We Jam Econo: The Story of the Minutemen

I'm a sixty something life-long fan of rock (well at least since the mid 1950s), and lived in California and never heard of the Minutemen that I can remember. Maybe I did hear of them but thought they had something to do with Paul Revere. I'm not sure why I rented the DVD but I'm happy I did.

The interviews, the live shows are raw like the music The Minutemen made. I think their lyrics and what they sing about to be inspired. They aren't afraid to speak the truth (whatever that is!) and do it in an unique and insistent fashion. In the interview of the three band mates they come across as grounded, thoughtful, humble, and connected to one another. D. Boone, Mike Watt, George Hurley rock. I wish I'd have seen them live.

Excellent doc for minutemen fans and anyone, I suppose, who appreciates inventive, challenging music delivered with skill and intensity by three very talented yet humble dudes. Tim Irwin, with the aesthetic of his subject in mind, keeps things rolling at a brisk pace, offering a lot of information in a short period of time through a combination of archival show and interview footage of the band, and fresh interviews with their friends and contemporaries. The dominant thread running throughout the film, however, is Mike Watt's tour of San Pedro accompanied by his history of both the band and his friendship with D. Boon. In the words (probably) of Richard Roeper, "a genuine film about genuine people, Roger?"

I love The Minuteman, so it would be very hard for me to dislike this documentary. Still, I thought it had some pretty serious structural problems. The backbone of the film is Mike Watt telling the story of the band in chronological order, using primarily clips from two lengthy interviews. This part of the film tells a compelling story. It is inter cut with performance footage and snippets of interviews with dozens of other major and minor figures in the band's story. This talking head footage has a tendency to undermine the film at time. The director obviously collected so much interview footage that he seems compelled to use it, but what's being said is often repetitive and not pertinent to the point that Watt's story has reached. It gives the film a disorganized, scatter shot feel that really undermines its effectiveness at times.

I saw this picture at its world premiere in San Pedro at the historic Warner Grand Theatre on Feb. 25. The place was packed with Minutemen fans, (1500 seats, and it sold out!) and everyone was waiting to see if the filmmakers had done the band justice. We had nothing to worry about, because this is an awesome documentary! The selection of interviewees, the great archival performance and band interview footage, and editing which contributed to a coherent chronological storyline all came together to make this a definitely superior doc! If you don't know that the Minutemen were one of the greatest bands ever, you should see this film and be converted!

I was at the premiere too, and was surprised at how undated the music was. I saw the Minutemen a number of times (best was on the boat in San Pedro harbor, with the Meat Puppets) and this film captures their essence surprisingly well. D. Boone, where are you when we need you! I'm here on the Internet trying to find a place to buy a copy of this excellent film. The music is aggressive and lively and always interesting. The film mainly consists of interviews about the Minutemen coupled with amazing live performances; my friend Andrea Enthal pointed out that they got such excellent renditions of Minutemen songs by combining many live performances to get excellent delivery and sound quality of almost every line. The spirit of the Minutemen lives on.