Product Details

• Actors: Guided by Voices
• Directors: Banks Tarver
• Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Matador Records
• DVD Release Date: November 4, 2003
• Run Time: 105 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0000DJYNG
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #139,913 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

WATCH ME JUMPSTART - DVD Movie

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The one GBV DVD to get!, November 17, 2003

By 

Phil Szostak "the Chinese Lenny Bruce" (in front of my computer) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Guided By Voices - Watch Me Jumpstart (DVD)

If you are in the market for a DVD featuring the great and prolific Guided By Voices, this is the one to pick up. Banks Tarver has created a documentary about the boys from Dayton, Ohio that is strangely both intimate and distancing at the same time, but always compelling. Beautifully filmed in the last days of the 'classic' lineup, circa "Under the Bushes, Under the Stars", Tarver captures both a brief history of the band, daily life in Dayton and behind the scenes gems- a portrait of a bunch of friends creating something wonderful in the midst of quiet Midwest suburbia. Also included on the DVD are all of the GBV music videos, the best directed by Tarver himself. 2 Easter Eggs of recent videos "My Kind of Soldier" and "Back to the Lake" await your finding, as well as 2 live performances, one long set from the original video featuring said 'classic' lineup, and the other more recent (circa 2002) albeit brief performance of 3 tunes from the Warsaw in NYC. Of extra special note is the short companion piece only on the DVD by Banks Tarver called "Beautiful Plastic". It's a great little snippet featuring Bob Pollard and his brother Jim digging through a basement box of clippings, collages, song lyrics and photographs. It's really wonderful and inspiring to see Bob waxing nostalgic about old songs, discarded album covers and ideas- a rare glimpse into the creative process for this massively creative artist.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A video worthy of a great, great American band..., April 4, 1999

By 

Armchair Rambo (MINNEAPOLIS, MN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Watch Me Jumpstart [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Low-fi wonders from Dayton, OH, Guided by Voices are here documented doing what they do best: creating pop/rock masterpieces out of thin air in the basement and taking it on the road. Includes interviews with band members (should we quit our day jobs? -- leader Bob Pollard was an elementary school teacher), recording sessions, live footage. A great primer for newbies, a wonderful document for the fans. Get it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Guided by Voices Story, July 12, 2005

By 

Bryan Carey "Bryan Carey" (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Guided By Voices - Watch Me Jumpstart (DVD)

"Watch me Jumpstart" is a documentary showing what the music business is like for the members of the Dayton, Ohio based band, Guided by Voices. This musical collection was re- released near the end of last year on DVD and now includes videos and other features from the band's more recent history.

Bob Pollard, the leader and prolific songwriter, commands the microphone for most of this DVD. He talks about the band; his life as a musician; the approach he takes to songwriting; his hometown of Dayton, Ohio; and other trivial tidbits. I have met Pollard a few times myself and, while he likes to drink up and party, he is actually a pretty well- grounded type of guy, as this documentary shows.

The cinematography in this documentary is taken mostly from the Dayton, Ohio area. The movie starts with scenes of Dayton, as seen from the front of a vehicle as it drives down the streets of the city. There are also scenes taken of Pollard's home and some of the other band member's houses. At the end of the DVD is a special section titled "Live Snippets", which is basically a continuation of the main film, with more behind the scenes talk with the members of the band and more live performances.

This film mixes black & white scenes with color scenes, making for some interesting viewing that keeps your attention. I would like the film even better if it included more in- depth analysis of the band and its members, but this is still a first- rate collection for all fans of GBV. It's a little outdated, since most all of the members form 1996 (when the original film was made) left the band within the next seven or eight years, but fans of the group and of alternative music in general will enjoy it nonetheless.