Stuff You Gotta Watch: Picture My Face
If Canadian punk had a Mount Rushmore, Teenage Head’s Frankie Venom would be front and centre. Picture My Face tells the story of the endlessly photogenic frontman, his untimely passing from throat cancer in 2008, and how his bandmates have kept the music alive for 45 years.
When Teenage Head step off stage, director Douglas Arrowsmith’s documentary becomes a meditation on loss and resilience. Few bands are willing to get this vulnerable about their mental health struggles, making Picture My Face comparable to uncomfortably intimate rock docs like Anvil! and Some Kind of Monster. Guitarist Gord Lewis’s priest brother makes the largest impression, a character on par with Metallica’s therapist Phil Towle.
Arrowsmith’s emotionally charged film follows the 2017 comeback of the Ontario punk legends, from the release of a greatest hits compilation to performances with new singer Dave “Rave” Desroches at local high schools and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats halftime show. They might not incite riots like they did back in 1980, but Teenage Head still rock and roll like their lives depend on it.
Review by Jesse Locke. Check out the full archive of the Stuff You Gotta Watch column.