This week I wanted to share an obscure movie from 1996, one of my personal favorites and one that has been out of print since the VHS days. Yes, this one doesn't even have an old DVD release. And that is a shame, because it's a good time.
Bandwagon is a movie about a band, inspired by director John Schultz's time in a band of his own, back in the Midwest in the early 1980s. This story follows a young band from the same time period who become a unit, learn how to work together, and find their sound as the tour across the US. Just like the band portrayed in the movie, Circus Monkey, the film is an underground favorite, despite the premise that has been done millions of times. It still manages to stand out.
Like SLC Punk, this came from that brief period where Gen X kids were allowed to make movies based on their youth, thereby capturing a sound and time period that is in the process of being erased by modern revisionism as we speak. Unlike SLC Punk, this movie a positive reflection on a time and period that still existed at the time the movie was made, a time that no longer exists today. Something like Bandwagon could never be made now, which actually adds to the film's charm and mystique around the power of music.
Aside from the typical salty language you would expect from young adults in the 1980s (some of which would never be allowed in a movie now), it is a rather lighthearted watch, uplifting in a strange way. You won't be taken by surprised by the events of the film, but the likeable characters, surprisingly well crafted songs, and the atmosphere, will carry you along to the end. The end, by the way, which reaffirms the power of art and the spirit that creates.
Normally, I would link to an official release of this movie, but it's been buried. You can't even watch it on a streaming site, for whatever reason. Nonetheless, it is worth setting some time aside to watch, especially if you like music or wish to see what the world looked like before Cultural Ground Zero swallowed everything.
There is nothing else quite like it!
You can watch Bandwagon on YouTube here:
That's a great movie (especially at the price)- it even includes the sleezy record label types who are looking for "moldable" musicians to put in clown suits. I liked it better than SLC punk
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