"Behind the Music" (1997)TV series 1997-2004

Directors:

William Harper
Paulina Williams

Writers:

Greg Heller (writer)
Aliyah Silverstein (writer)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | unknown

Genre:

Documentary | Biography | Music

Plot:

Musical artists, their careers, their highs, their lows and everything in between are profiled and interviewed.

Plot Keywords:

Rocker | Singer | Band | Rock Band | Musician

Awards:

Nominated for 5 Primetime Emmys. Another 2 wins & 5 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sat. July 12

1:30 AM

VH1

Pantera

Cast

Jim Forbes

...

Narrator / ... (125 episodes, 1997-2006)

Also Known As:

VH1's Behind the Music (USA)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Company:

VH1 Television

Trivia:

An episode about The Temptations was announced for March 1999 but was pulled before the airdate. It is believed that it was pulled either because of the popularity of NBC's The Temptations (1998) (TV) or because of the lawsuit filed against the film's producers by members of the group's family.

Goofs:

Factual errors: In the Metallica episode, it is stated that Reload was released in early 1998, when it was actually released in late 1997.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "The Simpsons: Behind the Laughter (#11.22)" (2000)

Enjoyable but became very predictable

While I really enjoyed this show, I found one thing about it quite amusing; with the exception of Ted Nugent and Jim Croce, they could have filmed one synopsis, or template, with a place-holder that said "Insert artist name here." Seems every famous rock star from the 60s and 70s has almost the same story - they have talent and as a result they get very rich and famous in their early 20s. They begin using drugs, as a result they lose their families then eventually their band breaks up. Fueled by that, they sink further into chemical dependency and almost die. Then they meet a new wife, go through treatment, make up with their old friends, put their band back together and are now struggling desperately to re-capture the fame and prestige they once had. It fits for most artists and I find that quite amusing. An amazing testament to the power the record companies and promoters had in the 1970s. Very enjoyable to watch just the same.