Premier Guitar features affiliate links to help support our content. We may earn a commission on any affiliated purchases.

September 2010 Staff Picks

PG editors and Guest Picker Lee Ritenour discuss their favorite music documentaries.

Joe Coffey - Editorial Director
What am I listening to?
Voyager, a new compilation of Kyoji Yamamoto shreddery. Great stuff.
What is your favorite music documentary?
The second segment of radio show This American Life’s Episode 286: Mind Games. It’s a fascinating, documentary-style account of what happens when an unknown band is pranked into thinking they just played the most amazing gig ever.


Andy Ellis - Senior Editor
What am I listening to?
King Tubby, Select Cuts - 100% of Dub. With Sly Dunbar, Robbie Shakespeare, and others laying down deep drum-and-bass grooves, this is superb jam-along music. In dub we trust!
What is your favorite music documentary?
I Am Trying to Break Your Heart: A Film About Wilco. An unflinching view of a band struggling with creativity and label executives, the film has great music and edgy drama. Despite its sad ending, it’s inspiring for anyone who plays in a band.


Shawn Hammond - Editor in Chief
What am I listening to?
Tegan & Sara, Sainthood. Classic New Wave meets smart pop with contagious beats, hooky songs, imaginative use of guitars and effects, and vocals that are simultaneously sexy and innocent sounding.
What is your favorite music documentary?
It Might Get Loud. I don’t watch a lot of music documentaries, but this intrigued me. Contrasted with the laidback and genuine Edge and Jimmy Page, Jack White confirms that he’s a pompous poser who shouldn’t be dismissed despite being out of his league. Inspiring, captivating, and touching.


Nick Ireland - Marketing Manager
What am I listening to?
Johnny Cash, American IV: The Man Comes Around. When Cash teamed up with Rick Rubin for the American series, it gave us what is arguably his most soul-piercing collection of songs. It just cuts straight to the bone.
What is your favorite music documentary?
Wings for Wheels: The Making of ‘Born to Run’. This is an up-close look at the arduous, note-for-note composing of the masterpiece album that introduced the world to Bruce Springsteen.


Chris Kies - Associate Editor
What am I listening to? Huey Lewis and the News, Sports. It’s a great summertime album with plenty of hits. Sure, it’s known for its ’80s-style keys and sax parts, but guitarist Chris Hayes still did his best to keep the guitar in the mix.
What is your favorite music documentary?
Another State of Mind does a great job chronicling punk rockers the Youth Brigade and Social Distortion as they went on their yellow-schoolbus DIY tour in 1982. Warning: It depicts circle pits and moshing.


Adam Moore - Senior Editor
What am I listening to?
The Rapture, Out of the Races and Onto the Tracks. An early EP by a band who would later shift toward dance and electronica, this guitardriven outing is full of sloppy, funky, post-punk grooves. The opening measures of the title track are worth the price of admission alone.
What is your favorite music documentary?
Anthropologist/metalhead/director Sam Dunn explores the often mysterious world of heavy metal in Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey with such passion and insight that even outsiders will be totally engrossed.


Lee Ritenour - Guest Picker
What am I listening to?
Kurt Rosenwinkel. I wasn’t able to get him on my 6 String Theory project, but I do enjoy his playing quite a bit. His latest album, Standards, is very good.
What is your favorite music documentary?
Standing in the Shadows of Motown. I knew a bunch of those guys, so it was great to see how they put all that together.


Jason Shadrick - Associate Editor
What am I listening to?
JJ Grey & Mofro, Georgia Warhorse. This album just drips with the sound and soul of the swamps. JJ combines horns, dirty guitar tones, and great songs to create probably his best album to date.
What is your favorite music documentary?
Talking Guitars. This is a film about guitar “improver” Flip Scipio and his passion for guitar repair. Many big names have Flip on speed-dial, including Paul Simon and Jackson Browne.


Jordan Wagner - Associate Gear Editor
What am I listening to?
The Walker Brothers, Nite Flights. A far cry from their early hit “The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore,” with a moodier, denser atmosphere. Scott Walker’s dark songwriting is incredible, and he’s easily my favorite singer of all time.
What is your favorite music documentary?
It might be dated at this point, but Nine Inch Nails’ Closure was huge for me. It takes me back to when my fire for music was just getting started, and NIN wasn’t afraid to show its savage edge.