I’m not sure what separates one rock and roll documentary from another anymore. They are coming at us faster than we can digest them, and while it might be nice to catch our collective breath once in a while, it sure is fun to take in the treasure-trove of lost footage and unheard stories about our favorite musicians. The Tom Petty Doc “Runnin’ Down A Dream” was phenomenal. James Keach’s Glen Campbell film “I’ll Be Me” was a beautifully done tear-jerker, and there have been great docs about The Wrecking Crew, The Funk Brothers, The Clash, Rush, Death, Joan Jett, The Jam, and so many others. At this point it really just comes down to waiting for one about your favorite band, hoping they deliver the goods in an honest, compelling way, and that they avoid making a mess of it in the process.  

To an extent, they’re all more or less polished versions of old VH1 “Behind The Music” episodes, occasionally with some flawed element that ultimately proves unnecessary and distracting, introduced to set them apart. The awkward coercing of a resistant and clearly uncomfortable Blake Schwarzenbach to jam with his old band-mates in the Jawbreaker doc “Don’t Break Down” immediately comes to mind. Or the indulgent tribute concert Jakob Dylan produces to accompany his Laurel Canyon doc “Echo in the Canyon,” or the unnecessary jam sessions that Dave Grohl orchestrates for his “Sound City“ movie. Part One of “History of The Eagles” was mesmerizing, though Part Two should have been a 6 minute tag-on rather than the dragged-out sludge it was. You get the point. Stick to the [hi]story – it’s good enough without the attempt to fabricate a modern spin on a once-magic time.

Two of the latest in the endless stream are “Suzi Q” and “The Go-Go’s,” documenting the stories of some of the most influential women in rock and roll. Neither of these new films takes that awkward left turn, thankfully. They both rely, and largely succeed, on the back of a great story and the unfiltered participation from most of the key players.   

“Suzi Q” premiered at the Freep Film Festival in June, a documentary-focused event produced by the Detroit Free Press, held virtually this year. A $10 donation to the festival got you first viewing privileges, and I was glad to lay my money down and enjoy it from the comfort of my living room. Most Americans associate Suzi Quatro only with her Leather Tuscadero character from the 70’s TV show Happy Days, but this film will broaden those horizons quickly. From the first time she saw Elvis on The Ed Sullivan Show, the six-year old Detroit girl knew what she wanted to do. After runs with a couple Detroit-based bands who saw limited success, some including her sisters, she went to London at the bequest of a producer who saw her star as brighter than her siblings’, a theme that would come back around later as the documentary exposed some still-raw and unresolved feelings within the family today.

Of course the Happy Days role was explored and acknowledged as life-changing, with Henry Winkler even chiming in, but the two main points of focus in the doc were her lack of commercial success in the States, despite great recognition abroad, and the true pioneering aspect of her career as a songwriting, bass-playing, leather-wearing, bad-ass rock and roll woman. The film is heavy on interviews from those she influenced – especially Kathy Valentine from The Go-Go’s, Lita Ford, Deborah Harry, and Joan Jett, who so-emulated Suzi in her own formative years that her band-mates in The Runaways had to plead with her to mix up her look and find her own identity. 

The documentary works at every level – it’s a great story, a very-likable protagonist, enough conflict and heartbreak to keep you rooting for her, no shortage of awesome archival footage, and a modern-day perspective that wraps it all up nicely. After the film there was a bonus feature Zoom conversation between Quatro, Valentine, and Runaways singer Cherie Currie, but it was anti-climactic and quickly resolved into a repeating loop of “How did you do it without a blueprint?” questions. Suzi was pre-MTV, pre-Runaways, Go-Go’s, Pat Benatar, and Bangles, and criminally underappreciated for paving the way for all who followed. It’s a great watch, but it’s also an important story, and all fans of rock and roll owe it to themselves to check it out. 

“The Go-Go’s” was released on Showtime last week, making it annoyingly difficult to see. Unlike Suzi Quatro, most of us watched The Go-Go’s come of age on MTV - frolicking in the fountain, water skiing in tutus, and even in their own episode of VH1’s Behind The Music. As a result, some of the educational and wow-factor elements that “Suzi Q” had were missing, but it still tells a compelling story about a group of girls who initially didn’t even know how to play their instruments but somehow went from Hollywood punk dives to Madison Square Garden in the span of a year. 

Extensive interviews with the five members as well as the original bassist and drummer left little time for accolades to come from the outside, but Stuart Copeland lent a few words (his brother Miles managed the band and signed them to IRS Records before The Police took them on tour, breaking the band world-wide), as did a few other familiar faces from their adventures. Throw in a concealed, extensive heroin addiction, a couple jealous/ego fights over royalties, and a premature, ill-advised management change just as everything was exploding, and you’re just one overdose short of the perfect rockumentary.

It would have been nice to hear a little more about the early LA punk scene (I highly recommend John Doe’s book “Under the Big Black Sun: A History of L.A. Punk“ for that, which includes a lot of Go-Go’s contributions), and maybe some additional outsider perspective. There’s also a bit of a self-serving overtone to the film, and in the interviews especially, that at times (as a friend put it) almost comes off like a promo video making the case for a Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction. (Not that they don’t deserve it, but more about that below.) That might be a bit harsh, but it’s true that respect, even when warranted, rarely materializes when requested. It’s not quite up there with the best rock-docs in recent years, but it’s an easy watch that both casual and hardcore fans of the band won’t want to miss.

There’s no easy way to be politically correct and use terms like “girl band” or “female artist,” as if they’re not in the same league with their male colleagues, but the truth is that - from a greater, global, perspective - they’re unfortunately not. They’ve got all the talent and drive that their male peers had, and more – which they needed to overcome the novelty of and perceptions around their gender, but neither Suzi Quatro or The Go-Go’s are in the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame, while Joan Jett, The Pretenders and Madonna are, not to mention the many less-deserving artists who happen to possess a Y chromosome. Not that the RRHOF is the one and only barometer of respect, but their glaring absence just exemplifies the bias and furthers the need for their stories to be told and these films to be seen.   

Now, when do we get that Bangles doc anyway?  

Jeremy Porter lives near Detroit and fronts the rock and roll band Jeremy Porter And The Tucos. Follow them on Facebook to read his road blog about their adventures on the dive-bar circuit.
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