Let’s celebrate on this hump day! Todd Haynes, one of WOW’s favorite directors, is currently working on a Velvet Underground documentary. The acclaimed director of Carol, Far From Heaven and The Velvet Goldmine is pairing up Killer Films and the Universal Music Group to bring us diehard fans a documentary on one of the greatest bands of all time! I am dying of excitement!
Speaking to Variety all the way from Switzerland (where is he receiving the Pardo d’onore Manor award for career achievement), Haynes said that the documentary film will:
“Rely certainly on [Andy] Warhol films but also a rich culture of experimental film, a vernacular we have lost and we don’t have, [and that] we increasingly get further removed from.”
Haynes was also quoted as saying that the “challenging” part will be the subject matter as there is very little documentation on the group. However, there will be interviews with the surviving members and others from the contemporary 1960’s artistic movement.
Haynes continued by saying:
“They’re the most influential of bands – as Brian Eno said, everybody who bought [‘Velvet Underground & Nico’] started a band. Their influence has nothing to do with sales or visibility or the ways we portion ideas of success.”
Yes, we could not agree more. The Velvet Underground’s reach and influence continues to this day with many rock stars noting them as complete inspiration. A film would absolutely shed more light on Lou, Nico and the movement their music was a part of. With Todd Haynes at the helm of this, we have no doubt that this documentary will be completely incredible.
For VU newcomers, the Velvet Underground was formed in 1964 and was a mixture of avant-garde and rock n roll. The band was briefly managed by Andy Warhol himself. The VU’s debut album (which featured German model and icon, Nico) was released in 1967. The band (although commercially unsuccessful at the time) has since been considered an iconic band for generations since the 1960’s.
This all but begs the question: wouldn’t a Velvet Underground biopic be amazing? Sound off in the comments below!
[Header Images by AO Images/Pacific Coast News and VelvetUndergroundMusic.com]
