Who doesn’t like a good documentary? Me personally, I’m a stickler for watching anything so long as the production values are there and the editing and pacing is done well. For me, I know of Justin Pearson and his label Three One G, as well as some of his most recent projects (the excellent Deaf Club and Satanic Planet being a couple of them), but I’d only ever heard of The Locust in passing. The point I’m making here is that, Don’t Fall in Love with Yourself is one of those excellently put together documentaries where you don’t have to be a fan to enjoy the movie. For any The Locust fan or Justin Pearson follower out there however, you’re in for a real treat. Don’t Fall in Love with Yourself is a 90-minute documentary that follows Justin’s life and career – from his turbulent upbringing, right through to his bands and how he came to establish the record label Three One G. The film delves into the social landscape during his formative years in San Diego, and where he saw potential in an under-utilised music scene; the impetus for The Locust and how they came to be, following the band through Europe, Japan and the UK on their crazy shows; and all the surprising bits in between, like voice acting for cartoons and acting in movies. There’s extensive archive footage that follows all of this, but the meat of the film follows The Locust on their tours and the crazy stuff that happened to them, as well as studio footage making their records.
In short, Don’t Fall in Love with Yourself is a whirlwind of unmitigated chaos that documents so many bizarre and batshit moments – from Justin and his friends making up a fabricated story to get onto Jerry Springer; a hardcore fan giving himself a wedgie and trying to set his hair on fire; Gabe Serbian throwing up while he’s still playing; anecdotes of fans having a dump in the pit and naked dudes hanging from the rafters. There’s this overall unhinged nature to the entire film that will keep you gripped until the very end. This is all convoyed with interviews with Brett Gurewitz (Bad Religion), Jason Pettigrew (Editor at Alternative Press Magazine), Dave Lombardo (Mr. Bungle, Misfits), Jeremy Bolm (Touche Amore) and many more. In terms of Don’t Fall in Love with Yourself being a music documentary, this is one of the best I’ve seen. There’s a real art to delivering a good documentary, and for someone like me who isn’t familiar with all of the material pertaining to this film, Don’t Fall in Love with Yourself does a fantastic job guiding you through this tornado, making every aspect of it fun and engaging to watch. Turnstyle Films have done a great job here, and it goes without saying that fans of grind, The Locust, or Justin Pearson will relish in this film, but even for people who don’t like this music at all but enjoy watching a good documentary, Don’t Fall in Love with Yourself is guaranteed to fulfil your needs.
Watch the trailer here
Watch the full movie here or here
Purchase the BluRay here
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