SIDETRACK FILMS

Walking through Cobain's world

TORONTO - A.J. Schnack shrugged off the rockumentary approach, the Behind The Music approach, and the fawning weren't-they-just-awesome? approach. He wanted a music flick you haven't seen, and he made one.

What he had was a box of audiotapes of journalist Michael Azerrad interviewing the late Kurt Cobain. He wanted to make a documentary about the rock legend, but he wouldn't include the standard trappings: talking heads, concert footage, and testimonials from famous fans. He didn't even want to include the music of Nirvana - indeed, the name of Cobain's band would come up precisely once. – read more

From Toledo Blade – Posted on September 20 2006

KURT COBAIN ABOUT A SON

TORONTO '06: From Lennon to Cobain, Music Docs Rock Toronto

This year's Toronto International Film Festival features several standout music documentaries covering vastly different themes - from Barbara Kopple and Cecilia Peck's "Dixie Chicks - Shut Up and Sing" to Jerome Laperrousaz's "Made in Jamaica." Among the most buzzed about music docs were AJ Schnack's "Kurt Cobain About a Son," Paul Rachman's "American Hardcore," and David Leaf and John Scheinfeld's "The U.S. vs. John Lennon" - three very different documentaries that explore music against a backdrop of American angst.

In "Kurt Cobain About a Son," Director AJ Schnack takes a fresh approach to non-fiction storytelling, turning the idea of the traditional music doc on its head. "I guess it's most unconventional by the fact that we don't use any archival video or Nirvana music," Schnack told indieWIRE. "Although there is music from bands that influence him, like Queen and The Melvins, David Bowie and R.E.M. and Iggy Pop, [there are] barely any photos of Kurt." Instead, Schnack relies on his exclusive access to a box of audio interview tapes from author Michael Azerrad, which were originally used for Azerrad's book Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana. – read more

From indieWIRE – Posted on September 14 2006

KURT COBAIN ABOUT A SON

TIFF 2006.5: About a Festival

The 2006 Toronto International Film Festival will continue to roll through the weekend, but I've returned home. At the airport with Jarod and I Tuesday afternoon, were other Texas-bound folks like Magnolia's Bill Banowsky and Summercamp! director Brad Beesley. Sundance head programmer John Cooper was waiting in the cafe... we were all ready to get back home. But, many people are staying behind, and I suggest seeking out their expert coverage.

Speaking of expert coverage, or a lack thereof, readers of the blog may notice that I've scaled back on entries and also photos this year. It all boils down to necessity. I've found that my time at film festivals has gotten crazier and busier as the years go by, leaving less time to blog. Don't worry, I'll still blog my heart out, but this Toronto trip made me realize that the days of festivals past (with dozens of pics, entries, etc.) is over... for now. Also, I broke my digital camera in the U.K., making it much harder to snap random pics. Coincidence? Maybe, maybe not. I'll still get some pics on here, no matter what. Wait till you see what I've got in store for this weekend. – read more

From Matt Dentler's Blog - IndieWIRE – Posted on September 13 2006

KURT COBAIN ABOUT A SON

TIFF my day twoâ�¦

Yesterday was Monday, and while it marked day 5 and the middle of the festival for folks that started their TIFF experience on the first day, I wanted to start my first full day off early. So with a few hours sleep under my pillow I shot out into the world at 8:30 for the Documentary Breakfast at Doc Corner. Most people were probably feeling the exhaustion that creeps up by day 5 and slept through the breakfast making it an intimate gathering to meet writers and TIFF staff and programmers. I caught up with some other journalists and we all got books signed by photographer Charles Peterson and rock writer and drummer Michael A in honor of AJ Schnack’s Kurt Cobain About a Son. – read more

From documentary insider – Posted on September 12 2006

KURT COBAIN ABOUT A SON

Kurt Cobain: About A Son (9/10)

Tonight we watched the world premiere of Kurt Cobain: About A Son (tiff | imdb | myspace), and it wasn’t at all what I expected. I guess I didn’t read the description that closely, because I expected a straightforward documentary. It was anything but.

The film, directed by A.J. Schnack, consisted of three threads: extensive audio interviews between Kurt Cobain and writer Michael Azerrad, footage filmed in the towns where Kurt spent his life, and music (some original score, some licensed songs…though no Nirvana songs) by Steve Fisk (who produced some of Nirvana’s music) and Ben Gibbard (of Death Cab For Cutie). – read more

From Skirl: (skÃ»rl) n. A shrill wailing sound – Posted on September 10 2006

KURT COBAIN ABOUT A SON

Kurt Cobain Lives in Toronto

Kurt Cobain About a Son (left) is generating a huge amount of anticipation for its TIFF world premiere. Director AJ Schnack draws upon hours of intimate audio-taped conversations that the Nirvana singer had with his biographer Michael Azerrad. The film is divided into three chapters for the three Washington cities where Cobain lived - Aberdeen, Olympia, Seattle. Schnack visualizes the conversations with gorgeous 35 mm photography of the landscapes and faces of that region. It's unlike any other rock 'n' roll movie ever made. Schnack, Azerrad, and photographer Charles Peterson (who took some of the most iconic pictures of Cobain, including the one seen here) will all be coming to Toronto. MTV.com has a long article about the film. – read more

