Thoughts and Reviews on "Secret to a Happy Ending"

[Iowan]

Incredible. It's easily the best film about rock and roll I've seen. What's great is that while it's about the Truckers, in so many ways it's about so much more than the Truckers. I can't really say that about a lot of other rock and roll films I've seen.

Highlights:
-All the pics from the old days. Little Patterson and Little Cooley. AHC. All that shit. Very cool glimpse.
-3 generations of Hood in the kitchen.
-George fucking A. There was a lot of debate what makes a badass on this board today. George A is a badass.
-Runaway Train. I hope like hell that song makes it on a DBT album.
-Space City. Particularly Cooley's reaction after he finishes, and the camera is running during that 3 seconds of silence.
-Everything that's beyond the Truckers. Examining the duality of the Southern thing.
-Footage of Gregory Dean Smalley.
-The story about Chris, his death, and the dream.

Observations:
-Feb 14th. I've always wondered what the impetus for that song was. Didn't seem autobiographical. Wondered if Patterson was putting himself in a fictitious place. It's his response to what he observed going on between bandmates.
-Goodbye. Patterson's anticipation that the worst case scenario might actually happen. Thank God it didn't.
-It's obvious that the Hood family, if only indirectly, was a really, really big part of DBT getting where they are today. It's clear that at least at some level Jan and David understood that rock and roll is who Patterson was and what he needed to do.
-This film really drives home how much Muscle Shoals, and that entire area really is ingrained into what the Truckers are. To actually see the effects of the TVA was great.
-It's crazy to see where the band was when this was filmed, and compare that to where it is today. It really does look like they're gonna make it and that they got it figured out, regarding the touring/staying sane thing.
-Does everyone down south put an "h" in front of their "w"s? Just an accent think I picked up on for the first time.

Just an awesome film. Awesome.

[DiamondDave]

WHat you already said and more.

The DVD gave me almost more info on the Jason/Shonna issues than I wanted.
It also made me really miss Jason's presence in the band......I first started seeing the band right after Jason joined.... I still miss his guitar leads.

Great documentry. Great rock & roll film.
I thought the exact same thing that Iowan thought after Cooley finished Space City.....simply stunning.

Bottom line...Living in fear is just another way of dying before your time.

[Iowan]

I wouldn't say it gave any personal details about the split, but I felt it more highlighted the role that the split played in causing the internal tensions within the band, which I had sort of suspected. And honestly, like Jason says, who the hell spends every single hour of the day with their spouse? Hard to make it work like that.

I can't get over how much David Barbe looks like a guy I know. God damn separated form birth twins.

It was really cool to see the band that way. As people, and as Barbe put it "true believers".

[joecarlson]

Space City has taken on a completely new fantastic dimension for me. Heart wrenching Cooley vocals and accoustic.
But far from making me miss Jason, I think that the film finally and decisively lays to rest the ghost that has been haunting DBT.
It's taken 4 years for everyone (including me) to get over it and this film although it didn't start out as such is the
final nail in the coffin. At last Patterson has got it out in the open and off his chest. The painful scene with Jason walking off
alone into the distance did it for me. That was then this now - let's all move on. During the London showing of the movie
Patterson was asked about a possible reunion with Jason. He said a flat "No" then added "It's better this way".
He's right and you can hear how comfortable everyone is in their own skins now on the great album that is Go-Go Boots.

[sg207]

I would love to see it, but apparently Top Spin hasn't even shipped my copy yet.

[Iowan]

Got it at Best Buy (shudders). Apparently the Best Buy I stopped at was the only one in the state to have it. In what surely is NOT a coincidence, it's the same store I got Live at the 40 Watt.

[sg207]

Got it at Best Buy (shudders). Apparently the Best Buy I stopped at was the only one in the state to have it. In what surely is NOT a coincidence, it's the same store I got Live at the 40 Watt.

