displayed as such. I loved this film because it's a testament that true love empowers and prevails even in the most unsuspecting places. Here, it's displayed by the relationships a rusty metal God has with a caring fan as well as with a beautiful, wide-eyed, naive, sincere stranger. The appearance of Liebling's parents is another treat. Charming and truthful, they explain the brilliance that led to both the successes and downfalls of a rock icon that was never uncovered. At least not until Pelletier hunted him down and handed him a deal to release some of his old songs. It's a story of recovery of lost music and of lost life. This recovery came from a d.i.y ethic delivered within the characters in the film as well as from director's Don Argott and Demian Fenton. Heavy Metal musician's themselves, the story has an essence of empathy and sincerity not often felt in documentaries this blunt and with stakes this dire. Oh, and then there is the music...classy, hard rock delivered with the mystique of a Hammer Horror film. If the thought of heavy metal makes you cringe, do not worry. The band's songs that are strewn through out are subtle and work well to energize the piece. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.