The 1980s in Los Angeles were a raucous time, some say in the best possible way. The entire planet was wrapped around the sound originating in these Hollywood clubs from bands like Dokken, Warrant, Motley Crue, et al. By the time the early 90s rolled around, this Sunset Strip sound was still raging (and about to be blindsided by some filthy flannel shirts from the north.) A band called Bang Tango emerged a few months before the birth of the 1990s, seeking to usher in the next decade with their own sound – A mixture of rock, funk, and soul. I would describe them as a rock band with influences ranging from Guns N’ Roses to the Red Hot Chili Peppers and even Billy Idol, with a combination of Axl Rose and Phil Lewis of L.A. Guns on vocals.
In filmmaker (and former Bang Tango guitarist) Drew Fortier’s Attack Of Life: The Bang Tango Movie, the director attempts to paint a picture of what it was like for this band coming onto the music scene in 1989 like a rocketship with their huge single “Someone Like You,” only to be subsequently tossed in the wood chipper by a fickle record industry on the cusp of a manic-depressive episode.
“…seeking to usher in the next decade with their own sound – A mixture of rock, funk, and soul.”
What I like most about this “behind the music” style doc is the willingness to allow dissenting voices to make the final cut of the film. Rather than editing in a fashion to make the band look like gods, they allow all opinions from all sides. It’s a refreshingly honest story from an industry that would usually forbid such madness. Sure, you get the fans talking about them being the greatest thing you’ve never heard of, but you also get producers telling you what annoyed them about the band, and even former band members doing the same. Included are interviews with multiple original and subsequent band members, including Joe Lesté, Kyle Kyle (I love that name), Kyle Alexander, Mark Knight, Alex Grossi, and more. Also included are interviews with producers and others in the industry. One of their producers even calls the current state of the band “sad.” But in what I’d consider the best moment of hilarity in the entire film, in which Dee Snider of Twisted Sister is narrating an opening sequence with an almost Star Wars-like scroll, Dee interrupts his own narration stating that the band was “unfairly lumped in with their contemporaries, but could’ve been something more and still can be,” just to snicker and say “Really? … They were a Guns N’ Roses group. And uh, still can be? Really? Alright. I’m rootin’ for ‘em.”
Perhaps the best description of this band in the movie is as stated: “The unsung heroes of a trend that never began.”
By the end of the doc, the story seems to have honed in a bit more focused story, which is that while original vocalist Joe Lesté is still out playing Bang Tango shows with all new members, the original members and those surrounding the band are wondering when the original members will rejoin for a reunion. Sadly, this does not get resolved by the end.
If you’re into music docs or even just music itself, give this one a watch.
"…The unsung heroes of a trend that never began."
