Then, the new narration by longtime BJM member Joel Gion kicks in, spilling the beans about how much abuse he and other bandmates suffered at the hands of Newcombe. Taylor-Taylor’s band gets a record deal while Newcombe ruins his big break by having a hissy fit and pounding on his bandmates during a Viper Room showcase. BJM is like a decrepit summer camp where the head counselor repeatedly breaks the arms of campers. Then those campers leave and go on to much better bands.
The Dandy Warhols deal with promotional mismanagement from their label as well as little interest on the U.S. charts. Meanwhile, BJM has to deal with perpetual disaster at the hands of their self-sabotaging narcissist leader. Newcombe finds failure with the precision of a hog finding truffles, except in this case, it’s heroin. Will the Dandy Warhols ever succeed in the industry rat race? Will Newcombe stop punching himself and anyone with reaching distance in the face long enough to get anywhere? Soon after its initial release, the original cut of Dig! joined the ranks of This Is Spinal Tap as a movie musicians sought out and watched over and over. While it is fun to cheer the rise of the Dandys, the real gas was the egomaniacal stooge show of Newcombe repeatedly messing it up. Musicians delight in seeing musicians onscreen who are comically stupider than they are. Even the dumbest musician on Earth would look at all the many chances Newcombe blows and think he’s the biggest moron in rock and roll history. It’s like watching a thousand tiny Stonehenges lowering in unison.
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