They inspired Metallica, Slayer and Anthrax. Those bands became giants. Anvil’s singer ended up delivering food to schools.
Edgar Wright picked this as one of his 10 favorite music documentaries.
Trailer for “Anvil: The Story of Anvil”
You Can’t Make This Sh!t Up
- Their big comeback tour of Europe ends at the Monsters of Transylvania festival. The arena holds 10,000 people. Just 174 show up.
- Anvil takes five weeks off from their day jobs for that European tour and comes home having made basically no money.
- Lips needs £13,000 to record the band’s next album. He tries telemarketing and sells exactly zero pairs of sunglasses. His sister Rhonda finally loans him the money.
Watch “Anvil: The Story of Anvil”
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Ratings:
- My Rating: 92/100
- IMDB Rating: 7.9/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 90/100 (Users); 98/100 (Critics)
Director’s Note: Sacha Gervasi directed this 80-minute documentary. He wasn’t some filmmaker who discovered Anvil while looking for a story.
Release Date: January 2008 (Sundance Film Festival)
Other Unqiue Stuff
- As a teenager, Sacha Gervasi met the band after a 1982 show at London’s Marquee Club and announced that he was England’s #1 Anvil fan. He became their roadie on tours in 1982, 1984 and 1985. Then he lost touch with them for about 20 years before coming back to make the Doc. It was his directing debut, and the film won audience awards at the Sydney, Los Angeles and Galway film festivals.
- Robb has another serious artistic life outside Anvil: he paints. The doc shows his artwork, much of it focused on solitude.
- “This Is Thirteen” had 19 songs written, with the plan to choose 13 because it was their 13th album.
Wrap Up:
“Anvil: The Story of Anvil” is about two best friends refusing to give up on the promise they made when they were 14—even after life gives them about 1,000 reasons to quit.
Thanks for reading!
Heather Fenty, Guest Writer, Daily Doc