Robert Pollard's Rock Show - The Devil Went Home and Puked (DVD review)

So over the weekend, I watched the new Robert Pollard/GBV retrospective DVD "The Devil Went Home and Puked" and wrote down everything I saw. It's perhaps the ideal way to 'review' such a scrappily-thrown together DVD. There are a lot of fun things in this video, but when you pull back the curtain, there are a few slippery bits. The video is really edited together like GBV's early mix 'n montage LPs that worked so well in audio, but I'm not convinced it's the best format to present a bit of GBV and Pollard's history.

First things first - thanks to MVD Visual for providing the review copy (I'm supposed to say that now, right?).

Second: the description that accompanied the trailer reads: "Straight from the personal archives of Robert Pollard, The Devil Went Home and Puked is a video collage made up of live footage from nearly every era of GBV and Robert Pollard tours (94- present)and early GBV studio footage. This DVD also contains 9 hard to find full length videos from GBV and Pollard projects, including Circle Saw Boys Club, Winston's Atomic Bird, I-Razors, Get Me Extra and more." True on the somewhat rare live footage, not so true on the 'hard to find' extra Pollard projects, all which I found YouTube links for (more on that below). Unless having to search on YouTube means 'hard to find"? Dunno.

Third: The ending credits read "Thanks to all the fans who taped things over the years and sent them to us, telling is we could use them if we wanted...cause we just did." And that's really the heart of the DVD - The Devil Went Home and Puked is really a artsy home movie, with GBV and Pollard fan and friend footage from over the years, focusing mostly on (former GBV bassist) Greg Demos and his pants. No, really. :-)

The credits show "Conceived by Robert Pollard. Produced by Rich Turiel." GBV fans in the know understand how important Rich T. has been to Pollard's operation. I met Rich T. in 1996 when I got invited to Dayton for a meet and greet with Robert Pollard, his brother Jimmy and others at the Walnut Hills bar in Dayton. Rich has been a great guy to know during those years (and following, but to a lesser extent). But for better or worse, The Devil Went Home and Puked is Rich T's 2009 video-compilation project. He even includes some of his own post-college (college?) days sports broadcasting video clips, which make no sense to the casual GBV fan, but is a fun and funny glimpse into Rich's own background.

Overall, I liked it - it's got classic lineup GBV video, backstage shenanigans, vintage clips of the Dayton scene, Demos and his pants(!), but we get no real personal glimpses of the band and its members over the years. It's a bit of a bang-bang, hurly-burly, asphyxiated circle, mix up the satellites kinda production. Which may work for casual fans and viewers. Or not. Or maybe it's just for the fanboys from way back. Or it just may be... "And I am getting old, aren't I?"



So this may get long, but here's the entire DVD in tweet-text form for you. Some of the segments are a minute or two long, others are 20 secs. or less.

* DVD opens with the trailer ( I ask: what's the point of that?)

* Shots of Striped White Demos from a July 9, 1994 gig rockin’ to Shocker in Gloomtown, then Tractor Rape Chain over the opening credits

* Now a guy in a Cincinatti Reds cap (Geo?) on the former Pollard Dayton home's B-ball court, followed by Circus Devils Bogus Reactions video.

* Next, footage of longtime GBV road manager and Pollard confidant Rich Turiel doing some sportscasting during his Boston U days, then some TV and club clips of GBV rockin’

* Very exciting footage with the ‘classic’ lineup doing ‘Echos Myron’

* Soundcheck footage from Hara Arena, Dayton doing ‘Pimple Zoo’

* Then a ‘testimonial’ from a former student of Teacher Pollard! Classic!

* RARE footage from the "Same Place the Fly Got Smashed" recording sessions with Robert Pollard recording vocals for ‘A Hard Way’ (and later ‘Mammoth Cave’ and ‘Murder Charge’ - very cool to see)

* Some Jon Stewart TV show '95 Motor Away footage

* Some footage from Haverford College show in 1997 (the stage is in front of windows with bright light silhouetting the band - the sudio is good, the video blows - I have this show on VHS in my collection somewhere).

* Then, awesome Demos in his white shirt and striped rock pants

* Then DEVO-esque clip – Circus Deviles? Svelet – Slusarenko

* then Motor Away in an office – Jason Narducy and a few other Ascended Masters miming to Motor Away in an office lobby in NYC(?)

* One of the 2004 GBV farewell shows – 19 Something and Five (Strawberry Philadelphia Drive) with Bob and Tobin hugging and singing

* More Circus Devils weirdness Eye Razors video clip with masked guys

* Footage from Heedfest 2 – Bob’s Dayton Party with Bob and whiffle bat – different angles of "A Salty Salute" than the clip on YouTube

* Lethargy Live - Chris Slusarenko pretty drunk jumping on Nate Farley knocking him down, a bit of a tussle, then a hug, then they finish the song – Great footage.

* Chicago’s Abbey club – Ascended Masters – Psycho and the Birds Father is Good song – other songs from the 2006 show are on YouTube

* Then a girl water video clip – classic old GBV song – cool

* Back to 7/9/94 Demos legs rockin out

* Then Circus Devils ‘Get Me Extra’

* Few more live clips – a little dig(?) at Kevin March’s height and clips of a longhair Tim Tobias(?), who allegedly fell out of favor with Pollard in the early 00s
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Then it shoots into final year footage 2004

* Sons of Apollo live (From Half Smiles) – great version

* Jill Hives RARE video (Pollard’s son(?) dressed as a carrot singing) Never saw this before. And indeed a great song.

* Short clip of ex-GBV drummer Kevin Fennel from 2004(?) reminiscing about the old days of basement rocking

* Then Circus Devils War Horsies

* I ask - No Jim Greer footage? No Matt Sweeney footage?

* Then, Winston’s Atomic Bird video winner – Mike Jueneman

Then Robert Pollard video of his art collages set to music 'Shadow Port' from Standard Gargoyle Decisions

* Live ‘Pantherz’ before classic lineup - is that Peyton Eric on guitar? Awesome song, still.

* Demos and Pollard – starts 'Game of Pricks', then cuts abruptly to 'Cut Out Witch'

There are two extras on the DVD - a quirky (weird?) film by Josh Chambers, which uses a strange arrangement of ‘Gold Star for Robot Boy” as basis for film – (10 minutes of arty gaga, I thought). Then the full ‘Loving Memories' film, which was shown onstage prior to GBV farewell tour show in 2004 - That one is also found on YouTube.

Last niggling point - who's titling these GBV releases? A few years ago, there was "The Who Went Home and Cried". Now we have the similarly titled "The Devil Went Home and Puked"? What's with the Going home? Is there a template that has to be followed?

So it's cool to have all this Pollard/GBV history in one DVD, but for the casual fan, it may be too abstract for multiple viewings. Plus, the video lacks a scene selection so it's hard to cue up to a favorite part. But the legacy lives on. Long live GBV - Buy the DVD as a Christmas present for your GBV fanboy.