Every Everything: The Music, Life & Times of Grant Hart (2013)

not as good as all the hype

Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.

It is both painfully honest and laugh-out-loud funny at the same time.

Most people with an interest in alternative rock will have heard of Bob Mould, the Hüsker Dü and Sugar singer/guitarist and pioneer but over time the other incredible songwriter in Hüsker Dü has been forgotten. A lot of Hüsker Dü fans would argue that Grant Hart's songs were some of the best songs they ever recorded. Songs like Diane, don't want to know if you are lonely, green eyes etc which have all been successfully covered by other artists such as Therapy?, Green Day etc. This documentary gives a fascinating insight into the story behind Hart and what makes him such an intriguing musician . The documentary itself covers his life and includes music from throughout his career. I thoroughly enjoyed it and believe that even a non Hüsker Dü fan would be taken in by the story of alternative rock's forgotten man.

Work is a drag! It's some weeks since I made the trip to London, the Raindance Festival and the premiere of this film. A pilgrimage really – not to pay homage, more to pay respect to the songwriter, singer, sometimes maligned drummer for Hüsker Dü and star of this show, Grant Hart.The film would have worked for me, pretty much regardless. Personal history, band biography, plenty of concert footage and archive interviews (slight overuse of the 'Makes No Sense' recording, but that's fine and great if you're not familiar with it). For a fan, what's not to like? But it's much more than that. The basic construct of 'just Grant' works (as director Gorman Bechard thought it would) because Grant Hart is interesting, clearly creative and, if I'm honest, a little sad. There are many nice moments: a look at him doing his collage art (and stalking around the second-hand shop to pick up the old magazines he tears up to make them), a bit of insight into the creation of Hüsker's album covers (enough for the film, but would have loved more), Grant talking drum kits and drumming. Funny stuff too: about the collage art Grant's asked 'what would you call that?' – '150 bucks' (I think that was his price); the Husker Du impresses Black Flag story told in a Tarantino-esque animated sequence where the spurting blood red of Kill Bill's manga sequence (or may be the green tide of Great Rock'n'Roll Swindle vomit?) is replaced by the splatter of blue paint arse prints; the 'pumpkin band'! Grant also brings the necessary pathos to raise the film above the average – a bit like 'The Story of Anvil' but, like their respective musical output, less obvious. So we hear about Bob (of course), the period when he 'invested' in his blood stream, the relationship with his estranged son and the destructive fire at the family home. All have affected him, but it's the tour through his home that isn't there (completely destroyed? too damaged to be filmed?) that is perhaps the most poignant. The motivation for his slightly nutty and initially bewildering narrative is anybody's guess (this was apparently Grant's idea; was it a metaphor for his life, career?), but it's cleverly employed by the film maker, returning to it from time to time to provide a thread that holds the film together.When Gorman Bechard's Kickstarter fund for a film about Grant Hart was launched, a contribution was a personal opportunity to pay back for everything Grant has given - because as many people know, he deserves more recognition. Gorman's ambition here was brave and his film should do this for Grant because he has delivered something special, and so has Grant - in spades.And the talk of hours of unused footage means that this package can deliver even more. Something to look forward to I hope.

This movie gives an amazing insight into the life and mind of ex Husker Du drummer/singer Grant Hart. Hart is in pretty much every frame of the movie but is never dull or boring. He's a fascinating complex character and his music used shows what an underrated and talented songwriter he is. Filling a movie with one subject like this could be problematic at times but the director gives us the feel of actually sitting with Grant, you feel a connection with him and at times his honesty really knocks you back. I would recommend this movie to anyone with a love of great rock music or an interest into the workings of a true artist.

If you're looking for your standard paint by numbers documentary format for just another average dull musician, then this movie is NOT for you!If instead you're interested in a vivid self portrait of one of music's most original and non-compromising artists of the last 30 years, whose pioneering band (Hüsker Dü) laid the foundation of a lot of modern music without much financial award, then I'd heartily recommend you catch up on the life and times of Grant Hart.The movie is told entirely by Grant, in his own very honest words, but is neither an ego trip nor a score settling exercise. We hear and see Grant today, as well as through a variety of flashback interviews, photographs and concert footage. Where the documentary breaks from convention is in not always conforming to the normal chronological structure when telling its story. By jumping around in time it keeps the viewer engaged on themes, rather than by the over used "album by album" approach. This is after all Grant's story, and not a Hüsker Dü documentary.The timing of the movie couldn't be better – Grant has just released a magnificent double album in 2013 to strong critical reviews. After many years, seemingly in the wilderness, this movie gives Grant a new day rising day in the sun, and hopefully more people will seek out his music because of it.