Monday’s NXNE picks: Kurt Cobain, Jack Clement and early T.O. punk

Monday’s NXNE picks: Kurt Cobain, Jack Clement and early T.O. punk


North by Northeast officially kicks off today, and that means the city will be chock full of musicians, music lovers and events for musicians and music lovers. While the live concerts don’t start until Wednesday, there’s still plenty of to see and hear around the city today and tomorrow—namely, movies. With that in mind, every morning this week we’ll be offering our picks for the day ahead. Check out our selections for Monday, after the jump.

1. Flick—Kurt Cobain: About A Son
We’re keen on checking out a few of the festival’s cinematic offerings, like Kurt Cobain: About A Son, which screens today at 9 p.m. at the Toronto Underground Cinema. The flick focuses on more than 25 hours of previously unheard audiotapes from interviews with Cobain conducted by journalist Michael Azzerad for his book Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana. The film is narrated by the late Cobain’s voice, so, essentially, it’s an exploration of the deceased grunge icon’s life through his own words—which we find equal parts wonderfully intriguing and deeply creepy. Check out the trailer here.

2. Flick—Shakespeare Was a Big George Jones Fan: “Cowboy” Jack Clement’s Home Movies
Ever wonder how Nashville is still the music capital of North America? We do (well, sometimes). Apparently, one of the main reasons is Jack Clement, the subject of Shakespeare Was a Big George Jones Fan: “CowboyJack Clement’s Home Movies and an absolute legend in the music biz. As part of Sun Records, Clement produced records for the likes of Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Garth Brooks and U2. Sure, the film’s title is a mouthful, but a legend’s a legend. The movie screens at the Toronto Underground Cinema at 7 p.m. Check out the trailer here.

3. Flick—The Last Pogo
We expect The Last Pogo to be a short but sweet 26 minutes of punk-rock nostalgia. Director Colin Brunton’s film documents the 1978 concert at Toronto’s Horseshoe Tavern featuring The Viletones, The Scenic, The Ugly and Cardboard Brains that ended in riots. If you like the short version you can look forward to Brunton’s feature project, The Last Pogo Jumps Again: A Biased and Incomplete History of Toronto Punk Rock and New Wave Music Circa September 24 1976 to December 1 1978, currently in post-production.