Anvil: The Story of Anvil (2008)

☆ ☆ ☆ ½

Anvil: The Story of Anvil (2008) – S. Gervasi

A couple of times, toward the beginning, I had to check to see whether this was a mockumentary (a la Spinal Tap) or an actual documentary.   It was the latter and although at first I thought the “joke” about dumb heavy metal dudes was too old or dated – it turns out that the deeper truths available in the story of Anvil became palpable and were more important than the failed tour or unmarketable album that this old metal band experienced.  The deeper truth probably resonated more with this 50-year-old because it is about keeping the dream alive after many years, about living with your past success (they played with Bon Jovi and others in Japan in the 1980s) even as your present success pales in comparison.  It is about rejuvenating yourself in your 50s and giving it a go, even if the world has changed and maybe passed you by.  It is about coming to terms with yourself and your context.  Of course, these lessons can be applied to all of us but for those of us who thought about music (if not metal) across these years, there are other insights to be had here from Lips and the Anvil gang.  I think about my friend who gave up his psychology career, post-50, to get his old band back together and put out CDs and tour Europe multiple times.  Surely, he’s enjoying himself a hell of a lot more than being stuck in the bureaucracy of academia.  So, is it worth it to take a risk to follow your dream, even if it is obvious that it won’t pay off in dollars and cents? I’d say yes.