226. LIFERS - Ken Andrews

More than any other band from the ‘90s, Failure was a perfect fusion of technology and art. If you put on a Failure record — you knew it was gonna sound great. So it stands to reason that Failure’s new documentary — EVERY TIME YOU LOSE YOUR MIND (now on HULU) — is gonna LOOK great. Perfectly shot. Perfectly edited. But what really elevates it above the current glut of streaming documentaries is an innate understanding of the simple art of storytelling. It sucks you in and never allows itself to become a cheap advertisement for the band. It helps that singer-guitarist-director Ken Andrews has a background in film and video production, but it also speaks to Failure’s entire career of meticulous high-production values and DIY quality control. It’s an ethic that persists to this day with a remarkable run of post-hiatus classics that began in 2014 with their comeback album THE HEART IS A MONSTER — an album that kicked off a successful and well deserved second act for one of America’s finest rock bands. One that actually merits a documentary about itself. On this episode we talk to Ken about ALL that stuff. We even touch on some stuff that ISN’T in the doc. ALSO: We pick our favorite documentaries.