As "Meet Me In the Bathroom" (2022 release; 105 min.) opens, it is "1999" and we are introduced to Adam Green (of the Moldy Peaches) and their very humble beginnings at an open mike night. Karen O (of later the Yeah Yeah Yeahs) also moves in those circles. One day they run into Julian Casablancas of the just formed Strokes at a party... At this point we are less than 10 min. Into the documentary.
Couple of comments: this is the latest collaboration between co-directors Will Lovelace and Dylan Southern ("Shut Up and Play the Hits"; various music videos). Here they take Lizzy Goodman's critically acclaimed book of the same name and turn it into a visual feat and feast. The documentary follows the early beginnings of New York's Burgeoning rock scene that really started taking off in 2000-2001, with bands like the Strokes, Interpol, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the Rapture, and LCD Soundsystem. All of them are featured extensively, and the amount of archive footage that the film makers were able to unearth is absolutely amazing, and THE main reason to watch this. While the book covers the entire 00's decade, this documentary focus on the decade's initial 5 years. This is probably the reason why Vampire Weekend is conspicuously absent in this film, as they didn't did start until 2005 or so. That aside, all these bands provided a true soundtrack of my life in the 00's and I caught those bands in concerts multiple times during that decade (and thereafter). If it sounds like I am gushing a bit over this documentary, I will not deny it. I absolutely LOVE this documentary.
"Meet Me In the Bathroom" premiered on Showtime over the Thanksgiving weekend and is now available on the SHO streaming app, where I caught it a few days ago. If you love any of these bands, or you are perhaps curious what life was like in NY 20 years ago, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.
