Thursday, February 27, 2014
A Parody Called 'A Band Called Black Out'
It's said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. So filmmakers Mark Covino and Jeff Howlett, directors of the documentary A Band Called Death, might be tickled that California-based "internet comedy auteur" Frank Howley took aim at their acclaimed flick for his latest parody, a mock trailer for a film called A Band Called Black Out.
The trailer centers on, well, a band called Black Out, who are — or at least were — a real band. The Virginia-based tween trio was active in the mid-2000s and gained some minor internet celebrity with a video for their song "Video Games," a punky little cut with nearly half a million views on YouTube.
Howley supposes Black Out were lost to history and World of Warcraft, choosing Playstation over playing music, before being rediscovered — à la Death — by a new generation of adoring fans, music history buffs and, of course, Jack White. It's essentially a riff on lost-and-found music docs such as Searching for Sugar Man, Anvil! the Story of Anvil and most overtly, A Band Called Death — Howley even apes the triangle "A" from Death's logo to replace the "A" in Black Out.
So is it any good?
Well, the Zucker brothers Howley ain't. But as spoofs go, his sendup of the Death doc does boast a certain silly, if dorky, charm. See for yourself below.
[Full disclosure: Bobby Hackney Jr., son of Death's Bobby Hackney Sr., is a Seven Days employee. 'Sup, Bobby!]
The trailer centers on, well, a band called Black Out, who are — or at least were — a real band. The Virginia-based tween trio was active in the mid-2000s and gained some minor internet celebrity with a video for their song "Video Games," a punky little cut with nearly half a million views on YouTube.
Howley supposes Black Out were lost to history and World of Warcraft, choosing Playstation over playing music, before being rediscovered — à la Death — by a new generation of adoring fans, music history buffs and, of course, Jack White. It's essentially a riff on lost-and-found music docs such as Searching for Sugar Man, Anvil! the Story of Anvil and most overtly, A Band Called Death — Howley even apes the triangle "A" from Death's logo to replace the "A" in Black Out.
So is it any good?
Well, the Zucker brothers Howley ain't. But as spoofs go, his sendup of the Death doc does boast a certain silly, if dorky, charm. See for yourself below.
[Full disclosure: Bobby Hackney Jr., son of Death's Bobby Hackney Sr., is a Seven Days employee. 'Sup, Bobby!]
Tags: Vermont , A Band Called Death , Death , music , parody , Jeff Howlett , Mark Covino , Video , Web Only
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