IT MIGHT GET LOUD Review

It might get awesome! Jack White, The Edge, and Jimmy Page in one room is like the gathering of the titans. Rock legends from different eras discussing electric guitar and what we get is a documentary that opens the windows to their lives and how… they got to be who they are today. IT MIGHT GET LOUD is undeniably cool, funny and nostalgic. An intimate profile of 3 music philosophers speaking wisdom through music and the various guitars that speak on their behalf. You’ll love every minute of it.

Director Davis Guggenheim, well-known for his Academy Award-winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth, deepens our appreciation for going electric by bringing together three virtuosos from different generations: Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin, The Edge of U2 and Jack White of The White Stripes. It Might Get Loud weaves together their stories to reveal how each of them developed a unique sound.
Unlike rock ‘n’ roll documentaries that focus on backstage drama, this one concentrates on the music, giving us intimate access to the creative process. Each guitarist describes his own musical rebellion: Page against the saccharine pop of the sixties; The Edge against the self-indulgent solos of the seventies; White against the soulless bass machines of the eighties. The film also travels to the locations that left a mark on each player. Page visits the stone halls of Headley Grange where “Stairway to Heaven” was composed. In Dublin, The Edge pulls out the original four-track rehearsals of “Where the Streets Have No Name.” And in Tennessee, White describes being inspired by the raw style of bluesman Son House. What’s more, we see each musician play new work that has yet to be released.

As I was watching this, I couldn’t help but kept thanking director Davis Guggenheim for making this documentary for us rock n’ roll fans who’ve been idolizing these 3 guys for as long as we could remember. Watching Jack White, Jimmy Page, and The Edge exchanging knowledge on guitars is like watching Van Gogh, Picasso, and Rembrandt discussing their latest paintings. I like how Guggenheim doesn’t just give you 90 minutes of their meeting in that one room, he also gives you some sort of an autobiography of each of the musicians, background stories often told through old archive footage or simply following the guys to the places where they met their inspiration and talking about some of the artists in the pasts that have influenced them and shaped their understanding of life itself.
Guggenheim isn’t trying to win another Oscar with this documentary. It doesn’t go through research after research, it doesn’t have Al Gore explaining the rising global warming.. IT MIGHT GET LOUD to me is just him making our childhood dream come true, 3 heroes having a nice conversation about the only thing that gets them going.
Heads up, this documentary does glorify White, The Edge, and Page, so don’t expect to see any of their past bad habits or mistakes exposed in this. It’s meant for us to appreciate music the way they do. Parts of their lives are included that only support that purpose and nothing else.
The timing of the release of this documentary is bittersweet since we just recently lost a legendary guitar maker, Les Paul who died at the age of 94.

Jack White is probably the comical of the three, if he were a stand up comedian, he’d be pretty good at it cause he can hold a straight face, cold stare and still crack you up. The movie takes you to his days in Detroit, a place where Rock wasn’t considered cool and his family is the only white people in the neighborhood. The temptation was there to just blend in with the others and their hip hop culture but he chose to rock instead. The movie even does a nifty illustration of what his room may have looked like as a teenager, corners filled with records, amplifiers, 2 drumsets and a small angle on the floor for him to sleep in.
What I love about this movie is that it surprises of some of the things that these guys listen to. Jack White may have the appearance of a rock star who doesn’t give a crap but who would’ve thought that his one favorite song in the whole wide world that he listens to over and over again, that he aspires to, is actually an ancient blues that only has clapping to accompany the voice.

What motivates The Edge is basically what’s been motivating U2 all these years, their love for their country and the sadness over the painful ways it’s been treating itself and its own people. The tragedy speaks through the lyrics and the sound that Edge has in his mind and realize through his many guitar sound effects and foot pedals. In a way, he’s also some kind of a poet. The metaphors and the language he uses to describe what he feels about music is deeply serene. Director Guggenheim even tries to capture this clarity of vision that Edge preaches about. The tour back to his old school gives him a sense of gratitude because if it weren’t for those years, he’d be working in some dead end job instead of rocking his heart out.

Jimmy Page, holding the seniority out of the three, being the longest to have been in this business, takes us to his early years, the studios that he’s walked in, the many bands he’s been associated with but what’s most interesting to me are the many vinyl records he’s collected over the years. It’s amazing that he still, from time to time, just picks out one or two and listens to them, tries to play along with the music and remembers every single riff, strum, and style. If that’s not a master in his own right, then I don’t know what is. He has got to be the nicest, most passionate rocker that ever lived. His humor comes from being a kid in an old man’s body, you could see his face just radiate when watching The Edge and Jack White do their thing because he can’t wait to learn it too and play along.

IT MIGHT GET LOUD is a fun movie watching experience, not just because of the trip down memory lane or the musical selection but these three have a sense of humor that will break any tension, they get along right off the bat, just like that, because their love of music comes first over everything else and that’s the strongest connection. They may bring to the table their experiences but not one brags or simply plays diva over the other. They respect each other and when they play music together, suddenly all the bullsh*t in the world doesn’t seem to matter anymore.

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