ANVIL Documentary Maker Says His Film Is 'The Truth About Rock And Roll'

Heath McCoy of the Calgary Herald recently conducted an interview with Sacha Gervasi — the director of "Anvil! The Story of Anvil", a mockumentary-like true account of fiftysomething Canadian heavy-metal practitioners Robb Reiner and Steve "Lips" Kudlow who, after a desultory European tour with their band ANVIL, decide to record a 13th album in a final attempt to fulfill their boyhead dreams of stardom. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

On his film's comparisons to "This Is Spinal Tap", the 1984 mockumentary about a fictional heavy metal band:

"I think you go into 'The Story of Anvil' thinking: 'These guys are like SPINAL TAP. Haw haw.' But by the end you wind up being moved by the friendship (of Lips and Robb) and by their perseverance. . . . Whether you like metal or not, these guys have showed a huge amount of integrity and dedication. Frankly, much more than most people."

On how he first discovered ANVIL when they appeared on the cover of a British heavy metal magazine:

"[Lips was] brandishing a chainsaw, (holding) a dildo in his teeth. I thought 'Wow! This is somebody I need to know immediately! This is someone who is going to shock and possibly attack my mother,' which I saw as very positive."

On how rockers from Ozzy Osbourne, Trent Reznor and David Byrne of THE TALKING HEADS to PEARL JAM, WEEZER and FALL OUT BOY have embraced the movie:

"They love it because it's their struggle. It's the struggle of every underdog artist. Even for successful bands who have never been through this, it's the fear that they might. This is the truth about rock and roll."

Read the entire article from the Calgary Herald.

Jian Ghomeshi of QTV recently conducted an interview with Sacha Gervasi. Watch the 16-minute chat below.