Filmmaker Alex Ross Perry blends fact with fiction in his playful, and somewhat chaotic, homage to 90s American indie rock band Pavement. (Pavement founding member and guitarist Scott Kannberg at the Adelaide Film Festival screening of Pavements. Image: Sophia Lattas)
By Sophia Lattas | @sophiatlattas
Biopic meets documentary in Alex Ross Perry’s clever and witty film that chronicles 90s American indie rock bank Pavement as they prepare for a long-awaited reunion tour.
Pavement was born out of Stockton, California in 1989 and, for the majority of its life, consisted of lead singer and guitarist Stephen Malkmus, guitarist and vocalist Scott Kannberg, bassist Mark Ibold, drummer Steve West, and percussionist Bob Nastanovich.
What started as a recording project evolved into five full-length albums, ten EPs and a decades-long career.
Best described as a playful, and somewhat chaotic, homage to the American indie rock band, the film Pavements documents the bandmates — and touring musician Rebecca Cole — as they geared up for a busy 2022.
It provides an intimate, behind the scenes look into preparations for the reunion tour, the Pavement musical Slanted! Enchanted! and Pavements 1933–2022, the global museum exhibition dedicated in their honour.
As the film is a fusion of biography and documentary, chopping and changing between the two, it includes a mock big–budget Hollywood biopic. Stranger Things’ Joe Keery and other actors are shown preparing for their roles as bandmates.
At times, Perry’s two–hour montage of mix–matched events is choppy and difficult to follow, with satirical, mocking undertones.
At the film’s opening, Pavement band members — and perhaps viewers — initially ponder whether this non-traditional documentary is career suicide; however, it quickly becomes apparent that Perry’s film fully encompasses who Pavement are.
The film melds archival backstage clips, concert footage and modern recordings with scripted moments that characteristically align with the biopic genre. Documentary-style commentary by the band and those around them effectively captures the band’s essence: a mellow kind of swagger.
Pavement were best known for their relaxed style, otherwise known as “slacker rock”, and placed little emphasis on playing “correctly”, and this is emphasised in the film.
Throughout Pavements, the band is seemingly the butt of the joke; however, Perry means well.
Pavement’s third album Wowee Zowee received mixed reviews and confused listeners when it was released in 1995, but the mini biopic claims their “worst album” would reach people who want to listen to what they had to say.
The band members are painted as unserious, with a deep aversion to the “sellout” culture prevalent in the 90s where authenticity was often compromised in favour of money and power.
However, these depictions are somewhat lost on audience members who aren’t familiar with the band’s history.
Instead of going in blind, do yourself a favour and brush up on your Pavement lore to avoid being in what felt like a two–hour inside joke that you are not in on.
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