Being a diehard classic rock fan since birth, I have developed keen ears when it comes to song identification. I can detect a cheap cover of a song or a live version after only a few bars.
During the opening moments of the new documentary Rock School, not to be confused with 2003’s Jack Black vehicle School of Rock, what I thought was a genuine Carlos Santana lick of “Black Magic Woman” can be heard.
I was shocked to see that the axeman was not Mr. Santana, but rather a child less than half my size. I was absolutely floored by this film after less than 10 seconds.
This rockumentary exposes the blossoming talents of some promising (and some not-so-promising) youths who go to The Paul Green School of Rock Music, founded in 1999. Filmmaker Don Argott takes us into the school and we discover just what it takes for kids to be good enough to be subjects of a movie.
We also discover right away that Paul Green is quite a different character than Jack Black’s Dewey Finn. Constantly swearing, insulting, Satan-promoting, and at times even violent towards children as young as seven years old, Green is the tough-love teacher with a heart of gold and a mouth of a sailor. We learn about his supposed soft side as a result of his time on camera, which fortunately (or unfortunately) is far longer than that of the young musicians.
Fortunate, since he is indeed a great character. Green can be construed as a villain for his verbal and physical cruelty towards some of the kids, yet he’s laugh-out-loud hilarious all the while. He’s never boring, surprisingly clever, and even admirable for his efforts in filling the kids’ lives with musical knowledge.
However, Green can be seen as a selfish man, a failed rock star who is attempting to gain some glory by exploiting children via a 'rock school' with his name in the title. It wouldn't be surprising if many people think of this film as his movie, with the children but secondary figures giving praise to this false idol of rock.
That being said, deep down behind the expletives and the pagan endorsements, Green is a character to be pitied. He represents dashed dreams of youth, whereas his students represent hope for the future. The performance at the Frank Zappa festival in Germany where guitar wunderkind C.J. blows away an entire audience is a cinematic moment that should be placed with Hendrix’s national anthem in Woodstock and Bob Dylan’s magical presence in The Last Waltz.
Paul Green’s effervescent personality may makes Rock School hilarious, but it’s the talented kids that make it rock.
Rock School opens in theatres July 8.