From DOC Blog - TIFF – Posted on August 24 2006

				KURT COBAIN ABOUT A SON Walking through Cobain's world TORONTO - A.J. Schnack shrugged off the rockumentary approach, the Behind The Music approach, and the fawning weren't-they-just-awesome? approach. He wanted a music flick you haven't seen, and he made one. What he had was a box of audiotapes of journalist Michael Azerrad interviewing the late Kurt Cobain. He wanted to make a documentary about the rock legend, but he wouldn't include the standard trappings: talking heads, concert footage, and testimonials from famous fans. He didn't even want to include the music of Nirvana - indeed, the name of Cobain's band would come up precisely once. – read more From Toledo Blade – Posted on September 20 2006

				KURT COBAIN ABOUT A SON TORONTO '06: From Lennon to Cobain, Music Docs Rock Toronto This year's Toronto International Film Festival features several standout music documentaries covering vastly different themes - from Barbara Kopple and Cecilia Peck's "Dixie Chicks - Shut Up and Sing" to Jerome Laperrousaz's "Made in Jamaica." Among the most buzzed about music docs were AJ Schnack's "Kurt Cobain About a Son," Paul Rachman's "American Hardcore," and David Leaf and John Scheinfeld's "The U.S. vs. John Lennon" - three very different documentaries that explore music against a backdrop of American angst. In "Kurt Cobain About a Son," Director AJ Schnack takes a fresh approach to non-fiction storytelling, turning the idea of the traditional music doc on its head. "I guess it's most unconventional by the fact that we don't use any archival video or Nirvana music," Schnack told indieWIRE. "Although there is music from bands that influence him, like Queen and The Melvins, David Bowie and R.E.M. and Iggy Pop, [there are] barely any photos of Kurt." Instead, Schnack relies on his exclusive access to a box of audio interview tapes from author Michael Azerrad, which were originally used for Azerrad's book Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana. – read more From indieWIRE – Posted on September 14 2006

				KURT COBAIN ABOUT A SON TIFF 2006.5: About a Festival The 2006 Toronto International Film Festival will continue to roll through the weekend, but I've returned home. At the airport with Jarod and I Tuesday afternoon, were other Texas-bound folks like Magnolia's Bill Banowsky and Summercamp! director Brad Beesley. Sundance head programmer John Cooper was waiting in the cafe... we were all ready to get back home. But, many people are staying behind, and I suggest seeking out their expert coverage. Speaking of expert coverage, or a lack thereof, readers of the blog may notice that I've scaled back on entries and also photos this year. It all boils down to necessity. I've found that my time at film festivals has gotten crazier and busier as the years go by, leaving less time to blog. Don't worry, I'll still blog my heart out, but this Toronto trip made me realize that the days of festivals past (with dozens of pics, entries, etc.) is over... for now. Also, I broke my digital camera in the U.K., making it much harder to snap random pics. Coincidence? Maybe, maybe not. I'll still get some pics on here, no matter what. Wait till you see what I've got in store for this weekend. – read more From Matt Dentler's Blog - IndieWIRE – Posted on September 13 2006

				KURT COBAIN ABOUT A SON TIFF my day twoâ�¦ Yesterday was Monday, and while it marked day 5 and the middle of the festival for folks that started their TIFF experience on the first day, I wanted to start my first full day off early. So with a few hours sleep under my pillow I shot out into the world at 8:30 for the Documentary Breakfast at Doc Corner. Most people were probably feeling the exhaustion that creeps up by day 5 and slept through the breakfast making it an intimate gathering to meet writers and TIFF staff and programmers. I caught up with some other journalists and we all got books signed by photographer Charles Peterson and rock writer and drummer Michael A in honor of AJ Schnack’s Kurt Cobain About a Son. – read more From documentary insider – Posted on September 12 2006

				KURT COBAIN ABOUT A SON Kurt Cobain: About A Son (9/10) Tonight we watched the world premiere of Kurt Cobain: About A Son (tiff \| imdb \| myspace), and it wasn’t at all what I expected. I guess I didn’t read the description that closely, because I expected a straightforward documentary. It was anything but. The film, directed by A.J. Schnack, consisted of three threads: extensive audio interviews between Kurt Cobain and writer Michael Azerrad, footage filmed in the towns where Kurt spent his life, and music (some original score, some licensed songs…though no Nirvana songs) by Steve Fisk (who produced some of Nirvana’s music) and Ben Gibbard (of Death Cab For Cutie). – read more From Skirl: (skÃ»rl) n. A shrill wailing sound – Posted on September 10 2006

				KURT COBAIN ABOUT A SON Kurt Cobain Lives in Toronto Kurt Cobain About a Son (left) is generating a huge amount of anticipation for its TIFF world premiere. Director AJ Schnack draws upon hours of intimate audio-taped conversations that the Nirvana singer had with his biographer Michael Azerrad. The film is divided into three chapters for the three Washington cities where Cobain lived - Aberdeen, Olympia, Seattle. Schnack visualizes the conversations with gorgeous 35 mm photography of the landscapes and faces of that region. It's unlike any other rock 'n' roll movie ever made. Schnack, Azerrad, and photographer Charles Peterson (who took some of the most iconic pictures of Cobain, including the one seen here) will all be coming to Toronto. MTV.com has a long article about the film. – read more From DOC Blog - TIFF – Posted on August 24 2006