Meet Me in the Bathroom (2022) | How Early 2000s New York Was the Last Romantic Age of Rock'n'Roll

It's the 1990s, and in New York, guitar music is at its nadir. Subscribe for more from Factual America: bit.ly/AlamoPictures
But as the new millennium approaches, new bands rise out of the ashes of the past. The Strokes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Interpol, and LCD Soundsystem, are just a few of those bringing a new, powerful sound to the Big Apple.
In the middle of this renewal, however, another, wholly discordant, sound rings out over New York: that of terror on 9/11. And in the years that follow, more changes take place. Rents rise, ending the ability of upcoming musicians to live and play close by, while the advent of music downloads forces bands to find new ways to make money.
Meet Me in the Bathroom explores the rise of New York's millennial bands, their love of music, and the essential role that friendship played in their development. Using archival footage, as well as interviews with the musicians themselves, the film charts their rise, journey through 9/11, and beyond.
The film's co-directors, Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace, join Matthew Sherwood to discuss this renewal of New York's music scene at the end of the twentieth century and the tumultuous events at the start of the twenty-first. They look at the importance of Britain to the bands, the 'romantic' nature of this period - a time when the lack of social media meant that bands had a greater element of mystery about them - and of New York itself. Dylan and Will discuss how they made the film, the challenges they faced, and the goldmines they found, as well as how the pandemic lockdown proved to be both a blessing and a curse.
Meet Me in the Bathroom is both an exploration and, as Matthew says, a tribute to another age in music, one more innocent, but no less powerful and authentic.
'What we knew we could do [is] sort of viscerally bring to life the time and a sense of the culture, a sense of the differences between then and now, just through building this kind of collage of that period.' - Dylan Southern
What is Covered:
00:00 - Trailer for Meet Me in the Bathroom
02:08 - Matthew Sherwood introduces this episode's guests, Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace, and their film, Meet Me in the Bathroom
04:28 - Will explains what Meet Me in the Bathroom is about
05:39 - Dylan discusses what the music scene(s) in New York were like at the turn of the century
07:31 - Will looks at why bands came to New York
10:24 - Dylan discusses England's 'symbiotic' role with the New York music scene
13:32 - Discussing what made the turn of the century the last romantic age of Rock N Roll
19:49 - Will and Dylan on how 9/11 affected New York's musicians
23:08 - How Will and Dylan found the archive material used in Meet Me in the Bathroom
26:42 - How the pandemic affected Will and Dylan's search for archival material
28:04 - Will discusses the interviews used in the film
29:41 - A shout out for Meet Me in the Bathroom's hard working editors
30:00 - Dylan compares Meet Me in the Bathroom with some of their previous films
31:11 - Discussing Elizabeth Goodman's reaction to the film
32:52 - Dylan and Will discuss their 'key to success'
34:10 - Dylan reflects on what type of film they would like to make next
35:39 - How changing times have forced musicians to change as well
37:11 - Old and new ways of discovering bands
Resources:
Meet Me in the Bathroom www.meetmeinthebathroomfilm.com/
MovieMaker Magazine www.moviemaker.com/
Innersound Audio www.innersoundaudio.co.uk/
Connect with Will Lovelace
IMDb www.imdb.com/name/nm3756719/
Connect with Dylan Southern
IMDb www.imdb.com/name/nm3745191/
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#newyorkmusic

[@DanielDay-dv8uw]

There were so many imo better bands in NY at the time that might garner a few hits on google or youtube but otherwise forgotten which is kind of sad I guess?

[@FactualAmericaPodcast]

Good point - thank you for your comment

[@Mourinho335]

Its not the last, havent you heard of the Punge Rock movement in England?