I'm just kind of irritated that I've been waiting forever to see this, and not only could I have saved myself $6 on the shipping, I could have actually gone out and got it sooner and already seen it.

Basically, I've paid an extra six bucks in order to deprive myself even further.

[Clams]

The movie is like seeing all the songs, places, stories and people coming to life right in front of your eyes. Iowan, you're right about George A being totally bad ass. When I saw the movie screening last month, I leaned forward to Van07 and whispered in his ear "Dude! That's Geaorge Fuckin' A!!!" I also loved the whole TVA part with Shonna and Jason walking next to the Wilson Dam. The whole film is great.

[Iowan]

Got it at Best Buy (shudders). Apparently the Best Buy I stopped at was the only one in the state to have it. In what surely is NOT a coincidence, it's the same store I got Live at the 40 Watt.

I'm just kind of irritated that I've been waiting forever to see this, and not only could I have saved myself $6 on the shipping, I could have actually gone out and got it sooner and already seen it.

Basically, I've paid an extra six bucks in order to deprive myself even further.

After the crap that went down w/TBTD pre-orders and the messed up vinyls and stuff, I just decided to steer clear of pre-orders and stuff. I love the feeling of going to the store, picking up something that I want, and having to wait till I get home to tear into it.

It was way worse when I was growing up though, because we were 45 minutes (at least) from the nearest record store.

[The Avon Lady]

Good Review from Jambands

http://www.jambands.com/reviews/dvds/2011/02/15/drive-by-truckers-the-secret-to-a-happy-ending

[Rocky]

Good Review from Jambands

http://www.jambands.com/reviews/dvds/2011/02/15/drive-by-truckers-the-secret-to-a-happy-ending

Good read. Thanks for posting.

I saw this film at a screening during a film festival but I need my own personal copy for repeated viewings.

[olwiggum]

It's weird that some folks haven't received their copy yet. A buddy of mine called me on Monday and said that his came in the mail.

[sg207]

I just got an email saying it has now been shipped. And like others, the email has a tracking number that appears invalid on the website.

[joeyB]

got mine yesterday...awesome documentary

[RevMatt]

A few thoughts:

I decided against a pre-order because I figured it would be more DBT-like to support my local record shop. They are always good to me, so if I was dropping forty- something dollars on a single order, it ought to be at their store. As it turns out, the old fashioned bricks and mortar stores did a much better job at getting the record and dvd's out than the mail order and i-tunes.

I watched the film for the first time last night. Here are some of my thoughts.

1) I liked the "expert" commentary. I thought the American Studies professor from Temple not only loved DBT as much as we do but shared many of the conclusions that we've come to on the 3DD site. If he isn't already on the site, I think he'd be an excellent contributor. The other guy with the big white beard was good too.

2) Funniest line was when Patterson said, in front of David, "Dad's only recently discovered that rock songs have words" or something to that effect.

3) The director treaded delicately around the Jason breakup, but I did get the sense that it took Jason by surprise. At the end he was sort of speculating that maybe it was his desire to spend more time on the road. I also got the sense that it hurt him. I give Jason a whole lot of credit for putting together his own band right away and accomplishing what he has. I have known many musicians in similar situations who not only fell apart but had their lives end tragically.

4) Glad to have Wes and Jyl Freed featured. One of the ironies of the film was the part where Jason said he had no one to go to for advice because who spends all of their working time together with their wife. The Freeds have managed to stay together and they pretty much work together. Wes does his artwork and Jyl manages things.

5) I liked the George A part. It shows the rural, farming roots in Patterson's family tree and the value it has in his life. The part where he is holding baby Ava is priceless.

6) I take issue with Patterson's comment that he is not capable of doing anything else. He is. The success of The Drive By Truckers is largely through his "labor, brains and sweat." He is not the screw up he likes to pretend he is and I will not let the man off the hook with what is basically self-deprecating bullshit and false modesty. A more accurate way of looking at it is that he had such an overwhelming artistic vision for what Drive By Truckers could be that it precluded him from doing anything else with his life. He was tenacious in seeing that vision through. His vision is just as valid a calling as any minister's. But if he had absolutely no musical aptitude the man would have found something else that he loved and he would have been a success.

