NXNE: Well Now You’re Here, There’s No Way Back Review

Well Now You’re Here, There’s No Way Back (2014)

Cast: Steven Adler, Frankie Banali, Glenn Hughes
Director: Regina Russell
Country: USA
Genre: Documentary | Music
Official Site: Here

Editor’s Notes: The following review is part of our coverage of the North By Northeast Festival. For more information nxne.com and follow NXNE on Twitter at @nxne.

After the success of their 1983 breakthrough album, Metal Health, things exploded for Quiet Rock and thereby opening the doors for hair metal bands such as Twisted Sister, RATT, Poison, and Bon Jovi. Quiet Riot went against the grain and never gave into the changes that brought about disco, new wave, and grunge. The rock documentary Well Now You’re Here, There’s No Way Back, deals with the evolution, disintegration, and continual resurrections of the band through the life of its quintessential drummer Frankie Banali.

Well Now You’re Here, There’s No Way Back, deals with the evolution, disintegration, and continual resurrections of the band through the life of its quintessential drummer Frankie Banali. 

In 2007, when original lead singer Kevin DuBrow died of an accidental cocaine overdose, Banali was forced break up the band to deal with the loss of his best friend. This, in turn, led to a great deal of soul searching and a refocusing of life for Banali as a single father and a musician with no band. After watching the Grammys and various other organizations pass over honors for DuBrow, Banali felt compelled to reform the band for tribute’s sake. It was also a means for him to work doing what he did best, drumming in Quiet Riot.

First time director Regina Russell follows Banali in his struggles to put together a band that has had its share of various changes. In some ways, Russell uses this as a humorous look at the band who took its music seriously, but it’s lifestyle as rock and roll as possible.

Banali goes through major stages of grief in the film. He blames DuBrow for much of the stress and sense of unstableness he feels. Interviews with friends, musicians, and family, reveal an intimate portrait of Banali as both a nurturing and very hard driven individual.

The film starts off very much like a rock documentary featuring infiltration of hard drinking and drugs to the band back stage. However, after DuBrow’s death, much of the footage becomes sentimental, but it doesn’t linger too long there. Soon after when Banali and the group reform and find a new singer, the story becomes more about the drama in making Quiet Riot work again and seeing how they can move forward with it. It’s heavy stuff, but Russel manages to keep the tone light by reflecting on some of the onstage and on camera blunders as well. While triumphs do happen, some cringing moments occur, and not much is left unsaid. There are few times bassist Chuck Wright’s equipment fails, newcomer Mark Huff forgets his lines, Banali expresses his resentment with DuBrow, bruised egos burn, and tantrums are all on display.

The power of nostalgia does make for a compelling documentary here, but the hook for Russell is in the quiet reveal of her subjects. At its core Well Now You’re Here… showcases a universal story of making the pieces of changing puzzle fit time and time again. 

The power of nostalgia does make for a compelling documentary here, but the hook for Russell is in the quiet reveal of her subjects. At its core Well Now You’re Here… showcases a universal story of making the pieces of changing puzzle fit time and time again. Poignant moments include Banali giving away his drumsticks to a star struck fan. The fan looks up at his hero as if he was looking into the face of a god. It’s a classic heavy metal moment and one that will ring true to anyone who loves Quiet Riot.

Well Now You’re Here…is an entertaining documentary, not only for the 80s music fan, but for those who love music and a peek behind the scenes at the glamour and unglamorous lives of rock stars.