![]() Haynes’ restless visual style represents a narrative that does its duty in an unconventional fashion, an easy parallel to how the Velvet Underground’s droning sounds, bleak beat-poet lyrics and relentless artistic exploration provided skin and muscle to the skeleton of singer/guitarist Lou Reed’s elemental rock ‘n’ roll songwriting. So consider the spirit of the band captured.Ī RESTLESS VISUAL STYLE DEPICTING A WILDLY INFLUENTIAL BAND By the time Haynes reaches the story of the band’s first tour, when interviewees explain how Velvet Underground concerts tended to drive half the audience out of the venue, it’s fair to speculate that half the viewers of this documentary will have turned it off. The film shows no desire to meet casual viewers halfway. Fifteen minutes go by before we see a talking head footage is almost exclusively archival the only Velvet Underground live performance we see is during the end credits there is no gauzy, triumphant footage of the band’s brief mid-’90s reunion or Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction. Haynes continues in this fashion for two hours, using visual cues, often on split screens, to give contextual hints, foregoing subtitles and other documentary cliches. No, the auteur behind highly unconventional Bob Dylan biopic “I’m Not There” and David Bowie-inspired glam-rock drama “Velvet Goldmine,” opens “The Velvet Underground” with a spattering of old news clips and grainy footage - most notably Cale’s appearance on the goofy TV game show “I’ve Got a Secret” - setting up the story of a band that defied everything that came before it, creatively and culturally, and inspired nearly everything that came after it in American underground music. ![]() ![]() They’d improvise so performances were “subconscious.” They’re described as “R&B meets Wagner.” The music “establishes a psychological state,” and I’ll translate that as meaning it’s hypnotic and transporting.ĭon’t expect Haynes to hold the spoon and feed you a “Behind the Music” narrative. They “shined so brightly, there was no way that light could be contained,” goes another. ‘R&B Meets Wagner’: The Velvet Underground (Courtesy Photo)Ĭonsidering the context, it’s no surprise that “The Velvet Underground” indulges the scene’s high-concept terminology: “It’s all about extended time,” says one commentator.
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