[Beebs]

I just got an email saying it has now been shipped. And like others, the email has a tracking number that appears invalid on the website.

With many companies the "shipped" email goes out as soon as your order is packaged but the tracking link doesn't go live until the package gets scanned through the first shipping hub. Usually late at night for smaller companies that have their outgoing orders picked up all at once at the end of the day.

[dogstar]

6) I take issue with Patterson's comment that he is not capable of doing anything else. He is. The success of The Drive By Truckers is largely through his "labor, brains and sweat." He is not the screw up he likes to pretend he is and I will not let the man off the hook with what is basically self-deprecating bullshit and false modesty. A more accurate way of looking at it is that he had such an overwhelming artistic vision for what Drive By Truckers could be that it precluded him from doing anything else with his life. He was tenacious in seeing that vision through. His vision is just as valid a calling as any minister's. But if he had absolutely no musical aptitude the man would have found something else that he loved and he would have been a success.

I think this is what they call hitting the nail on the head.

[Penny Lane]

I emailed Professor Simon and invited him to join the forum.
(assuming he's not a member already-he'd be a great addition)

[09Gamecock]

The best place to get this DVD is on Amazon. I pre-ordered it, and it was right at my doorstep yesterday afternoon (along with the vinyl). Only $11.99 and you can get free shipping if you have Amazon Prime or if you add something else to your order to get your total above $25. I'll post some extended thoughts about the documentary later, but, naturally, I enjoyed it greatly. Hell, I could sit and watch all the leftover footage for hours on end. All the coverage of Patterson, Cooley, and their backstories was fascinating. Tremendously interesting individuals -- the reason I love this band so much is because I so greatly relate to Patterson, his mindset, and his outlook on life.

In regard to the Jason/Shonna situation, I thought the film de-emphasized their divorce and its fallout as much as possible. His removal from the band certainly wasn't covered in any particular detail either -- little bits and sparse details we already knew, with no particular focus on when/how the final decision to kick him out of the band came to a head (all it touches on is the well known reality that the recording sessions for the album were very tense). I certainly wasn't watching this doc for any extended information about Jason and Shonna's situation per se, but I have NO idea how the second poster in this thread said it gave too much information on their breakup. If I recall, neither one was asked a single question about it. It gave no information. What movie did you watch? I'd say the main take is just that, at this stage, everyone can look back and agree that once the divorce was inevitable, one of the two had to go. Jason was going down a different path musically, and Patterson decided he was the one to go. Both Patterson and Jason seemed at peace with the situation and knew it had worked out better for everyone in the long run.

[RustyBolts]

hey Iowan, I got my copy at the Bett Best Buy yesterday so there must have been 2 locations with it. I found it to be very informative. I will need to watch it multiple times however.

[sactochris]

None of the Best Buy stores in the Sacramento area have copies of the film. I even had a BB gift card left over from x-mas so the movie would have been free.

[dmcarolin]

I am in the same boat as many others, I pre-ordered the vinyl+DVD from Topspin and still have not received either. I emailed their customer service address and its been 24 hours and I have yet to hear back from anybody. I hope the bands management reads these complaints and takes some corrective action.

[dmcarolin]

I am in the same boat as many others, I pre-ordered the vinyl+DVD from Topspin and still have not received either. I emailed their customer service address and its been 24 hours and I have yet to hear back from anybody. I hope the bands management reads these complaints and takes some corrective action.

[Beebs]

The best place to get this DVD is at your local independent record store.

fixed

[09Gamecock]

The best place to get this DVD is at your local independent record store.

fixed

Are independent record stores carrying the DVD? The independent record stores I patronize sell RECORDS! More than anything, like some have said in this thread, I was worried about trying to find it on the release date. Usually I buy locally, but when I really want something on its release date, Amazon is more reliable. If Best Buy is the place carrying it, I surely might as well buy it on Amazon.

