| Athens, GA: Inside/Out | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Tony Gayton |
| Written by | Tony Gayton |
| Produced by | Bill Cody |
| Cinematography | James Herbert |
| Edited by | Adam Wolfe |
| Distributed by | ASA Communications |
Release date | November 1986 |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Athens, GA: Inside/Out is a 1986 documentary film about the mid-1980s music scene in Athens, Georgia. [1] [2] The film has been described as "the definitive portrait of the city's world-renowned music scene." [3]
Athens, GA: Inside/Out was the creation of Tony Gayton, a first-time director who recently graduated from the University of Southern California. [2] He was director, writer, and shot the documentary on the film. [1] [3] The film was produced by Bill Cody. [4]
The film features interviews and concert footage of bands who were a part of the Athens music scene at the time, including R.E.M., Pylon, and The B-52s. [2] Other featured bands are the Bar–B–Q Killers, Dreams So Real, Flat Duo Jets, Kilkenny Cats, Limbo District, Love Tractor, The Squalls, and Time Toy. [1] [5] [6]
The documentary also features interviews with folk artists Howard Finster and Rev. John D. Ruth, whose wife plays the pump organ. [2] [1] [7] Athens poet John Seawright reads his work "I Broke My Saw" in the film. Storyteller by ORT (William Orten Carlton) is featured as the film's narrator. [8] [9] [6] [10] Another local personality in the film is Walter Rittenberg, owner of Walter's BBQ. [7] [11]
University of Georgia art professor James Herbert, the film's cinematographer, says he selected the film's locations with director Gayton. [10] Herbert says "I pushed for the most interesting visually. Some were appropriate as factual locations the bands played in." [10]
R.E.M. was filmed performing "Swan Song H" and Boudleaux Bryant's "All I Have to Do Is Dream" (mis-titled "Dream (All I Have to Do)" by R.E.M.) at the Seney–Stovall Chapel in Athens. [5] [8] [12] R.E.M. were also filmed performing in the Morton Building at 195 West Washington Street in Athens. [13] The Bar–B–Q Killers, Kilkenny Cats, and Time Toy were filmed performing at the Uptown Lounge on February 4, 1986. [11] Flat Duo Jets were filmed playing on the porch on a fraternity house at the University of Georgia. [14]
Mike Mills of R.E.M. and Mark Cline of Love Tractor were interviewed at Lay Park in Athens. [10] The Bar–B–Q Killers and Walter Rittenberg were interviewed at Walter's BBQ on 1660 West Broad Street in Athens. [10] [15] ORT was filmed at his former house at 274 Trilby Street in Athens. [10]
Athens, GA: Inside/Out premiered at Buckhead Cinema and Drafthouse in Atlanta on November 30, 1986. [11] This was an invitation-only showing for the participants in the film. [11] MTV's The Cutting Edge showed the documentary the same night. It had a limited theatrical run in 1987, mostly playing in major cities. [11]
The New York Times called Athens, GA: Inside/Out a "bright, scrappy new documentary" that had "a refreshingly homemade feeling; it's as likably odd and unpretentious as Athens itself." [1] The Washington Post wrote "Gayton's film reflects the energy and the self-made spirit of Athens," and also noted that, "Interviews and performances are skillfully interwoven." [7]
Athens, GA: Inside/Out was named pick of the week video by People magazine in 1988.[ citation needed ] It was named one of the Top Ten Films about Georgia by the New Georgia Encyclopedia . [2]
Rolling Stone wrote "Athens, GA: Inside/Out…helped bring the town’s music scene to national attention." [14] James Herbert, the film's cinematographer, went on to direct 14 music videos for R.E.M., as well as videos for other Athens bands, including The B-52s. [10] [6]
The film was featured on the first six episodes of MTV's 120 Minutes , which held a contest "Win a Weekend in Athens, GA." [11]
Athens, GA. Inside/Out: Original Soundtrack was released by I.R.S. Records on vinyl and cassette. [5] A single from the soundtrack—The Squalls' "Na Na Na Na" and Flat Duo Jets' "Crazy, Hazy Kisses"—reached number two on the college radio charts. [11] The soundtrack was re-released in 2012. [12] A 21st-century critic noted "The soundtrack to Athens, GA: Inside/Out is a testament to how much of an impact bands from a certain era can have on a particular scene." [12]
