Indie Auteur Gorman Bechard

Episode 509 - Filmmaker Gorman Bechard

Jul 23, 2023

For many Gen X’ers, the band of Minneapolis misfits, The Replacements, are the ambassadors of alienation.

There is a truth to meeting a true blue fan of the ‘mats, not a casual fan, but a fan, and it’s this - you know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that person is a kindred spirit and I hold this truth to be self-evident.

This week’s guest, Gorman Bechard, is a kindred spirit.

Like myself, he’s a fan of The Replacements. Turns out that’s not the only thing we have in common. Earlier this year, we were both interviewed by The Nashville Voyager - one week apart:

January 13, 2023 - Gorman’s Interview with The Nashville Voyager
January 20, 2023 - My Interview with The Nashville Voyager

Geoff was on assignment this week, so I flew solo as I welcomed the fiercely independent auteur Gorman Bechard to Thunderlove Studio to chat about his career. Given the conceit of the show, we zeroed in on his music documentaries.

IN THE BEGINNING

If you’re above a certain age, you recall when the world of music reviewing existed beyond the print pantheon of Robert Christgau, Lester Bangs, and Greil Marcus and it wasn’t quite the digital bukkake of the modern era.

In other words, reviewing music was an actual job, and almost every newspaper and magazine had someone who did it. Gorman’s gateway to music examination began first as a fan and then as a music writer for his hometown rag, The Waterbury Republican, in Waterbury, Connecticut.

Very quickly, Bechard began blazing the creative path that led him from “The Brass City” of Waterbury to the flashy world of Hollywood and ultimately to the bright lights and big city of the New York City publishing world.

Those roads and experiences led him to become the ferocious independent filmmaker he is today.

In this world of independent film, in particular documentaries, Gorman has found his voice and created a body of work in the 21st century that establishes him as a very talented, unique voice.

The music blog, Too Loud proclaimed:

“What makes Gorman Bechard's documentaries work is that he takes these high falutin film concepts and uses them for film documentaries. While Bechard is an obvious fan of his subject, he shows them as is."

Gorman’s documentary CV shows incredible diversity, from dogs to pizza to music, and a commitment to excellence. While some of his films have taken ten-plus years to make, like Pizza: A Love Story, others were shot and released in less than ten months, like Who Is Lydia Loveless?.

After a couple of minutes speaking with him, or simply listening, you learn two things in rapid succession:

He loves music.
He loves documentary films.

And to hear him say it, it’s music that drives everything that he does.

IN THE BEGINNING, PT. 2

Sometime around 2009/2010, a friend turned me on to when he was doing his Kickstarter for The Replacements documentary, Color Me Obsessed (full disclosure, I have contributed to a few of his films over the years).

[FUN FACT: Color Me Obsessed is the only documentary film about the legendary band - to date.]

Since Bechard was doing a doc on my favorite band, I decided to take a deep dive into his work. In the process of watching his films, I stumbled upon a DVD extra of a short film called The Only Take* from 1985.

At the time, I was knee-deep in re-examining my favorite album by The Replacements, Pleased to Meet Me**.

[POP QUIZ: What’s your favorite album cover of all time, and why is it Pleased to Meet Me?]

The Replacements - Pleased to Meet Me (1987)

I enjoyed The Only Take, but knowing Gorman was a fan of the ‘mats and working on the Color Me Obsessed documentary… I noticed something conspicuous.

The total running time of The Only Take* is between 33:00-34:00.
The total running time of Pleased to Meet Me** is around 33:00 (31:40 of music).

It appeared much too coincidental that this film was almost the exact length of one of the filmmaker’s favorite albums by one of his favorite bands - as I recall, the two were off by about :30. Of course, I emailed the contact email on the Color Me Obsessed website asking if there was any truth to my theory.

I never heard back.

However, I DID get the chance to ask him about it when we spoke. He seemed just as surprised to hear about it as I was to find it.

That being said, conspicuous is a word that pops up often when examing Gorman’s music documentary cannon. What I mean to say is conspicuously absent.

In Color Me Obsessed, no member of The Replacements took part (they weren’t contacted), and none of their music was used.
In Every Everything: The Music, Life & Times of Grant Hart, no other members of his bands - Hüsker Dü & Nova Mob - were interviewed (they also weren’t contacted).
In Where are you, Jay Bennett?, no member from his former band Wilco was interviewed (although they were contacted).

Two of the three were artistic choices. And chosen for excellent and unique reasons. No spoilers; you’ll have to listen to hear why those choices were made - you won’t be disappointed.

If you’re a Wilco fan and have seen the Sam Jones documentary I Am Trying To Break Your Heart (and you probably have seen it), then I will state here and now that it’s required viewing to watch Where are you, Jay Bennett? - Bechard’s film is the ballast to Jones’ film.

It provides much needed context to the Wilco Yankee Foxtrot Hotel story and drama.

That said, of the two films, it Bechard’s Where are you, Jay Bennett? that WILL break your heart.

I loved chatting with Gorman. Not only is he a music fanatic and fiercely independent auteur, but he is also a very loud voice for animal rights. If you watch any of his work, please watch A Dog Named Gucci.

While I wouldn’t say I like to proselytize or use words like “important,” but if you like animals at all, this is a must-see.

Uncompromising and singular are words to use for Gorman and his films.
They’re also words to use for the artists and topics he chooses for his documentaries.

Gorman Bechard’s enthusiasm for music is infectious. After a couple of minutes of talking or listening to him, I promise that you won’t get sick; and quickly realize it’s an infection you don’t mind having.

LISTEN:

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