A Dr. Monkey Movie Review

In the mid to late 1980's I worked a succession of spirit deadening soul crushing suck ass dead end jobs.  I had left college in 1985 and I had done nothing with my life.  I was living in Aunt Rageaholic's house because I wasn't making enough money to live on my own and to ease the misery of my dreadful life back then I smoked way too much pot, smoked way too many Marlboro Lights, and I drank way too much crappy beer.  I was basically in a drug and beer induced haze and I missed and ignored a lot of pop culture happenings because I wallowed in my misery and I thought I knew everything.

Then one day in 1988 I finally had had enough I moved to Roanoke, VA, a move I'll write about later one of these days.  I began at that time to open my eyes and ears to new music, movies, and life in general but I was still somewhat cloistered.  I did however discover bands like The Conells, Guadalcanal Diary, Mojo Nixon, and others.  But even though I was learning more about things pop culture wise I still felt like there was something missing, something out there that was more "me."  

I got laid off from my job in Roanoke and I lost my apartment and I moved back to the Tri Cities in late 1991 and after a brief sojourn to hell, or as they call it down there, Cairo (it's pronounced Kay-ro) GA, I basically stayed here until the mid '90's when a company I was working for transferred me to Knoxville, TN.  I lived in Knoxville for about two years and it was there that I met my eviler twin brother Todd who I got to do improv with for many years.  It was in Knoxville that I was in some really great plays, among them One Flew Over The Cukoo's Nest and The Mousetrap, with some really great, funny, and talented people.  

One of those people who I met doing those plays was my friend Allan.  He and I hit it off, I always felt like he was the younger brother I would have had if my mother had had another kid.  Allan and I were roommates for a time, I let him move in with me so he could save some money for his move to California and because I needed help with the rent at the time.  Before he moved away a few months later he gave me some cassette tapes, one of which was this one:

I'll admit to being aware of They Might Be Giants, but I had never heard their music.  I didn't have MTV for a long time and I missed them when they hit their peak on that now awful channel.  I, in my stoned alcohol soaked state, basically ignored them.  In fact, I kind of went out of my way to avoid them.  I judged them unworthy of my time or attention based solely on their album covers.

One day after Allan gave me that tape of their debut album on Bar None Records I popped it in my tape player in my truck.  I was blown away by their sound and by their clever lyrics.  I immediately made up for lost time and I bought a bunch of their CD's.  
After falling in love with their music I felt like they belonged to me.  I felt like they were the band that I had been looking for, the one that pretty much defined who I was.  Then I found out how many other people liked them as well.  It was like being part of something that was bigger than me, like I was part of an army of literate, clever, absurdist people who got the in jokes of the world and the throw away references of hipsters and smart asses.  I felt like finally I was among my people.  And it was also around that time when I quit smoking pot, coincidence or not, you decide.

I was lucky enough to see them live one night at the Bijou Theatre in Knoxville, I think it was their first ever concert in Knoxville as a matter of fact.  We went with our friends Todd and Donna and another couple who shall forever remain nameless.  There was one point early in the show when the Johns and their band had finished a song and I yelled out, "We love you John!"  When I yelled it out for some reason the whole place went silent and my cry of devotion and adoration was heard all around the joint and while I was not embarrassed, Sparky and the rest of my party were.  Todd still makes fun of me today for doing that.

Anyway, that's one hell of a long way to get to this point where I tell you that I finally saw this movie today:
I enjoyed this documentary about the guys because I learned a lot about their history that I didn't know and I learned about others who love them as much as I do.  I'd say this movie is for fans of the band but if you had never heard of them and this movie came on you'd appreciate it and the music as well.  You might not become a convert because of this film but you'd get a good idea about how clever and fun the band is.  

What I took from the movie, and I had suspected this all along, was how down to earth the Johns are.  They seem like genuinely nice guys who I'd like to be friends with and hang out with.  Who knows, maybe their asswipes off stage or when the camera is off them but somehow I doubt it.  

The other thing I took from this film is how other performers and people in the public eye love them.  It's nice to know that people I like and respect like Ira Glass, Sarah Vowell, and Jon Stewart are big fans of TMBG.

I liked this movie and you might too but I can see how you might not if you're not a huge fan of the band.