On June 18, 2008, AthFest kicked off with a showing of Athens, GA: Inside/Out at Ciné, followed by a panel discussion and question and answer session with ORT, Vanessa Briscoe-Hay and Michael Lachowski of Pylon, Bob Hay of The Squalls, and other cast members. [16] Dexter Romweber of Flat Duo Jets performed a solo set following the session. [16]
In November 2021, the sequel Athens, GA Inside/Out 2: Red Turns Blue, produced by Bill Cody and Tony Brazier was released to streaming. [4] [3]
Athens is a consolidated city-county and college town in the U.S. state of Georgia. Athens lies about 70 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta, and is a satellite city of the capital. The University of Georgia, the state's flagship public university and an R1 research institution, is in Athens and contributed to its initial growth. In 1991, after a vote the preceding year, the original City of Athens abandoned its charter to form a unified government with Clarke County, referred to jointly as Athens–Clarke County where it is the county seat.
William Thomas Berry is an American musician who was the drummer for the alternative rock band R.E.M. Although best known for his economical drumming style, Berry also played other instruments, including guitar, bass guitar and piano, both for songwriting and on R.E.M. albums. In 1995, Berry suffered a cerebral aneurysm onstage and collapsed. After a successful recovery he left the music industry two years later to become a farmer, and has since maintained a low profile, making sporadic reunions with R.E.M. and appearing on other artists' recordings. His departure made him the only member of the band to not remain with them during their entire run. Berry eventually returned to the industry in 2022.
Michael Edward Mills is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, and composer who was a founding member of the alternative rock band R.E.M. Though known primarily as the bass guitarist and backing vocalist of R.E.M., his musical repertoire also includes keyboards and occasional lead vocals. He contributed to a majority of the band's musical compositions and is the only member to have had formal musical training.
Pylon was an American new wave/post-punk band from Athens, Georgia, United States. The band's danceable sound, a blend of new wave, post-punk, jangle pop, alternative rock and funk rock, influenced the Athens music scene and the 1980s American pop underground. AllMusic wrote that Pylon's "role as elder statesmen of the alternative rock explosion is unassailable".
The music of Athens, Georgia includes a wide variety of popular music and was an important part of the early evolution of alternative rock and new wave. The city is well known as the home of chart-topping bands like R.E.M., Widespread Panic, The B-52's, the Indigo Girls, and several long-time indie rock groups. Athens hosts the Athens Symphony Orchestra and other music institutions, as well as prominent local music media, such as the college radio station WUOG. Much of the modern Athens music scene relies on students from the large University of Georgia campus in the city. The University sponsors Western classical performances and groups specializing in other styles.
The Side Effects were an indie rock band, part of the music scene of Athens, Georgia. The Side Effects debuted in 1980, alongside other local performers like R.E.M.
Georgia Theatre is a live music venue and event space in Athens, Georgia. National and local acts across all genres have performed at the Theatre, including rock, folk, country, indie, alternative, hip hop and electronic. The venue is on the Athens Music History Walking Tour sponsored by the Athens Convention and Visitors Bureau. Georgia Theatre opened as a music venue in 1978, but spent a few years in the early 1980s operating sporadically as a movie house. It was reopened as a music venue in 1989 and has since hosted many of the major touring acts that come through the state.
Dreams So Real was an American alternative rock band from Athens, Georgia, who gained national exposure in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They recorded three albums, including two releases on Arista Records.
Flat Duo Jets was an American rock band from Carrboro, North Carolina, and Athens, Georgia. This rockabilly, punk blues, and psychobilly band was a major influence on several bands of the 1990s and 2000s, including The White Stripes. The band's front man Dexter Romweber is considered by many to be the "godfather" of the guitar and drums and 'power duo' revival.
