‘Meet Me in the Bathroom’: NY film casts light on 00s indie sleaze culture
A new trailer has been released detailing the upcoming release of a documentary called Meet Me in the Bathroom about indie sleaze culture in early 2000s New York. The film will chronologically depict a time where bands ruled the scene, capturing lightning in a bottle with such a pivotal moment in alternative music.
Based on the book of the same name by Lizzie Goodman in 2017, the archived visuals will align with her curated works. It is revealed the film includes bands like The Strokes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, LCD Soundsystem, TV on the Radio and The Moldy Peaches, all of which held the key to a new age in their sound. The culture at the time was about who could get the most ‘fucked up’, which the film will decode to provide an insight into the musical renaissance pre-social media.
Directors Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace of the film Shut up and Play the Hits premiered the film at the Sundance Film Festival last January. Since then, all we have known about the film is the tremendous praise it garnered at the festival. But now, to put all anticipation amongst the indie crowd at ease, the trailer for the film gives more insight into the debauchery of the scene.
The footage shows snippets of each band and their legacy, with the likes of Karen Lee Orzolek of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs revealing how “being a woman fronting a rock band, I was sensationalised” and James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem stating he “lived in fear my whole life, I have nothing to lose”.
The push to bring back indie sleaze through music and fashion has been seen through the yearning for a wild night after being in lockdown, and manifested itself in style predictions of 90s grunge with a seductive edge, or bands making music that echo the subculture. This documentary will be essential in narrating the mood of true NYC band culture, and its once-in-a-lifetime quality. For those who were there, it captures the nuances of the place, and evokes a certain nostalgia of a time gone by for those who were not.
The film is set to release on the 4th of November in New York and LA, with a one night only premiere streamed on the 8th of November and for those not on the guestlist, they must wait until the 28th of November to watch. The UK and Europe will be listening in the wings for the announcement of its release.
