Anvil! The Story of Anvil

I’m still waiting for the other shoe to drop. Whilst Anvil! The Story of Anvil appears to be a testament to friendship, to devotion to an ideal, to hope in the face of adversity, it still feels like a joke. Why? Because it’s a real life version of This Is Spinal Tap in which one of the main characters is named Robb Reiner! I mean, come on. Rob Reiner directed This Is Spinal Tap. How obvious an in-joke is that? But surely it's too obvious. They even use a guitar amp that goes up to 11. But then Marshall did make an amp that goes to 11 in homage to maxed-out headbanging, so it could be legitimate. It all feels suspiciously like a setup, but apparently it’s not.

The film first came out last year, and now Anvil are playing gigs all across the world and are finally starting to taste the success that apparently eluded them all these years. Everything is saying this is the real deal and it’s so weird it could be true, but I’m still waiting for the sucker-punchline.

So with that out of the way, how good is the film? It’s very good, because Steve “Lips” Kudlow and Robb Reiner are two very interesting guys who’ve grown old together living a young man’s dream to become a rock star. Steve works menial jobs, saving money to pay for the next album, planning the next tour, and Robb, whilst more of a quiet presence, clearly shares the enthusiasm although he seems a lot more realistic about their prospects. The story of the band is kinda inspiring, kinda sad. On the one hand, to never let go of a dream and fight for it day in and day out requires an optimism and mental toughness that should be celebrated. On the other hand, it approaches a level of delusion that’s somewhat disturbing. They find a manager and book themselves on a tour of Europe. But while Steve seems to think this is their big break, the reality is that they’re playing in basement bars to three people. It’s hardly the rock star life, and there comes a point when you have to seriously question the mental stability of Steve. After all, they’re an almost unknown band, what did he expect? The whole tour is a depressing exercise in futility, leading to the now almost clichéd band fight/temporary breakup. Of course, they patch things up, record a new album and manage to play a bigger gig, but it does feel ephemeral. Then again, perhaps that’s the fickle nature of fame.

Spiced with interviews by more famous metal rockers, you also get an insight into the selfish nature of the music industry. When Lars from Metallica sings Anvil’s praises, you have to wonder why it’s taken a documentary by a fan to get them the recognition they’ve fought for all these years. If Eminem could get D12 a record deal, why does this band that so many luminaries of the industry cite as a cornerstone influence struggle in obscurity? It’s an ugly thing to think about, that so many musicians could cite them as an influence, but fail to pay their dues by helping out a band that helped them move their own sound forward.

Unable to avoid (or exploiting) the life-imitates-art comparison, Anvil! The Story of Anvil is peppered with reminders of This Is Spinal Tap. How many of these are deliberate and how many are the coincidental result of that 1984 mockumentary nailing its targets is something that will probably only get answered when there’s a director’s commentary.  As it is, Anvil! Is a funny, sometimes depressing, and somewhat touching ride through the lives of two ageing rockers who have never given up on a dream.

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