I've been on a music documentary kick lately. I'm not sure if there are more music documentaries out now than before or if my obsession has spiraled and I'm actively seeking them out more. Either way, I love seeing interviews and performances by artists -- a few of whom I've seen live or in interviews -- but most I've only listened their recorded tracks or seen their MTV style videos.

I think I saw Fugazi in college, but my memory isn't serving me so well these days. Besides listening to CDs and MP3s, I knew little about the band whose music I love so much, but that just changed. Fugazi: Instrument is one of the best band/music documentaries I've ever seen. In addition to filling in the major gaps in my knowledge of who Fugazi are and what they're all about and how incredibly fucking cool Ian MacKaye really is, the filmmaker's style is spot on and more than just a documentary. At times, it is just a documentary, but at others it's more like art, with it's grainy, color-washed concert footage and Warhol style video portraits of a hodge podge of the band's fans.

"This unpredictable and fluid musical film by Jem Cohen is less a documentary about the punk band Fugazi and more a visual interpretation of the group's artistic efforts. Energetically charged live performances, studio sessions and atypical fan interviews combine for a one-of-a-kind, mixed format piece. Bonus material includes two stark video shorts from the filmmaker, augmented by music from Fugazi band members."

Watching Fugazi live is amazing. Fugazi is to Britney Spears what Socrates is to Jackie Collins. Fugazi is the essence of music: pure and unadulterated, minus the hype, the stylists, and all the other b/s that most musicians fall prey to.

Their music is dark and broody. It goes from calm and melodic to bursts of fitful aggression then back again without skipping a beat. Again, I have to say, I have a completely new found respect and admiration for MacKaye and the other band members, whose views, politics, and integrity are inspiring and mind-boggling given their industry.

If you haven't seen this, check it out.