[Iowan]

hey Iowan, I got my copy at the Bett Best Buy yesterday so there must have been 2 locations with it. I found it to be very informative. I will need to watch it multiple times however.

Yeah, I didn't fully believe it, but that's what the guy in WDM in told me. That particular Best Buy is certainly the best of the 3 around DSM/Ames, so I just took him at this word.

[beantownbubba]

I got it for $12.99, no shipping at my local independent record store.

Well I guess i'm going to be the contrarian on this one.

Everyone's right about space city being a fantastic moment. Everybody seems to have missed the wonderful quote from Prof Simon when he talks about his grad student taking 2 yrs to write a thesis that Cooley did in 3 minutes. Man, that was perfect!! The concert footage was generally pretty good.

As for the rest, it was not the movie i would have made or wanted to see. But damn, it's got me jonesing for a rock show. CanNOT believe that i won't be there friday nite

[rockreid]

Thanks for all the insight on the film. I can't wait to see it (hopefully tomorrow). I'm sure it's every bit as good and honest as everything they've ever affixed their name to.

RevMatt-I especially liked your take on it. Makes wish I didn't have to wait another day to see it. However, I've gone back and forth over your view about DBT being the only thing Patterson could ever do and I agree with you just a tad more than I disagree. With that said though, I've a hard time buying into the false modesty angle, but I do totally understand where you're coming from.

To me, I (mostly) believe Patterson when he says that he'd be no good at anything else. In my opinion, he was born to do what he does for the simple reason that without DBT he'd never had the opportunity to make the impact that he's made without his records and songs. But, like I said I understand your perspective on that and I respect it.

Either way, it's all good and I can't wait to see it.

[RevMatt]

RevMatt-I especially liked your take on it. Makes wish I didn't have to wait another day to see it. However, I've gone back and forth over your view about DBT being the only thing Patterson could ever do and I agree with you just a tad more than I disagree. With that said though, I've a hard time buying into the false modesty angle, but I do totally understand where you're coming from.

To me, I (mostly) believe Patterson when he says that he'd be no good at anything else. In my opinion, he was born to do what he does for the simple reason that without DBT he'd never had the opportunity to make the impact that he's made without his records and songs. But, like I said I understand your perspective on that and I respect it.

Thanks Weeny.

I said what I said because I have known musicians who were such screw ups that they couldn't have been anything else. Patterson Hood is not in that category. DBT had no help from the music industry. They did not have an instance where they happened to be in the right place at the right time or got a lucky break. It was only after the critical response and sales of Southern Rock Opera were so impressive that a label with distribution signed them. Prior to that, Drive By Truckers built their following one city at a time, one club at a time and one fan at a time. And that was largely due to Patterson Hood. He made the phone calls, made the connections and garnered the support. He helped generate the enthusiasm for his band. He didn't sit on his ass and wait to be "discovered". He made it happen. This is not due solely to his talent on the creative end. It has a lot to do with his talent on the business end of things.

A career as a recording artist is a very unlikely thing. 99% of the people who attempt it never make a living at it.

[missdazey]

first of all, AWESOME is the correct word for the film. I laughed, cried and sang along.
2nd.. my preorder arrived on 2/15 and the local record store (that touted having the 7"vinyl) fell through for my friends.
lastly.. RevMatt.. I agree with a lot that you said, but the part where you compared Wes & Jyl to being a couple around eachother 24/7, the only problem being they aren't in a van/bus.. they can get up and go somehwere else, even if it is only outside.
I wasn't an automatic fan of the band. It took BTCD for me to catch on (that, and actually listening!) while watching the dvd I couldn't help but wonder how anyone watching this could NOT love this band.
I also never thought about them being "out of time" for their type of art. I am grateful that they came in my time.