Directed by Julia Nash
* * * ½
It seems as if everybody feels
like they were born in the wrong generation. I’m no exception to this. Well,
actually, let me clarify a bit: as far as my cinephilia is concerned, I don’t
think there’s a better time to be a film enthusiast than right now – while this
is a conversation for another time, Janus Films’ miraculous restoration of
Satyajit Ray’s Apu Trilogy proves my point. When it comes to music, on the
other hand…a little bit about myself: I’m a total industrial goth, and what I
would give to be a young man between 1993-96, the days when industrial raving
was at its peak, when goths and rivetheads danced the night away to the
pulsating beats and ominous synthesizers of acts like Nine Inch Nails and Skinny
Puppy. However, these glorious days wouldn’t be what they are without Jim Nash,
Dannie Flesher, and their gift to the world of underground music: Wax Trax!
Records.
It is a time that has,
unfortunately, run its course, but it will always be remembered fondly by its
enthusiasts. Now, it has been further immortalized, courtesy of Jim Nash’s
daughter Julia, and her new film Industrial
Accident, a terrific new documentary chronicling the charming beginnings of
Wax Trax!, its transition from record store to record label, subsequent part in
expanding the industrial music scene, and unfortunate demise.
Wax Trax! was founded by Jim
Nash and Dannie Flesher, an openly gay couple with a love for the weird,
obscure, and underground. It was a huge hit of a store, so much so to lead the
Ramones to state that it was the best record store they had ever shopped at. Though
Wax Trax! started in Denver, it would eventually relocate to Chicago. Nash and
Flesher’s love for underground music was evident in their store’s catalog, and
it became more than a store: a safe-haven for fellow weirdos.
With records from artists like
Ministry and Front 242 leaving Wax Trax! in shopping bags, a unique scene began
to grow more and more, which became known as industrial music. Then came the snowball
effect, with various different artists like KMFDM and My Life with the Thrill Kill
Kult (among many) enjoying new heights and success in their careers.
Director Julia Nash is the daughter
of co-founder Jim, and I would not rather have anybody else make this movie.
Nash is granted access from various first-hand sources, starting with family
and friends of Nash and Flesher, but further expanding the story with accounts
from key players of the industrial scene like Al Jourgensen (Ministry), Richard
Jonckheere (Front 242), Frankie Nardiello (My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult)
and Sascha Konietzko (KMFDM) – and this is only a handful among many, many interview subjects.
This expansive palette of
interview subjects helps paint as full a picture as you can get of a specific
time and place of music history. However, talking heads can only get a
documentary so far and can only hold the viewer’s attention so much, and here
is where Industrial Accident really
strives: the passion. Everybody involved, from the testimonies of the
interviews to Julia Nash’s direction, remembers this time with great fondness.
But this isn’t pathetically nostalgic gloating or arbitrary fan-service, as
everybody provides fascinating (and sometimes very funny) insight into this
world.
Industrial Accident is solid as both an account of an important
store/label as well as a retrospect on unique music scene, but it never goes as
far as it could with these two subjects. It starts out just fine, but once the
industrial scene really kicks off,
recounting the explosion of different artists, it focuses purely on industrial
music, almost forgetting to tie it back to Wax Trax! Thus, when the film
reaches its third act (when Wax Trax! reached its demise due to financial trouble,
being purchased by TVT Records, and the death of one of the founders), I almost
completely forgot that I was watching a documentary about the film’s namesake,
since there is so much focus on the genre.
There is something of a double-edge
sword with this criticism. Back to myself for a moment: being such a fan of the
genre, I’m always finding myself extolling the glory of this music…and then
having to explain just what the hell “industrial” is. Ultimately, industrial is
a somewhat niche scene, and Industrial
Accident never really provides any background on the genre. Granted, this
is supposed to be a documentary about Wax Trax!, but with there being such
focus on an underground scene, I think providing the viewer with some very
brief background on how industrial came to be. Let me put it to you this way: “industrial”
was coined by a band called Throbbing Gristle, who are now legends in the scene
– if memory serves me correctly, they are mentioned only once in the entire
film (though Chris Carter and the lovely Cosey Fanni Tutti are interviewed).
For a complete account on industrial, consider double-featuring Industrial Accident with Industrial Soundtrack for the Urban Decay,
a documentary that accounts the origins of industrial.
One more criticism, not as
pressing as the others: many of the subjects interviewed are from Europe, and
sometimes are very difficult to understand, not to mention we listen in on a
phone call at one point, but there are no subtitles provided, making some
moments difficult to understand.
I digress, though. I recommend
it as not only a fan but also as a genuinely insightful documentary: while any
fan of music could appreciate this film, I don’t think it won’t mean nearly as
much as it will to fans of the scene. Granted, this documentary may tell fans thing
they already know, the fondness and passion for this time makes it worthwhile
regardless. It’s truly a shame these days are behind us, but Industrial Accident reminds us to not
only smile because it happened, but reminds us that our old industrial records
are still worth spinning.
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