N.A.S.A.: Spirit of Apollo 2013
Distributed by Microcinema International/Microcinema DVD, 71 Stevenson St. Suite 400, San Francisco, CA 94105; 415-447-9750
Produced by Sam Spiegel and Ze Gonzales
Directed by Sam Spiegel and Ze Gonzales
DVD, color, 57 min.
Sr. High - General Adult
Art, Alternative Rock Music, Graphic Arts, Indie Rock Music, Popular Culture, Progressive Rock Music, Punk Rock Music, Rap, Rock Music, Social Movements
Date Entered: 11/15/2013
Reviewed by Brad Eden, Ph.D., Dean of Library Services, Valparaiso UniversityTo start, this DVD is not about America's space program or NASA, but is about jam sessions with musicians of every rock and rap genre available. N.A.S.A. stands for North America/South America, and is the brain child of Sam Spiegel (aka Squeak E. Clean) and Ze Gonzales (DJ Zegon). There are a number of eclectic pairings of well-known musicians featured: David Byrne and Chuck D, M.I.A. and Santigold with Nick Zinner, Kanye West and Lykke Li, and many others. The problem with these jam sessions is that there are so many of them, the musicians are hard to hear and often unintelligible, and no musician really stands out. While the sheer number and popularity of the guest musicians is amazing, the music isn't, unfortunately. There are some good moments, and for someone who just wants to listen to big-name artists do their thing together, then this film is worth watching. The graphic art is pretty amazing as well. In the spirit of popular culture and artistic collaboration, it certainly stands out.