You find your brother band, your sister band, you become a tribe, your big family.
My God, what a f*cking meltdown.
God, I love that f*cking movie, he told me.
‘Dig!‘Getty
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Jonah Hill is also a big fan.
He highlighted its Shakespearian undertone.
For me, this film is as important among docs asGoodfellasis among narrative features.
Ondi Timoner and Joel Gion during the 2004Sundance Film FestivalGetty Images
Being one of eight films over the last 40 years invited to play Sundance, is such an honor.
It feels like a return home for the film.
This is the right place to launch our 20thanniversary film, Ondi Timoner told Deadline.
DEADLINE:I have seenDig!dozens of times.
ONDI TIMONER:Well, the tapes werent getting any younger.
People over the years have said Will you makeDig!
and I was like, Im busy with other new stories.
I just could never get around to it.
Then David prompted this one because he said Ill edit this one, you edited the first one.
That made it possible.
Its now or never, its the 20thanniversary, lets see what weve got.
Some kids came to town and just dug into our archives for us.
We then said, What scenes could use context?
DEADLINE:I had no idea it had been used onGilmore Girls.
I didnt know about it, either.
Id heard like rumors at some point, but Id forgotten.
It was really cool to fill in the blanks on just what was precipitating the fight.
DEADLINE:How much footage did you actually shoot?
ONDI TIMONER:Its 2,500 hours, roughly.
If its real, and its crazier than anything you could ever write, then all the better.
In this case, its like this anthem for artists that everyone seems to be able to relate to.
DEADLINE:Ive heard you say that you originally had a 12-hour cut and then a five-hour cut.
Did you ever think that maybe you could do it over five or six hours as a series?
ONDI TIMONER:That was exactly we said when we got the Grand Jury Prize [at Sundance].
They could not wrap their heads around it, they asked what other musicians did we want to cover.
They said You cant make a series after you make a film?
I said Why not?.
Wed still be open to doing that.
We also feel like we could do a scripted version.
Then we were both like, What if Joel narrated this news version?
My friend said No, theyre alive and well and playing in San Francisco.
DEADLINE:When did you realize that you didnt need to follow those other bands?
ONDI TIMONER:I think it was within the next within the next four or five months.
DAVID TIMONER:It was just it was a gradual thing.
It wasnt like we woke up one morning, were like, well, thats over.
ONDI TIMONER:I didnt believe [Anton].
I said, Well, I will go meet The Dandy Warhols.
But then we go up there and Courtneys like I sneeze and hits come out.
DEADLINE:Of course, they were the most well-adjusted band in America.
But Joel could explain what was actually happening in the backyard before the Viper Room show.
ONDI TIMONER:He could write what we needed narratively in and out of scenes.
Joel told us things that we didnt know.
For instance, Joel told us that Matt had a knife when Anton bit him.
Then we thought we should freeze that and add that so we ended up evolving the cut together.
How do you explain Joels role?
DAVID TIMONER:Hes the glue.
He holds it together.
ONDI TIMONER:He keeps Anton sane, he regulates Anton in a way that no one can.
Hes constantly putting himself, like you see in the Atlanta hotel room, between Anton and other people.
DEADLINE:How does Joel achieve that where lots of other people cant?
Hes told us that our presence there really helped him to maintain his sanity over those years.
He believed in us to do that.
Joel provides 75% of the humor.
DAVID TIMONER:He laughs at the situation.
It goes back to what Courtney says, If its not fun, its funny.
He shows Anton, like, chill man, this is awful but its also kind of funny.
He gives that perspective more.
You see that hes his brother, hes his guardian angel.
Its really generous and wonderful.
It was really fun working with Courtney on the original version.
Its too bad that hes come to find that the film is compromising.
His manager explained to me that he tries to tell Courtney that its a double-edged sword.
He was really into it.
I think its hard to be locked in a certain time in your life.
Simultaneously theyve benefited greatly over the years, obviously.
They have this career security forever too.
Theyre a great band, dont get me wrong, but it has helped both of their careers.
DEADLINE:Did you speak to Courtney or any other members of The Dandy Warhols about this version?
ONDI TIMONER:We have some of them coming [to Sundance].
DAVID TIMONER:I feel like Zia realizes the history of it and wants to support it.
I spoke with Peter, he was friendly with me.
ONDI TIMONER:I think theyll come around because they look so good.
Courtneys gorgeous in this film and so is Anton.
Theyre frozen in time in this enthusiastic, naive place in their lives, but theyre also memorialized forever.
ONDI TIMONER:Anton saw a cut ahead of time, we showed it to him privately.
He laughed his way through it.
I asked him, Do you have any changes?
He said, No, I have no changes.
Then he came out against the film right off the bat.
Another girlfriend says he writes every song, plays every instrument, he is the Brian Jonestown.
DEADLINE:When did you last speak with him?
ONDI TIMONER:We were going to but hes not available these days.
But I can kind of predict it now.
Thats what this movie is going to show.
And thats what the movie shows.
DEADLINE:Has your relationship with the movie changed over the last 20 years?
ONDI TIMONER:My son was born the week I finished the film.
That was no coincidence.
Its the gift that keeps giving.
Did you compare this version to the original?
ONDI TIMONER:Its like Trader Joes canceling your favorite food.
Im thinking Is that common?
Everyone seems to want a physical copy.
DEADLINE:Whats the plan in terms of distribution?
Are you selling it at Sundance?
ONDI TIMONER:This is just the beginning, were selling.
Were presenting it there and were privately talking to a number of buyers.
Itll be really cool to see all the fun things we can do as we roll this out.
DEADLINE:How the hell did Harry Dean Stanton end up at a party at the Brian Jonestown house?
That was after a gig at Spaceland and they just came back to the party.
DEADLINE:David LaChapelle is in the movie, as he was directing a video for The Dandy Warhols.
Werent you working with him on other projects as well?
ONDI TIMONER:We ended up in Davids vortex pretty heavily.
DAVID TIMONER:We wrote a screenplay with him.
But I have this amazing documentary footage, its the only movie from my 20s that I havent competed.
DEADLINE:Have you ever thought about doing something with it?
ONDI TIMONER:Id love to.
But then he didnt pursue it and I dont know why.
I wrote him about it after and he just dodged the subject.
I dont know if hes just not ready yet in his career, but then I got swept up.
And Ive just, Im involved in several films right now.
But Im super open to finishing it.
DEADLINE:Were the music rights complicated?
I know you couldnt use the music from BJMsStrung Out In Heaven, because it was owned by TVT.
Everybody [else] was super on board then and we cleared everything in perpetuity.
What we did carefully with this version is not add any anything.
We didnt add any songs that werent in the film originally.
DEADLINE:The film has a lovely new ending, which I wont give away.
But looking back 20 years ago, did you ever expect that to happen?
I was sure that Brian Jonestown would go on in some fashion.
But the bands were really pretty separated at that point.
I wouldnt think that Anton would be able to have the love that he showed at the end.
I think Courtney would always be like, come over here a little buddy.
DAVID TIMONER:I didnt surprise me at all.
ONDI TIMONER:Im waiting for my thank-you note, its been 20 years now.
