Review by Stephen Gritzan

"Revenge Of The Mekons" (Directed by Joe Angio)

If you ever feel neglected, forgotten, unloved, and no one seems to hear your song, remember one thing: There's always the Mekons. They are the perennial runners-up in rock and roll's uphill foot race. They've had more near misses, lost chances, ups and downs than Mark E. Smith (their contemporary) has ex-band members. Poor Mekons, nothing ever seems to work out; they've always been "on the verge" of stardom or at least financial solvency. They just soldier on with their unique brand of country-punk reality, a fairly strong cult following in America, and laughable obscurity in the UK. They are irrepressible, these Mekons, having "won" by persisting through different trends and doing exactly what they want, putting out 19 records along the way. Their concerts are like family reunions, in the best possible way. You could always chat with them at the Maxwell's bar and the legend begins there, with a cold drink or two.

"Magic, fear and superstition/This is the curse of the Mekons". from "Curse," (The Curse Of The Mekons, 1991)

Long overdue (ok, IMHO), a Mekons film would have to contain all the expected "rock-u-mentary" ingredients: Legendary punk stories, rampant drinking, sloppy musicianship, sarcasm, on-stage banter, your basic folk-punk cynical insanity. But Joe Angio's documentary on one of rock's great cult stories goes far beyond those simplicities. For "Revenge Of The Mekons" is historically-interesting to anyone cares about the first wave of UK punk rock, even those who might seek a little advice on their own lives. Simply put, the Mekons instruct on screen on how to fight, how to create, how to survive, and yes, please do it with a sense of humor. Of course there's the music, some politics, and ok, a bit of drinking on stage. All in 90+ minutes of bluster and fun and reminiscing. The time flies by quickly.

"We don't fight over millions. We fight over 10 or 15 dollars."
Sally Timms, from "Revenge Of The Mekons"

For the uninitiated, The Mekons story has some serious rock and roll legs. The band has been around in one form or another since 1976, with lead Mekons Jon Langford and Tom Greenhalgh being there since the start. Formed in Leeds at university, the Mekons hung around with (and borrowed instruments from) upcoming bands like the Gang Of Four and The Delta Five. Their simple early harsh punk sound eventually gave way to a rough form of alt-country and they've never looked back. "Revenge Of The Mekons" features great interviews with pertinent characters: Hugo Burnham of the Gang Of Four (along with great GOF live footage), Jonathan Franzen (famous writer, big fan) and several offbeat original (and not current) Mekons. And you learn things: I had no idea that one of Mick Jagger's original band mates (Dick Taylor) was in the Mekons for a bit during the 80s. I also didn't appreciate the importance of multi-instrumentalist Lu Edmonds to the band. Joe Angio has clearly done his homework digging up great witnesses to the Mekon miracle, both current and past. The interviews tell the story and explain their fan's fascination with this long-lasting, ever-evolving band. You also learn how A&M Records fumbled the promotion of perhaps their greatest record, "The Mekons Rock "n" Roll" in 1989. Seeing a pre-historic promotional video for the album and hearing that story is worth the price of a ticket. And it explains why the group would gravitate to smaller inddependent labels to make their future mark.

"If it's too loud, then you're too young." Jon Langford to rowdy crowd, from "Revenge Of The Mekons"

Jon Langford is a complete Mekon trooper, very active on the recordings of others (especially in connection with Bloodshot Records), an accomplished painter, a compelling solo act away from the group. The Welsh-born musician is the clear ringleader, the one who clearly who stirs the Mekons' drink. And Langford is quite singular in his esthetic. Mischevious and seemingly a bit off the rails, he always looks to me like he might explode on stage. Maybe not a real guitar hero, but the Mekons play simple folk songs with a rock edge, and Langford's back country soul is well-suited for this. And he's the court jester, the village fool, the impressario of sorts. The audience never knows what he will introduce next. Every Mekons show is distinct because there appears to be no plan of attack and it's that spontaneity that brings the audience back again. The on-stage banter of Langford and pretty chanteuse Sally Timms keep things balanced, even when things start to teeter. And they often do teeter. The film captures those unpredictable moments on stage as well.

"Shopping is easy and much can be bought/With some money you get from somewhere." from "Slightly South Of The Border" (The Edge Of The World, 1986)

The Revenge Of The Mekons" moves along chronologically, and this works well. After getting the history straight (U2 opened up for them in the late 70s?), you see the band hard at work, writing as a collective. There is your typical "on the road" footage, which is far more family vacation than serious rock star fare. There is also ample time for finding out who these Mekons really are, what they do in their free time, what keeps them going. It becomes quite apparent that they have separate artistic passions other than music. We learn about jobs they have/had, how and where they live, who they are. I think that this is where the film crosses over into mass appeal area; it's interesting how this band continues without major success, without big corporate sponsorship, without making lots of money. The audience finds out how an offbeat, middle-aged band can stay together, remain relevant, and come out swinging. Nothing stops them, even band members living in such varied locations as Chicago, London, Los Angeles and New York. There are positively no excuses in this Mekon journey.

"Revenge Of The Mekons" does follow "rock-doc" cinematic formula, but I didn't find that problematic at all. Content trumps form here. The music and the story inspires. Is it the feel-good movie of 2013? Ha, I can just imagine the response from the band on-stage after reading that quote. Please don't mention that I said anything about "feel good" or "middle- aged band." I might become the butt of jokes in some Chicago bar and how could I ever live with that distinction?