Out of the Loop Movie Review

Perhaps you have to be a dedicated follower of Chicago's independent rock scene to make head or tails out of Out of the Loop. From my perch in San Francisco's Laurel Heights, I saw and heard the following: (1) Musicians in Chicago don't think much of rock critic Bill Wyman. (2) A female rock singer thinks that the business practices of indie labels can be just as “evil” as those of the major labels. (3) A Chicago band on the road was housed in a student dormitory at an unnamed Jesuit university in Northern California and when a female student walked in on a male singer in the shower, they both screamed. (4) Chicago musicians don't necessarily hang out together just for fun. (5) A feminist critic blistered a female vocalist for applying lipstick onstage. (6) Indie label producers are usually “fans,” while major labels are mainly business people. There's a lot of kvetching on this tape, actually, and not enough context to suit yours truly. Participants in the documentary include Steve Albini (producer of Big Black, Rapeman, and Shellac), Die Warzau, the Jesus Lizard, Seam, Sister Machine Gun, and Veruca Salt. If you like the bands, you might appreciate Scott Peterson's documentary a bit more than this Laurel Heights martian did! Played at San Francisco's Indie Fest in 1999.

1997 86m/C D: Scott Peterson.