The director for a forthcoming documentary on The Black Keys has said that his film will not be a typical tour doco, but instead “a buddy comedy with perhaps the greatest soundtrack of all time.”
Speaking to Spin magazine, film-maker Noah Abroms, is eschewing the typical ‘road movie’ formula for a goofier portrait of the blues rock duo. “A lot of music documentaries spend too much time trying to make people cool. I’m fortunate enough to know these guys pretty well and their relationship is pretty incredible and very funny.”
As a photographer and close friend of the band, Abroms has been capturing footage of the Keys since they embarked on their world-wide El Camino tour last year, filming the band as they tour Europe, America and, currently, Canada. In the same chat with Spin, he praises the pair’s hard work ethic, “They worked and worked and worked and toured and toured and slept in a van and worked their asses off and now they’re selling out arenas. I think it’s a testament to their talent and hard work.”
Despite the sell-out stadium shows and critical acclaim, he declares they’re still just “guys that grew up around the corner from each other… for as big as these guys are now they’re still two guys from Akron,” he adds. He’ll stay on the road with the band and continue filming until the tour wraps up in August, which includes their forthcoming sold out tour to Australia.
Abroms hopes to release the compiled footage in a theatrical release next year. “We’ve gotten some amazing footage so far,’ he says, but the focus will remain on the humorous relationship between guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney, “the comedy is usually endless with those two.”
