Where the Hell Are We and
What Day Is It...This Is Static-X
A home video clearly destined for record store
shelves, this rockumentary is taking a brief detour into movie theaters first.
Aimed squarely at fans of L.A. metal band Static-X (formerly known as just
plain old Static -- the name change is one of many tidbits that doesn't get
addressed here), it's hard to discuss this "film" in cinematic terms,
because it isn't designed to be much more than a collector's item for
die-hards, a slightly less slick version of VH-1's Behind the Music,
minus the pitfalls of fame that haven't yet happened. If you don't like
contemporary metal, there's absolutely no point in attending, as this isn't
designed to win over outsiders, but if you do and simply aren't familiar with
Static-X, you'll probably be a convert by the end. Though there aren't many
dramatic insights into the band, best known for frontman Wayne Static's
vertical hairdo ("I wanna apologize for how boring and stupid we all
are," he says at one point), there's a lot of music, three rock videos
(including one that's apparently a new, never-before-seen version, though it's
not because of raunchy content or anything like that), and even a cute little
mascot called Staticman, a metal-shop stop-motion creation with sparks in his
hair. Most fun are the occasional man-on-the-street interviews with folks who
don't know what to make of this music they've never heard: Heavy metal as a
concept seems never to have entered their heads before, and the ensuing polite
bafflement is amusing. It's also nice to see neo-thrashers Fear Factory get the
respect due to them as godfathers of the current