It's Not All Rock & Roll

In an age when shallow pop stars desperately seek shallow online popularity, authenticity has become a marketing tool. Frequently, it's in the form of silly and meaningless social media content, which is carefully designed to show just how "normal" the pop star supposedly is. Authenticity becomes their brand - their calculated "antics" or alleged witticisms often additionally promoted by the press, only interested in exploiting said image to sell more newspapers or get more clicks. Such mechanical publicity, of course, renders the artist themselves insincere, even if they are truly passionate about their work behind the scenes. All of this makes "It's Not All Rock & Roll" an extremely refreshing watch, allowing us to spend time with a musician happy to remain low-key, driven to perform purely by his love for it, and not surrounded by a team of representatives carefully controlling his image.

Dave Doughman makes for an engaging and thoughtful leading man as the film documents his daily existence, balancing his responsibilities as a father with playing music to small crowds. He has nothing to hide when it comes to his music, and when he does perform, he shows that he is a fun and indeed talented stage presence. For me, it evoked memories of the Coen brothers' "Inside Llewyn Davis", another film about a low-key musician motivated purely by passion, not led astray by fame or the desire to sustain it.

The film itself is nicely shot and well edited, maintaining a good pace in its tight 85-minute running time. It also makes good use of Hamburg as a location, showing off the city well.

After a number of biopic movies in recent years depicting famous musicians who used glitz and glamour as an excuse to behave like spoiled children, it's nice to spend time with someone who is a musician and yet a fully-fledged adult, performing music purely because he wants to entertain and can't imagine not doing so. A nice reminder that many people do get into music for the right reasons.

Dave Doughman is a lifer - a dedicated musician, in it for life, for the pure enjoyment of creating and performing music; sometimes for a handful of people at a time. To be a lifer take perseverance and commitment and, above all else, a belief in yourself. You may work as a fork-lift operator, a model, actor, or any number of jobs, but what you are is a musician. Dave Doughman is a lifer and this beautiful documentary will take you inside his world; enjoy the ride.

I first discovered the Swearing At Motorists when they played at Howie & Sons Pizza Parlor in Visalia, CA on the LNBTM tour. There were maybe fifteen people in the crowd when Dave took the stage (in a full Jimi Hendrix inspired getup to help paint the picture). From the very first second he stepped on stage, the energy went through the roof. He played as if it were a sold out venue and his banter was both witty and engaging. You couldn't help but fall in with the guy as he brought everyone in the room together, feeling as if we were part of the show.

To this date, out of the hundreds of shows that I have seen, this one ranks at the very top of the list. Dave joked at some point about challenging The White Stripes to see which duo could rock harder, and while I love Jack and Meg, I think Dave might squeak out the win. By the end of the evening the room was packed, as Dave's energy acted as a tractor beam pulling in every one within ear shot.

Then just as quickly as they had arrived and blew my world wide open, they were gone. On to the next town to do it all over again. However, I couldn't handle the silence. The next morning I dug into the discography and ordered every record that I could. No one seemed to know who the Swearing At Motorists were, and I just couldn't quite understand it. The best band that I had ever seen live and no one knew the name Dave Doughman. To this day I still don't understand it.

Now, fast forward nearly fifteen years, and hopefully that is about to change thanks to Jim Burns' wonderful new film, "It's Not All Rock And Roll". The film tells the complete story of Dave Doughman and the Swearing At Motorists. Diving deep into Dave's childhood and upbringing in Dayton, OH and following every step of the way to his life now in Hamburg, Germany.

While it is a beautiful journey documenting the history of the band, it is also a touching portrait of an artist who has overcome so much and is still struggling to get by as a father and active musician struggling with his mental health and past addictions. As Dave declares at a point in the film, "It's Not All Rock And Roll". At the core it is a touching study of the human condition - both therapeutic and inspiring. Just as I did that first night I ever saw Dave in 2006, you can't help but fall in love with him throughout this picture.

Simply put, it is one of the best documentaries on a musician that has ever been captured on film. Please watch it, and then tell your friends and family to do the same. While it's long overdue, I hope that it helps gain Dave some of the appreciation that he has so deserved over his wonderful career. 10/10.

I have been a fan of Dave Doughman's powerful music for 20 years but you don't have to be to enjoy this compelling, funny, poignant film. I was lucky to see the "two-man Who" once and am glad that this film will give others a feel for that experience. Doughman, and the film, are insightful about creativity, family (blood and chosen), health and the notion of "home".

This documentary is one of the first to accurately depict the working life of a musician in this digital age. Jim Burns takes you through every aspect of Dave Doughman's music and personal life to reveal the actual workings of the current music scene (down to some really engaging moments in various clubs) to the difficulties of trying to make ends meet while being a musician and parent. There are also some really great scenes in Dayton, Ohio and references to the Braniac/Guided by Voices Era of the late 1990's.