Texas

This documentary is a must see for any fan of 30 odd foot of grunts or Russell Crowe. It is funny, has great music, and is an honest look into the creative process of a phenomenal band. In addition to the documentary itself is all the extras that come on the dvd, such as outtakes, an additional documentary, videos, and pictures. Any tofog fan should watch Texas, if you're not a tofog fan, watch it and you will be.

Dean (Mr. Shy himself) actually speaks! Not only does he speak, but he did a great job narrating. I liked everyone's sense of humor. OK...Maybe Mark could tone it down a bit...but just a bit. LOL

This DVD is the first thing I've seen that gives real insight into the band that is TOFOG. The DVD covers the band's creation and the changes the guys have experienced over the years. The fans finally get to hear Dean Cochran, Dave Kelly, Garth Adam, Russell Crowe, Stewart Kirwan, and last but NOT least, Dave Wilkins talk about the music and, of course, they get to hear the music as it was recorded live in the summer of 2000.

As I don't own DVDs of other bands, I have nothing to compare. All I know is that I have enjoyed this DVD immensely. As a fan of the band, I find it to be a real treasure. Would it be a S P O I L E R if I said that it also contains my favorite song, All the White Circles (the loooong version!). The music is, of course, the best part!

I love this DVD. It has great photography and the scenes with the group backstage really shows off their unique personalities. Thirty Odd Foot of Grunts is so much better when seen in concert; the CDs are great and their music is really great, but nothing compares to the concert experience. They're great performers and it is easy to see just how much fun they have playing the music. I wish all bands had this much personality on stage. The DVD allows for viewing on different camera angles and includes a large number of music videos from the band including "Circus" and "Photograph Kills." If you can't see the guys actually on stage then this is definitely the next best thing. The ability to switch the angles of the camera and to look at the song lyrics is great. Great concert DVD all around.

Russell Crowe was a musical artist for several years before turning to acting in 1990. He has maintained that interest, in various forms to this day. His current band, Thirty Odd Foot of Grunts, known to fans as TOFOG, has been together for about 5 years, but his lead guitarist, Billy Dean Cochran, has been with Crowe since they were teens in New Zealand. This documentary, narrated by Cochran and produced by Crowe, allows us an insiders look at the folk rock band as it gets together for a short tour in London and Austin, Texas in the summer of 2000.

Crowe is lead singer, growling out his own lyrics to an enthusiastic largely female audience. We see the guys, Cochran, Crowe, Dave Wilkens, Dave Kelly, Garth Adams and Stewart Kirwin as they perform, but most importantly, we see the off the wall comraderie of Australian based mates behind the scene. Crowe's "day job" has opened doors, increased interest and ticket sales, but also brought change. No longer able to freely mingle with fans without setting off a frenzy, he tries to remain just one of the guys. We see them kidding around in rehearsals, preparing for performance and trying to work around the demands of Crowe's movie making schedule.

This is a rude and unvarnished documentary, but great fun to watch. A tidbit of note; in the original limited release DVD, sold only at TOFOG shows in August of 2001 while on another tour, there was a glimpse of Crowe mussing the hair of Meg Ryan in London. That 2 second bit has since been removed in the Miramax release.

TEXAS is a raw, honest documentary with behind the scenes footage of a band on location to make a CD. Russell Crowe is a serious musician. He and Dean Cochran have been best mates since their teen years and have experienced the down side of trying to make it in the music business.

This film shows the band traveling to London, Italy and Austin Texas with some clips of Russell and Dean's early years. It's funny, raunchy (as people who have worked hard and are jet lagged frequently become)and very full of soul touching music. You will go on a journey that will give you a real insight to how difficult it is to produce music and put on a live show. You will see a portion of the sold out Austin, Texas performance that will make you wish you were there.

I loved this DVD and I hate cursing. But, the bad language is not done for shock effect, it is just how these guys interact.

There are surprises on the DVD that you have to dig deep to find but they are definitely worth the effort. Some of my friends who considered TOFOG a vanity project of Russell's are die-hard fans of the band since watching the DVD.

These are first class musicians who are not only a band but true friends that enjoy making music and are determined to give 100% to ensure their fans are entertained.

I highly recommend the DVD.