Documentary: "It Might Get Loud"

I am analyzing the documentary "It Might Get Loud," which features three gods of the rock guitar world: Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin, Jack White of the White Stripes, and The Edge (David Evans) of U2. (Personally, I think Jimmy Page is the only one who deserves Rock God status, but don't get me started on that). These men have made millions on their distinctive guitar sounds, and the documentary puts them together in one room just to see what happens. On the surface, this movie seems to have no agenda: rock music is supposed to be everything that politics is not. But having no agenda IS having an agenda in itself, isn't it? And looking deeper, I found that even though this movie seems to have no real purpose other than to drool over guitars, it does make a statement about the music industry.

This is truly a documentary for rock geeks (if such a contradiction can exist)--people who want to understand where the music comes from. There is extensive footage of The Edge messing with guitar effects; he admits he's not an amazing player on his own, but his gift lies in manipulating the sounds coming out of the speakers. He knows how to engineer certain sounds from his guitar and uses those sounds to create the feeling of the song. The documentary takes The Edge back to his old high school, where he and the other guys used to rehearse in a classroom.

Jack White, despite his relatively young age, establishes himself as an opinionated old-school musician; he says that today's technology has destroyed a lot of musical creativity. He plays all sorts of busted instruments because he likes the challenge, and he makes weird instruments too. He is a purist. Growing up in Detroit, knew it was considered uncool to play an instrument; hip-hop and electronic music were popular, but they have no appeal to him.

Jimmy Page agreed that pop music in his age was crap, so he wanted to play the blues instead. Jimmy Page...where do I start? I'm a huge Zeppelin fan, so of course I'm all over any footage he's in. Apparently it was a total coincidence that he even started on guitar. His family moved to a new house and a previous owner had left a guitar behind. Oddly enough, in his youth, Page played in a nerdy sort-of blues/rockabilly band where all the boys wore collared shirts onstage; he never dreamed he'd be famous one day.

So what happens when Page, White, and Evans get together? Well, it gets sorta loud, but it's not as epic as it could be; mostly it's a music appreciation lesson. They listen to records of artists that inspired them, and they listen to each other play some well-known riffs, but since they all have such different styles and don't seem to be super close friends, it feels a little stilted. Near the end they have some cool stuff going on, though...I mean, how much can I really complain?

This is a documentary for, by, and about music geeks. Rock music lovers might be the most obvious target, but I think anyone who appreciates the technical aspects of music and recording could get something out of it. I think if this movie has an agenda, it's to prove that these guys are real musicians and that that still means something today. A lot of music now is electronic or fake in some way, but Page, White, and Evans actually play instruments, write their own parts, construct their own sounds, and have a sincere appreciation for the craft. These guys worship music and guitars themselves, and they want to keep music "pure." While not naming names, they take a definite stance against music that is not really authentic.

This documentary is unique because it mostly hides the spectacle of rock music. It showcases not the whole bands or the frontmen (well, Jack White kind of is) but the sometimes-underappreciated lead guitarists to show how integral they are to their bands' trademark sounds. It shows some footage of them onstage, but not much; mostly they are in natural settings with their guitars, just playing and doing what they do best. No costumes, no special lights, just music. Just guitars.