The documentary opens with a warm welcome into the life of a dad sending his
daughter off to school, walking the dogs, cooking. Immediately, the filmmakers have
exposed the drummer of a key 1980's heavy metal band as a regular human being.
It's done with grace and humor, and even non-fans will likely immediately like Frankie.
Without delay this intro gives way to a rather standard history of Quiet Riot's rise to
fame set against the backdrop of a genre also struggling to break through the status
quo. That "mini-doc within a doc" is interesting, but nothing special. Thankfully, once
this "back story" business is taken care of, the documentary returns to its playful
personality and much more emotionally engaging story of Frankie coming to terms with the death of the band's singer and frontman Kevin DuBrow, which is ultimately what the picture is about. Despite the famous, and really very interesting, people; this
documentary is about dealing with grief, loss, anger, and finally forgiveness. The doc
takes on these pretty lofty issues with a determined chin up, a refreshing vulnerability, and a willingness to not take itself too seriously.
Also of particular interest was the drama surrounding the trial and error method of
finding a new frontman for a much later regrouping of the band. This was also
handled with a nice mix of respect and humor as well as the many interviews
with genre icons including the always entertaining Dee Snider.
While admittedly I did bang my head to "Feel the Noise" once or twice, I can't really
say I was a fan of the group. Nonetheless, I enjoyed this doc and so did my girlfriend
who isn't even a fan of the genre. So give it a look and a listen.
-- Books by Ross Anthony, Author/Illustrator --
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