The Past is a Grotesque Animal - A Rockumentary

I am incredibly excited about the of Montreal rockumentary, The Past is a Grotesque Animal, by Oscilloscope, that is finally coming out this month! After a long and torturous wait, the epic tale of this epic band and the peculiar mind behind it all, Kevin Barnes, will be told.

As soon as I heard about this documentary, I was chomping at the bit to re-live what was, to me, a very important time in my concert-going career; following the cult-favorite indie band, of Montreal.

The Kickstarter Campaign

• Goal: $75,000
• Raised: ~ $95,000
• Backers: 1,124
• Funding period: Nov 12, 2012 - Dec 12, 2012 (30 days)

Originally titled Song Dynasties, the film was renamed The Past is a Grotesque Animal at the very end of the project, confusing everyone, (and briefly getting my hopes up that 2 separate documentaries were being released!). I happen to really like both names, although the later is a great re-use of a great song’s, great name (and is a phrase that I love).

I read somewhere that there was dedicated film crew capturing the Hissing Fauna tour, and there could be a ton of footage from that tour in the movie. THAT is great news considering, how awesome that album is and how spectacular that tour was. I also read that there are home videos of very early stuff the band did. In other words, there is a huge potential that this documentary will be incredible! (atleast, for of Montreal fans...).

The Movie's Evolution (and Delays)

There was some drama surrounding the KickStarter campaign (although probably only apparent to the die-hard obsessive fans). This was due to the expected release date constantly being pushed back, and back,…and back, without much explanation to appease the impatient masses and KickStarter backers. Originally slated for a March 2013 release, it is not actually being released until June 2014. A tormenting wait for those of us who expected it, wanted it, (and needed it) over a year ago.

The massive delay was due to the constantly expanding scope of the project (which changed immediately due to the success of the  KickStarter campaign), and the ongoing saga of the band in the form of changes to the band’s line-up, etc, which the documenters wanted to continue to document!

I also believe that the focus of the movie shifted to be more a dramatic portrayal of Kevin Barnes’ personal life. A twist that I am absolutely ecstatic about, as nothing would please me more than a glimpse inside the bizarre mind and tortured soul that is the mysterious Kevin Barnes. Contrast the original KickStarter promo video to the official documentary trailer to see the apparent change in focus.

Original Kickstarter Video  (note the release date at the end: "Spring 2013")

Official Theatrical Trailer 


Here is a sample of some of the later posts from the kickstarter discussion page, on the delays.

“Sorry for the radio silence these past few months. We’ve been plugging away and can finally say that the film is finished!.... …This has been a mammoth project that went beyond what any of us thought it would take to complete.  … Your patience throughout this process has been amazing. Thank you all so much for your support of the band and this documentary. We think that once you all see the film you will feel like it is worth the wait.”

So it is here at last! Can't wait to check it out! 
I seriously hope it is as good as these 2 trailers make it look, (and the $95k of available production funds should facilitate).