A time capsule of an epicenter of the 1980s alternative music scene, Athens, GA: Inside/Out is a critically acclaimed documentary featuring both great and unknown artists.
A special March 11 screening as part of the Music Movie Mondays series at Grail Movie House will be hosted by Asheville author and music journalist Bill Kopp.
Lauded as “the definite portrait of the city’s world-renowned music scene,” Tony Gayton’s 1986 documentary Athens, GA: Inside/Out offers keen insight into the creative center that was and is Athens. Featuring performance footage and interviews with Athens-based artists well known (R.E.M., Pylon, The B-52s) and obscure (Time Toy, Bar-B-Q Killers), the film offers up a portrait of what makes the college town and its music scene special.
A key center in alternative (also known as “college rock”) music of the 1980s, Athens – home to the University of Georgia – gave rise to a significant number of new and innovative musical artists during that decade. Gayton’s film is an intimate, unvarnished portrait of that scene. Drawing not only from the musical personalities but also from other notable figures in the arts – most memorably folk artist Howard Finster – Athens, GA: Inside/Out helped bring even more attention to the college town and its diverse music.
First televised on MTV’s The Cutting Edge, the documentary showcased the music of Bar-B-Q Killers, Dreams So Real, Flat Duo Jets (featuring the recently departed Dex Romweber), Kilkenny Cats, Love Tractor, Pylon, R.E.M., The Squalls and Time Toy. Screened in a limited 1987 run in theaters in major cities, today Athens, GA: Inside/Out provides a kind of time capsule of the sights and sounds of a major musical movement.
As part of the Music Movie Mondays series, Grail Moviehouse in Asheville hosts a special one-night-only showing of the film. Presented by Asheville-based speaker, author and music journalist Bill Kopp, the evening will include a screening of the film followed by an interactive discussion.
“Going to the movies has always been a kind of communal experience,” says Kopp, host of Music Movie Mondays. “Especially in this post-lockdown era, the opportunity to not only watch a film but then to discuss it with others is something even more special. And music-related films lend themselves remarkably well to this shared, interactive experience.”
Music Movie Mondays is a monthly series moderated by Bill Kopp, hosted by Grail Movie House and sponsored by AshevilleFM. Music Movie Mondays presents a special screening of Athens, GA: Inside/Out on Monday, March 11 @ 7 pm. The program will feature a brief introduction. Then we’ll watch the film together; afterward, we’ll engage in a moderated discussion.
The one-night-only screening of Athens, GA: Inside/Out is the latest in the ongoing popular series of Music Movie Mondays at Grail Moviehouse. Every month, we’ll watch and discuss new releases, classics and cult favorites.
Written by Grail Moviehouse.