When the Light Is Mine: The Best of the I.R.S. Years 1982–1987 is a DVD featuring videos by the rock band R.E.M. during its tenure with I.R.S. Records from 1982 to 1987. It was released in the United States on September 12, 2006, to coincide with the release of And I Feel Fine: The Best of the I.R.S. Years 1982-1987, a compilation album featuring selections from the band's I.R.S. back catalogue.
John Michael Dexter "Dex" Romweber is an American rockabilly/roots rock musician from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Dex is best known as one-half of the seminal two-piece Flat Duo Jets. He fronted the Dex Romweber Duo with his older sister Sara Romweber.
Community Trolls was the group name of a short-lived musical duo between Michael Stipe of R.E.M. and Matthew Sweet. In 1983, they collaborated as part of the Athens, Georgia, music scene, writing and recording three songs together. One of the compositions, "Tainted Obligation", was nearly released on a compilation album in 1986, and later appeared on bootlegs; it was released officially in 2002. Another Community Trolls' song, "Six Stock Answers", appeared in an unreleased indie film featuring Stipe, Sweet and some of their friends.
Vanessa Briscoe Hay is an American singer for the Athens, Georgia bands Pylon, Supercluster and Pylon Reenactment Society.
Snatches of Pink was a rock band based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. They also recorded under the name Clarissa. MTV called them "a raunchy rock 'n' roll band and the real thing. Cool as hell. Loud as hell," as well as "the most exciting unknown band in America."
Tony Gayton is an American movie producer and screenwriter.
Bob Hay born Robert Donald Hay, Jr. on January 28, 1950, is an American songwriter and the multi-instrumentalist and vocalist for Athens, Georgia projects the Squalls, Bob Hay & the Jolly Beggars, Noogeez, A. Che Why and Supercluster.
The Jody Grind was an American band from the Cabbagetown neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia, United States.
Athens Tango Project is an Argentine tango music band founded in 2012 in the city of Athens, Georgia by Laura Camacho, a Double bass musician from Buenos Aires, featuring Monique Osorio on vocals, John Phillips on drums, John Cooper on violin, and Matt M Vu, David Marcus, on piano. The extended lineup includes Keiko Ishibashi, Franziska Brunner, Teresa Grynia, Curran Pendergrast, Bill Oglesby, Daniel Allen, James Perkins, Jaime Antonio Cardenas Espana, Serena Scibelli, Fernando Deddos, and Ricardo Hurtado.
Athens, GA: Over/Under is a 2020 film about the DIY scene of the town of Athens, Georgia in the United States, and a portrait of several bands in the town. It also describes how the town itself changed from a small college town into a larger city bought out by multiple vendors and chain stores as rents rose and attitudes changed, and features concerts and footage from 2010 to 2019. It was originally started as a project for WUOG It is a semi-update of the 1980s film Athens, GA: Inside/Out and features interviews and performances by Reptar, New Madrid, Nana Grizol, John Fernandes of Elephant 6 Collective, David Barbe, Gordon Lamb of Flagpole Magazine, Nate Mitchell of Wuxtry Records, Muuy Biien and many more. It serves as a counterpoint to the idealism of Athens, GA: Inside/Out and shows the progress of the town from the view point of director Thomas Bauer and The Rodney Kings, showing the rise of bands like Reptar and New Madrid in the 2010 scene to later disintegration of bands, and ends with the closing of Go Bar on New Year's 2019. Andrew N. Shearer of Gonzoriffic cited it as a great follow up to the film in his podcast , and Flagpole similarly noted it as being of significance saying " It provides a pretty realistic impression of a particular time and place, without attempting to glamorize or mythologize itself.". In August 2020 it was included in Athens-Clarke County Library's archive of works of importance.
Go Go Harlem Baby is an album by the American punkabilly band Flat Duo Jets. It was released via Sky in 1991.