Hair I Go Again is both a feel-good and get nervous documentary movie experience. Tryxx is an ’80s metal band that never quite made it in the Tampa Bay, Florida, metal scene, which was quite busy back in the day. Two guys, Kyle Kruger and Steve McClure, decide to put flesh to the latest mid-life crisis cliche: “We’re putting the band back together.”
DIVERSION #1: Dougie’s Fantasy
I have to take a moment here and talk about my own skyrocket to stardom experience. I made the phone calls to Mitch, John and Phil (aka Bradford, Butch and Bob). “We’re putting the band back together!” We started rehearsing. My wife at the time loved the idea! We began writing new songs. We got booked at the biggest and coolest rad Christian music festival on the planet (Cornerstone) — with a choice 20-minute slot sharing the bill with Sexually Frustrated. This band doesn’t deserve to get mocked* in a parody paragraph, but they kinda got their inspiration from us — “to carry the torch Lust Control left burning.” It’s on the same par* with Kiss getting back together and opening for a Kiss tribute band. There must have been tens of thousands of people at the fest that day and I think all of them were there, packing the Underground Stage tent to beyond capacity. Remember the veil being torn in the temple in 33 A.D.? It’s probably likened to that. I mean, those people surrounding the mic I placed on the ground in front of the stage, singing all the verses and infamous chorus of “The Big M.” It was big, alright. Besides our guitarist flipping off the stage manager when he was asked to end the set, it went off like gangbusters. We were even invited to play the Texas Stage, which was as big as the Lone Star State itself. I can’t even begin to count how many people squeezed into that thing. Then we started a bidding war for our services. Rottweiler, Roxx, Retroactive — all the Christian metal/alternative labels that began with an “R” were making offers. We went with Rottweiler, signed a deal and kept rehearsing like mad to perfect our new tunes. One sold song, “Finger,” which was a gentle reminder to the boys the back seat to behave, was from our previous existence, written with The Crucified and Galactic Cowboys in mind, borrowing riffs from those lesser-known bands to make something bigger than either of them combined. And then we composed another dozen or more new tunes and released Tiny Little Dots in December of 2013. To say it went platinum overnight and afforded us all new houses and cars would be an understatement. I mean, it was received with joy from a record buying public. Plans are underway right now for this gem to be released on vinyl. Holding that 12-inch album in my hand for the first time will be like the culmination of my rock and roll dreams. All I’ve got to say is: “Thanks to all the little people I stepped on to get where I am today.”
Okay, that diversion was full of lies. Like Lucifer himself, though, I sprinkled in a couple factual statements to make the rest believable. I know you believed it all and I love you for it, but it’s not true. Now, out of respect for the filmmakers of Hair I Go Again, I will get back to a serious movie review.
I really enjoyed this film. Yes, it touched on the “getting the band back together” idea, which is shared by many; and that is what gives it most of its charm. While you might cringe or feel bad for these guys trying to achieve the impossible, you will find yourself rooting for them. When you hear that they’ve quit their jobs, cashed in their 401K’s and are risking it all for this supposed break they’re shooting for… you’re likely to get kinda nervous there in your theater seat.
DIVERSION #2: Anvil
A number of years ago at the SXSW Music-Film-Interactive Festival, I saw this movie called, Anvil: The Story of Anvil. This Canadian thrash metal band almost had it going on in the early ’80s. There’s footage of them playing on a huge stage in a stadium and they opened for Scorpions, Whitesnake and Bon Jovi. Like The Decline of Western Civilization, Part 2, it’s a sad story of a band that crashed after nearly taking off. They try to get back that bit of glory and this documentary is an up-close-and-personal look at almost every agonizing step. You hear from wives, family members and fellow metal greats (Lemmy, Lars Ulrich). They tell of dead dreams and also the respect they had way back when. This movie I think made me cringe more than cheer. I guess it’s just how it turned out for them. (You can watch the movie on Netflix. Here is the trailer.) Now, let’s get back to our regularly schedule programming.
Hair I Go Again lifted my spirits a little higher. As far-fetched as their dreams were, maybe they were more reasonable than those of Anvil. Each step of progress brings a little hope, while every setback adds tension.
This documentary follows original Tryxx frontman/vocalist Kyle Kruger and guitarist Steve McClure as they make those initial phone calls. Some of the old band mates say no. Others dip their toe in the water and later back out. The goal is to play a big gig in front of a big, touring rock band in their new hometown of Denver. In the meantime, they decide to write and record some songs. Ron Keel (of Keel) produces a pretty good sounding EP for them. They had to work hard to get their vocal and guitar chops up, but the end result is enjoyable. There’s lots of guest musicians on the album and there’s lots of cameos in this film. Queensryche’s Geoff Tate, members of Lillian Axe, Femme Fatale, Vixen, Great White, Quiet Riot and even Stryper’s Oz Fox share their thoughts.
I thought it was cool to see an old band from Florida called St. Warren on the movie’s soundtrack. I think three of their songs make it into this movie. They were in the pages of Heaven’s Metal a few times back in the day. I must also point out how excellent of a job guitarist Steve McClure did on editing. This thing is well put together.
I won’t spoil the movie for you. You’ll have to watch it and see if they reach their goal of getting back on stage for one more cool gig … or even exceed their goal. Watch the trailer here. Visit their website here, their Facebook page there. Watch my 90-second video review here.
P.S. If you get in the mood (it’s hard not to with this subject matter, especially if you experienced this decade), here‘s another short documentary on the decline of hair metal.
P.S.S. I am friends with GameChurch.com. Check ’em out. Tell ’em I sent ya.
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