Anvil!

Tuesday night was pretty exciting. I broke my personal record for most Australians in my car at one time, doubling my previous effort. Can it get any better than that? The answer, apparently, is a resounding "yes."

Last night, I had the pleasure of going to The Metro with Bohmann and the Brothers Weeser* (minus Greg, of course, which, as explained later, is a bit ironic) to see what was dubbed "The Anvil Experience." I know what you're thinking: "Who goes to see people play anvils? And will GMYH call me "my friend"?"

Well, my friend, Anvil is a Canadian heavy metal band who rose to popularity in the early '80s and were extremely influential on the speed metal and power metal that followed (as well as on less "heavy" genres) -- a formidable bridge between the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Motorhead, Saxon, etc.) and the next generation of speed and thrash (Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax, Slayer, etc.). For one reason or another, Anvil didn't achieve the success that so many of the groups they influenced did, and they kind of fell off the radar.

Enter Sacha Gervasi, a former Anvil roadie turned drummer for Bush (before they got big) turned filmmaker and screenwriter. Gervasi decided to make a documentary about Anvil, aptly titled Anvil! The Story of Anvil. If you have watched VH1 Classic at any point over the past few months, then you have probably seen ads for the documentary.

Anywho, The Anvil Experience is a screening of the film, followed by a live performance by the band.

The film follows the band -- focusing primarily on founding members guitarist Lips Kudlow and drummer Robb Reiner (no relation to Rob Reiner as far as I know), who have known each other since they were teenagers and love each other (and fight) like brothers -- throughout their average, workaday lives in Ontario, where Kudlow works at a catering company and Reiner works in construction. In addition to the band members themselves, the film interviews the band members' parents, siblings, spouses, children, friends, and fans (in addition to a bunch of famous heavy metal musicians near the beginning of the film). Kudlow and Reiner, despite having made very little money making music and not playing large gigs in 20+ years, have never given up the dream. They live to play heavy metal music, and it doesn't matter if they're playing in front of ten people or ten thousand. Nonetheless, they still desperately yearn to make it as big as they were in the early '80s, when they were sharing bills with the likes of Bon Jovi and the Scorpions.

Their other guitarist, whose name escapes me, is dating an Eastern European woman who acts as the band's manager. Her heart is in the right place, but she's not completely adept at being a manager. She books the band on a five-week tour of Europe, which has its ups and downs, which are often both funny and sad at the same time. The tour ends up making the band very little (if any) money, so the band then returns to their regular lives in Ontario.

Eventually, Lips sends a demo tape (yes, tape) to famed producer Chris Tsangarides, who produced their most successful album, 1982's Metal on Metal (as well as the follow-up, 1983's Forged in Fire). Tsangarides likes the tape enough to agree to produce their next album. Rather than ruin the rest of the film for you, I will just say that the rest of the film centers around the band's attempts to finance the new album, make the new album, and get the album picked up by a major label.

All in all, this was one of the best films (not just documentaries) I've seen in a while. It is both heartwrenching and hilarious, but above all, it's enthralling. There are parts that make you laugh out loud and parts that bring you to the verge of tears, often right next to each other. Even if you don't like heavy metal, you will like this film. It's impossible not to root for these guys. They are just goodhearted, down-to-earth, genuine guys who have a dream and refuse to give up on it. For anyone who has gone (or is going) through a quarter-life crisis or a mid-life crisis, this film will especially hit home.

I know what you're thinking: "What about Greg Weeser*? And, on second thought, I'm not your friend."

Chill out, asshole, I'm gettin' there. As it turns out, Sacha Gervasi is Greg's former boss. Thus, in the "Thanks" section of the credits (not be confused with the preceding "Special Thanks" section), Greg is listed (although his name is misspelled as "Gregg" for reasons that are unclear) right between Lars Ulrich and Gore Verbinski. While I knew who Lars Ulrich was before the "Thanks," I was later informed by one or two of the Brothers Weeser* that Verbinski directed the last three Pirates of the Caribbean movies (among others). Not too shabby, Gregg.

I know what you're thinking: "What about the show? And, sorry about that. I'm just going through some shit right now."

No worries. We've all been there. The post-screening live performance was great. The band only played for about 45 minutes, but those 45 minutes were all metal. They played one song from the album they made in the film, but mostly stuff off of their first three albums. Kudlow has a Cheshire cat grin that rarely disappears from his face when he's on stage. Reiner resembles a more healthy (and taller) Ronnie James Dio. Glenn Five, the bassist, resembles a more jacked version of Tron's friend Shane. I realize that last description holds no frame of reference for most of you, but hey, that's who he looks like. All three of them played with vigor and put on a great show.

For me, though, the highlight of the night came before we even stepped into The Metro. Bohmann, Dan Weeser*, and I stopped by Wrigleyville Dogs (across the street from The Metro) to get some dinner before the show. As Bohmann unleashed his fury on two cheese dogs while I waited patiently for my chicken kebob dinner to be prepared, he noticed some dudes on the other side of the restaurant. Their names? Lips Kudlow, Robb Reiner, and Glenn Five. They were completely normal and gracious, talking to fans, taking pictures, and the like.

Not to be outdone, Tim Weeser* got a picture with Lips outside The Metro after the show.
Afterwards, we went to the Full Shilling and drank some beers, talked about baseball cards and music, and Tim tried to make out with the DJ, who was a 46-year-old man.

All in all, it was a pretty good evening, my friend.