Fat Wreck

A few days ago, Google's algorithm suggested I read an article that NOFX bowed out of the Punk Rock Bowling weekend. While reading it, I heard for the first time about a documentary, A Fat Wreck, about NOFX's Fat Mike's label, Fat Wreck Chords. It was really good. I stayed up late Friday night to watch it on Amazon. I give it 4 out of 5 stars. The doc-makers got access to Fat Mike and major acts on the label. I liked how it wasn't a total puff piece; for example, Propagandhi discussed their song "Rock for Sustainable Capitalism" (2005), which was put out by Fat Wreck Chords and was a reaction to NOFX's "Separation of Church and Skate" (2003). Would have been nice if they would have showed some of the label's questionable behavior; like how they strong-armed J Church into making their Drama and Alienation (1996) sound more like a Fat record that what J Church's Lance Hahn originally envisioned; and how the label hated Lawrence Arms' Greatest Story Every Told (2003) so much, they refused to cough up money for a music video (plus Fat Mike despised that record's cover so much, since then he insists on approving all artwork — I dunno, sounds more corporate than punk rock).

Nonetheless, watching the doc was an enjoyable way to pass 90 minutes. And it inspired me to finally buy the 20th Anniversary Edition of Propagandhi's How to Clean Everything (1993), since my old cassette copy was pretty inferior. I added that album to my Fat playlist, which I listen to regularly and now has 1,136 songs, clocking in at 44 and a half hours.