Alex Winston takeover • Underbelly pop

“I guess it started out with religion. When I was younger, I had a friend who was Catholic tell me that I was going to hell because I was Jewish, and that was an extremely profound moment for me. It made me so angry that I became completely obsessed with religion and more specifically,  American religious extremists. I really just felt desperate to understand. I also became really intrigued by some of the glorified religious spokesmen like Benny Hinn and Ted Haggard. It all felt really insincere and corrupt, but I was blown away by the power they held over people.

This led me to exploring some of the other more off-kilter “leader” figures like Jim Jones and David Koresh. It was all just very fascinating to me, and sparked my interest in the more obscure side of America. I guess I could sit and talk about Hollywood or glamour or the idea of the American dream, but I’ve always found that stuff to be sort of benign. I’d rather look at the underbelly and learn about some of the American subcultures that don’t tend to have pop songs written about them!”

Though I’m still not 100% sure what this film is actually supposed to be about, it’s definitely a must see if not only for the comedic value. The Whites are considered to be one of America’s last outlaw families, and even though they sleep with each other’s husbands and shoot their uncles in the face, they’ve managed to stay together over the years wreaking havoc throughout Boone County, West Virginia. Also, did I mention they tap dance?

Surprisingly good documentary with Johnny Knoxville. Pretty much the ‘fuck you’ to Chris Hansen’s NBC ‘Dateline’ special on Detroit.

Alexandra Pelosi (‘Friends Of God’, ‘Jesus Camp’) follows ex pastor Ted Haggard as he packs up and moves from his church and state after being excommunicated for sex and drug scandals. It’s an interesting journey to say the least.

When I was eight I saw Dr. Kevorkian eating at a Leo’s Coney Island in Detroit. At the time I wasn’t fully aware of what he did or why there was such stigma attached to his name, but I was instantly intrigued by Dr. Death and the looming cloud of taboo that seemed to follow him around. After his recent passing, I thought I’d post this documentary which focuses on his early life, his fight for death with dignity, and later his run for Congress. Whether you hate him or love him, the man made history and this film is definitely worth the watch.

A great film about the brilliant Townes Van Zandt. Townes’s music has had a huge influence on me, especially while making my record – it was practically all I was listening to at the time. There may even be a Townes track hidden somewhere on the record.

An interesting look into the world of objectum sexuality. Somewhat of an inspiration for the song ‘Velvet Elvis’.

Yeah. HELL YEAH.

This is the film that made me fall in love with documentaries: a respectably even-handed look at a summer camp for evangelical children. I highly recommend watching this, if not only for the fact that you will see eight year olds speaking in tongues to a cardboard cut out of George W. Bush.

An interesting re-cap of the tragedy that happened at Jonestown and a look at a true master of manipulation.

This is by far one of my favourite documentaries of all time. The first time I saw this film I couldn’t believe these people existed. Mark Borchardt, his family and film crew are just as entertaining, if not more, than any of the characters you’d find in a Christopher Guest film. I highly recommend checking this documentary out. It’s heartwarming and fucking hilarious.

Tagged alex winston