Non- Live in Osaka

Movie: Non- Live in Osaka
Company: Soeilmoon Recordings
Format: DVD
Reviewer: Matthew Johnson
Date: 9/26/04/b

Seeing Non in person is like attending a political rally, with members of the audience temporarily putting aside all religious and political affiliations in the allegiance to the earsplitting percussion and martial poetry of founder Boyd Rice; at their last LA appearance, one fan was heard to scream “Boyd for president!” at the top of his lungs. Seeing a Non concert on film – even when the band members included such underground luminaries as Blood Axis’s Michael Moynihan, Sol Invictus’s Tony Wakeford, and Strawberry Switchblade’s Rose McDowall – is a less invigorating affair, and frankly pretty boring even to diehard fans. As a film of 1989’s concert in Japan, this DVD is pretty worthless – it’s just a bunch of silhouettes banging kettledrums on a poorly lit stage. The commentary, though, is another story; Rice is an eloquent and fascinating speaker, and to hear him ruminate on his ideas of music and performance is captivating. Even a casual fan of what Rice terms “the anti-underground” can learn a lot from this. From the Japanese reaction to Non’s militaristic imagery to the history of their “Silent Night” parody, the commentary alone is worth the price of this DVD. Add to that a hardcopy of Non’s European tour diaries, a slide show, and two short experimental films, and this becomes a must-have for any Boyd Rice fan.