Pistoleros: Death, Drugs and Rock N' Roll (2022) User Reviews

Sad but interesting documentary focusing on lead singer of the Pistoleros Lawrence Zubia

[Strider-100 · 8/10 · 14 November 2022]

The Pistoleros were inducted into the Arizona Music Hall of Fame and were at their peak in the 90's. The story of Lawrence and Mark Zubia is shown in this film. They were only 3 years apart in age. Mark was the shy one who was very skilled on guitar while Lawrence was the outgoing one, lead singer, but he could play guitar also. They had been in a band called the Chimeras with former lead guitarist and songwriter from the Gin Blossoms, Douglas Hopkins. The movie documents the tragic spiral Hopkins fell into with alcohol and drugs trying to cope with a depression problem he had all his life. He finally shot himself in the mouth. It was his 6th suicide attempt in 10 years. Lawrence Zubia was heavily drinking and doing drugs along with Doug Hopkins and he was the one who discovered and reported to 911 the death of Douglas Hopkins. It is a very emotional scene as Lawrence retells the story while being interviewed for the documentary. He chokes up in tears several times during it. This documentary has the approach of the "pebble dropped into the pond" Where that pebble is deposited, ripples course out from where it enters the water. Some of the ripples are positive like the million dollar contract that the Pistoleros got with Hollywood Records and other ripples were dangerous like the spiral into drinking and drugs which not only took a toll on Lawrence, but the ripples also caused pain for his brother and family as well as friends. A doctor interviewed in the film states the alcohol and drugs were a symptom to a bigger problem. Douglas Hopkins had fought depression his whole life and in the documentary you discover that Lawrence has been sexually molested by a Catholic Priest in his youth. Traumatic events can make a person make bad choices in how to deal with said problem. It is quite obvious that drinking heavily and drug use may create a short term effect of euphoria but in the end it can kill you. Lawrence Zubia also had the misfortune of hurting his back and doctors gave him Fentanyl for pain. This increased Lawrence's problems because he became addicted to that. Lawrence Zubia ended up nearly killing himself ramming his speeding car into a metal pole. He hit rock bottom, was estranged from part of his family and lived with his mother. His brother Mark reached out and bought Lawrence a guitar and also a car for transportation. Lawrence struggled back to sobriety and reunited with his two children, and the band came together again and they were doing okay until you see the scene where they make the Arizona Music Hall of Fame and you discover that Lawrence kicked Mark out of the band because they had a disagreement. It was such a sad part of the story. Had the drugs and alcohol not been involved who knows how big and successful the band could have been. What I take from the film is it is time the United States adopted national healthcare like England, Canada, Norway, Sweden, France etc. So this way people who have problems with addictions or any ailment for that matter whether physical or mental can get access to treatment so the symptoms and problems of the ailment can be treated. Lawrence Zubia died in December of 2020 due to pancreatitus. It was an interesting story but I preferred the previous Steven Esparza documentary GIRL ON WAVE because it was inspiring and triumphant whereas PISTOLEROS: DEATH, DRUGS AND ROCK N' ROLL is more of a sad cautionary story.

Pistoleros

[BandSAboutMovies · 7/10 · 11 December 2022]

Mark and Lawrence Zubia grew up in a large Mexican-American family in Arizona and started their music careers in their dad's mariachi band before forming several bands in Tempa, the same scene that contained Jimmy Eat World, Gin Blossoms and The Refreshments. In fact, Pistoleros was the band that ex-Gin Blossoms leader Doug Hopkins formed after leaving that band, but Hopkins had addiction issues and took his life six months after starting their band.

The movie that director Steven Esparza was making is way different than what he planned. On the first night he met the band, thinking he was capturing their comeback, the band was already split. Esparza told AZ Central, "No one knew Lawrence had fired him at that point, that Mark was upset and they were just basically going backwards again." That's because Lawrence and Mark were estranged for nearly a decade after what Lawrence describes as a six-year, self-destructive downward spiral fueled that started after recovering from back surgery.

Even though the brothers would work out their demons and their band, sadness came back into their lives when on Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020, Lawrence died of pancreatitis after contracting pneumonia while recovering from surgery.

This film is a rough but necessary watch. The Zubia Brothers had a love and hate relationship that also had to deal with being in a band, touring and drugs. Through meeting and interviewing Lawrence and Mark and their fellow bandmates and other bands in their scene, as well as journalists, friends and even doctors, you gain the full and complicated story while getting to learn why their music was so important.