Butch Vig discussed the documentary The Smart Studios Story in a new Lacrosse Tribune interview.
In The Smart Studios Story, Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl gives his take on why bands flocked to Smart: “Butch was one of the first producers to come out of the underground that really wanted to turn your noisy garage band into something that the whole world would love.”
Director Wendy Schneider worked on the documentary over the course of six years, raising $160,000 in a stressful Kickstarter campaign, and got it completed in time for the 25th anniversary of Nirvana’s “Nevermind” album, premiering the film in 2016 at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas. It features interviews with Grohl, Billy Corgan and Jimmy Chamberlin of Smashing Pumpkins, Shirley Manson and Duke Erikson (Vig and Marker’s bandmates in Garbage), Chris Walla of Death Cab for Cutie and dozens more.
“I think it turned out great,” Vig said. “To me, it’s kind of a funky little film. It has a great indie DIY feel to it.”
On top of the documentary, Schneider also is working on the second compilation release that serves as an accompaniment to the film. “American Noise Volume 1” collects songs recorded at Smart by unsigned local bands, including Spooner, while “American Noise Volume 2” will focus on bands on indie labels, including TAD, Killdozer, Die Kreuzen, Urge Overkill, Young Fresh Fellows, Chainsaw Kittens and more.
The prospect of coming back to the little town where it all began for Vig is an exciting prospect for him. “It’s a great homecoming, in some ways. I am really excited to see what’s happening in Viroqua. When I left there, it was a dying town. My dad used to say to me ‘the hippies saved Viroqua,’” Vig said. “My work ethic is about where I’m from. One of the things I think is cool is you can be from a really small town in the middle of nowhere and follow your dreams.”
