In their heydey in the early 1980s, the Canadian metal band Anvil had a minor hit with the song “Metal On Metal,” did a lot of touring, but never really “made it.” Their story, like that of countless bands in all genres of music, would have been relegated to obscurity. Enter Sacha Gervasi. The band’s former roadie became a filmmaker, and two decades after his time with Anvil decided to find his old friends. He did, followed them around with cameras during their daily lives, a tour and the making of their latest album
This Is Thirteen. The result is
Anvil! The Story Of Anvil.You don’t have to be a fan of Anvil to enjoy this documentary. Their story is timeless, universal and extremely compelling. Since they were teenagers, Steve “Lips” Kudlow and Robb Reiner have wanted to be rock and roll stars, and refuse to let go of their dreams. Their daily life is anything but glamorous. Lips delivers food for a catering company, and money is extremely tight. But they still keep Anvil going, embarking on a shoestring tour across Europe. There are many
Spinal Tap moments along the way, but Anvil’s story is 100 percent true.
Another major storyline is getting their latest CD recorded and released. They reunited with producer Chris Tsangarides, and to come up with the cash to pay for the recording, Lips has to borrow money from his sister. The tension mounts, and the conflict between Lips and Reiner threatens to destroy the band. Once they finish the album, they try to find a record label to release it, even delivering demo tapes in person, but come up empty. They end up having to sell the CDs themselves.
Anvil! The Story Of Anvil can be sad and depressing at times, and also very funny, but no matter what the emotion, the band never gives up hope. Knocked to the ground countless times, they keep getting back up and trying to achieve their dreams. There’s nothing like a good underdog story, which is exactly what Anvil’s career has been. The film has a reasonably uplifting ending, and what’s happened to Anvil since the movie was released is amazing. Their CD found a record label home and their career has been resurrected. They’ve toured with AC/DC and have more dates planned.
The DVD of Anvil! The Story Of Anvil includes several extras, including commentary from Lips, Robb and director Sacha Gervasi, along with deleted scenes, extended interviews and other goodies.
Even though they were not very well known, Anvil was an influence on many other bands. Artists like Slash (Guns N’ Roses) and Lemmy (Motorhead) make appearances in the movie vouching for the band’s place in music history. Now, Anvil! The Story Of Anvil secures the band’s place in movie history. This is an outstanding documentary that I recommend highly.
(released October 6, 2009 on VH-1 Films)
