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IMDbPro

Kill Your Idols

  • 2004
  • 1h 15m
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
582
YOUR RATING
Kill Your Idols (2004)
Original film trailer for the documentary KILL YOUR IDOLS

(director: Scott Crary)
Play trailer1:39
1 Video
5 Photos
DocumentaryMusic

A documentary on thirty years of alternative NYC rock 'n roll.A documentary on thirty years of alternative NYC rock 'n roll.A documentary on thirty years of alternative NYC rock 'n roll.

  • Director
    • Scott Crary
  • Stars
    • Ron Albertson
    • Angus Andrew
    • Tristan Bechet
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    6.4/10
    582
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Scott Crary
    • Stars
      • Ron Albertson
      • Angus Andrew
      • Tristan Bechet
    • 8User reviews
    • 18Critic reviews
    • 52Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 1 nomination

    Videos1

    KILL YOUR IDOLS trailer (dir. Scott Crary)
    Trailer 1:39
    Watch KILL YOUR IDOLS trailer (dir. Scott Crary)

    Photos

    Kill Your Idols (2004)
    Kill Your Idols (2004)
    Lydia Lunch and Jim Sclavunos in Kill Your Idols (2004)
    Kill Your Idols (2004)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Ron Albertson
    • Self
    Angus Andrew
    • Self
    Tristan Bechet
    Tristan Bechet
    • Self
    Hisham Bharoocha
    • Self
    Glenn Branca
    Glenn Branca
    • Self
    Sebastien Brault
    • Self
    Brian Chase
    • Self
    Bjorn Copeland
    • Self
    Eric Copeland
    • Self
    Susan Donaldson
    • Self
    Michael Gira
    • Self
    Aaron Hemphill
    • Self
    Eugene Hutz
    Eugene Hutz
    • Self
    Oren Kaplan
    • Self
    Arto Lindsay
    • Self
    Lydia Lunch
    Lydia Lunch
    • Self
    Matthew McAuley
    • Self
    • (as Matt McAuley)
    Brain McPeck
    • Self
    • Director
      • Scott Crary
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

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    7.7
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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The title of the film is inspired by the Sonic Youth song "Kill Yr Idols".
    • Crazy credits
      SHOWN AT THE BEGINNING: "Here in this family album lies the salt family of Lot." -Marina Tsvetaeva
    • Connections
      Features Punking Out (1978)
    • Soundtracks
      A Prayer for My Death
      by Foetus

      Courtesy of J.G. Thirlwell / Thirsty Ear

    User reviews8

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    10/10
    '...these bands are really f***ed up...'
    'Kill Your Idols' was awesome. There's your summary right there. The No Wave art movement and the bands that it spawned have become very integrated in my musical tastes and my way of thinking, and to be able to see some of the people (a lot of them actually) who were involved and hear about their journey was, for me, a very personal and fulfilling experience. So, I'm going to try and be as objective as possible. It's not going to be easy though...

    First off, I was born in '82, when the Swans and Sonic Youth were starting out, so I really don't have a sense of 'nostalgia' as such, since I am experiencing the might of that movement completely second (and maybe even third) hand. Also, I have lived my entire life about as far away from New York as possible, by design rather than by intention (though I can't say I am sad about it): my connection to the movement and the ideas were formed simply by following the history and influences of the bands I knew about, slowly revealing more and more of what the 'scene' was exactly and what had come from it. That said, again, the power of the music and the statements it made has affected me profoundly, so I believe (perhaps wrongly) that I am justified in having an opinion on it and being able to judge 'Kill Your Idols' for what it truly is, that being not a simple music documentary where the point is to say 'oh yeah, I remember when...' and play some concert footage. The point is to look at No Wave as an art movement, how it developed, and how it influences music today. In that, I believe it succeeds near flawlessly.

    The editing and style of the film is, in itself, very much in tune with the No Wave attitude. The frequent and quick cuts during interviews give it a very jerky feeling quite reminiscent of the music itself. Essentially it is presented in four parts: the actual No Wave movement (Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, Contortions, Suicide, DNA, etc.), the early 80s bands inspired by the movement (Swans, Sonic Youth and Foetus), the newer crop of bands (Black Dice, Liars, etc.) and the final part is an analysis, essentially, of how the new bands missed the point. Many people think that to be unnecessary, but I happen to agree with a vast majority of the statements made by the older generation as well as those made by Sergey Rjabtzev of Gogol Bordello, one of the only people of the newer crop who seemed to really grasp the ideas behind No Wave. Not only are they spot on (Lydia Lunch in particular), but it says a lot about modern music in general: how being different sells and how that is taken advantage of, whereas when No Wave was around, it was about not being liked, it was about spitting bile and wanting to mess with minds. I do like, personally, some of the newer bands, but I would not go so far as to say that they really grasped the concepts engendered by the movement and in fact half of them seemed really fake and cheesy (not to mention lame interviewees). Referring to something as harsh and warped as No Wave music as 'pure and innocent' for example...oh yeah, objectivity...ahem...

    Well, without telling too much, I think this should be required viewing for anyone who likes Swans, Sonic Youth or bands of their ilk to find out where they came from and learn about a very interesting and influential, if short-lived, period in American music, or for anyone interested in music-as-art in general. It's well made, poignant, often hilarious, and it manages to be much more than a simple trip down Nostalgia Avenue. It also conveys the principles behind the creation of the movement and the brotherhood (and sisterhood) that formed around it very admirably. Punk is dead, but I for one cannot thank Mr. Crary enough for providing a window and allowing us to look back at a time when it was very much alive.
    helpful•12
    1
    • flaminghat
    • Feb 14, 2009

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 27, 2007 (Japan)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Убей своих кумиров
    • Production company
      • Hunger Artist Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $7,753
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $3,274
      • Jul 9, 2006
    • Gross worldwide
      • $7,753
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      1 hour 15 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
      • Color

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