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Instrument (film)
Encyclopedia
Instrument is a documentary film
directed by Jem Cohen
about the band Fugazi. Cohen's relationship with band member Ian MacKaye
extends back to the 1970s when the two met in high school in Washington, D.C.
. The film takes its title from the Fugazi song of the same name, from their 1993 album, In on the Kill Taker
.
Editing of the film was done by both Cohen and the members of the band over the course of five years. It was shot from 1987 through 1998 on super 8, 16mm and video and is composed mainly of footage of concerts, interviews with the band members, practices, tours and time spent in the studio recording their 1995 album, Red Medicine
.
The film also includes portraits of fans as well as interviews with them at various Fugazi shows around the United States throughout the years. The Instrument Soundtrack
by Fugazi was released in conjunction with the film. It consisted primarily of instrumental and unreleased songs (including many demo cuts from End Hits
, their next album after the soundtrack).
When asked what the goal was in making Instrument, Cohen responded:
One such misconception is shared in a scene where drummer Brendan Canty
tells his bandmates how his sister's boyfriend believes that Fugazi lives in a house together without heat and subsisting on a steady diet of nothing but rice. Cohen has also said that "[o]ne of the reasons why I work with Fugazi and they work with me is that we enjoy traveling through this madness. It's what they write songs about and it's what I try to document in my films."
Some notable scenes in the film include Fugazi performing for inmates at Lorton Correctional Facility
; singer/guitarist Guy Picciotto's hilarious and astounding performance in a Philadelphia college gym in 1988, where he literally stuffs himself through a basketball hoop and performs hanging upside down by his legs; and an interview of Guy Picciotto
and Ian MacKaye by an 8th grade girl for a Public-access television
cable TV show.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
directed by Jem Cohen
Jem Cohen
Jem Alan Cohen is an award-winning New York City-based filmmaker known for his observational portraits of urban landscapes, blending of media formats and collaborations with music artists. He is the recipient of the Independent Spirit Award and many first place awards for feature filmmaking...
about the band Fugazi. Cohen's relationship with band member Ian MacKaye
Ian MacKaye
Ian Thomas Garner MacKaye is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, musician, label owner, and producer. Active since 1979, MacKaye is best known for being the frontman of the influential hardcore punk bands Minor Threat and The Teen Idles, the post-hardcore bands Embrace and Fugazi, as well...
extends back to the 1970s when the two met in high school in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. The film takes its title from the Fugazi song of the same name, from their 1993 album, In on the Kill Taker
In on the Kill Taker
In on the Kill Taker is the third full-length studio album by the American post-hardcore band Fugazi. It was released on June 30th, 1993 through Dischord Records and was recorded at Inner Ear Studios and produced by Ted Nicely and Don Zientara...
.
Editing of the film was done by both Cohen and the members of the band over the course of five years. It was shot from 1987 through 1998 on super 8, 16mm and video and is composed mainly of footage of concerts, interviews with the band members, practices, tours and time spent in the studio recording their 1995 album, Red Medicine
Red Medicine
Red Medicine is the fourth full-length studio album by American post-hardcore band Fugazi, released on June 12th, 1995 through Dischord Records.-Background:...
.
The film also includes portraits of fans as well as interviews with them at various Fugazi shows around the United States throughout the years. The Instrument Soundtrack
Instrument Soundtrack
Instrument Soundtrack is a 1999 album by American post-hardcore band Fugazi.-Background:It is a mainly instrumental soundtrack for the documentary about the band produced by the band and filmmaker Jem Cohen....
by Fugazi was released in conjunction with the film. It consisted primarily of instrumental and unreleased songs (including many demo cuts from End Hits
End Hits
End Hits is the fifth studio album by the American post-hardcore band Fugazi. It was recorded at Inner Ear Studios from March 1997 to September 1997 and produced by Don Zientara & Fugazi. It was released on April 28, 1998 through Dischord Records. The album saw the band continuing with and...
, their next album after the soundtrack).
When asked what the goal was in making Instrument, Cohen responded:
One such misconception is shared in a scene where drummer Brendan Canty
Brendan Canty
Brendan Canty is an American musician, composer, producer and film maker, best known as the drummer for the band Fugazi....
tells his bandmates how his sister's boyfriend believes that Fugazi lives in a house together without heat and subsisting on a steady diet of nothing but rice. Cohen has also said that "[o]ne of the reasons why I work with Fugazi and they work with me is that we enjoy traveling through this madness. It's what they write songs about and it's what I try to document in my films."
Some notable scenes in the film include Fugazi performing for inmates at Lorton Correctional Facility
Lorton Reformatory
The Lorton Reformatory was a prison built for the District of Columbia, United States. It was operated by the District of Columbia Department of Corrections.-History:...
; singer/guitarist Guy Picciotto's hilarious and astounding performance in a Philadelphia college gym in 1988, where he literally stuffs himself through a basketball hoop and performs hanging upside down by his legs; and an interview of Guy Picciotto
Guy Picciotto
Guy Picciotto is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, musician, and producer from Washington, DC.He is most widely known for his role as the guitarist and vocalist of Fugazi, as well as Rites of Spring.-Rites of Spring & Early Projects:...
and Ian MacKaye by an 8th grade girl for a Public-access television
Public-access television
Public-access television is a form of non-commercial mass media where ordinary people can create content television programming which is cablecast through cable TV specialty channels...
cable TV show.
Critical reception
The reviews for Instrument were generally positive, although some critics stated the film was a bit lengthy, especially for those who do not find themselves to be fans of the band. However, the Onion AV Club pointed out, "if Instrument is purely self-indulgent, Fugazi is one band that has truly earned that luxury."DVD Extras
The DVD release in 2001 included 30 minutes of extra footage not released on VHS in 1999: three full songs - "Waiting Room", "Turnover" and "Long Division" - from various shows and two short films entitled "Glueman" and "Little Flags".External links
- Jem Cohen's website
- Video interview of Jem Cohen about Instrument (YouTube)
- Interview from Ink19 with Jem Cohen about Instrument
- Interview from the Austin Chronicle with Jem Cohen about Instrument
- Interview with Guy Picciotto about Instrument
- NY Times Review of Instrument
- The Onion AV Club review of Instrument
- Currentfilm.com review of Instrument
- Allmovie review of Instrument
- VH1 review of Instrument