HAM Documentary

HAM Living Dead

Documentary shot on digital video 85 min. for Cinema/Television
Premiered December 2001, sill be shown on Icelandic TV (RUV) 2003
Directed & edited by: Thorgeir Gudmundsson, Örn Marinó Arnarsson and Thorkell Hardarson
Produced & Written by: Thorgeir Gudmundsson, Örn Marinó Arnarsson, Thorkell Hardarson and Óttarr Ólafur Proppé

The cultivation of the stupidity of Rock'n'Roll. A comical real-life documentary.

Icelandic rock group HAM played from 1988-1994. Their music was unique and has been described as heavy metal catholicised or the sacred music of modern times.

HAM were often close to breaking the international market but band members with their unique approach to stressful moments always managed to blow it big-time. A good example of their attitude towards the public and the press in particular, "How do you take an interview with a group whose answer to every question is 'Shirley Bassey is a mythic Troll' and then demonstrates how to piss in a sink 2-3 times during the interview?" or their stage performance "The intoxicated singer falls off the stage, the guitar player is so drunk that he's performing lying on his back and the bass player misses the gig due to excess consumption of Jim Beam".

"In the fourteenth century rock and roll didn't exist. Today it is a fact of life!"
S. Björn Blöndal - bass player

"God help those who are blinded by the economics of music but do not stop to marvel at the spectacle of Rock and roll."
Óttarr Proppé - singer

"It seems evident that I am the world's greatest living musician."
Sigurjón Kjartansson - singer and band-leader

Many people enjoy a drink now and then. I think it never did us any harm."
Flosi Thorgeirsson - guitar player

The film includes original footage from throughout the groups active years and includes parts of earlier films 'HAM í Reykjavík' 1991 and 'HAM - Lengi lifi' 1994. The film documents the rebirth of HAM in 2002 as well as it's second death three days later. The only interviews with band members are from old footage, done while the band was still active. These are cut together with recent interviews with various people affiliated with HAM or the Icelandic music scene in the late eighties and early nineties to tell the story in perspective. The film got outstanding reviews when it was released in Iceland in 2001 and was nominated for the 'DV 2001 Cultural Awards' as 'film of the year'.

Reviews:
"A strong and vibrant documentary." - DV (Reykjavik newspaper)
"An instant classic." - Fréttabladid (Reykjavik newspaper)
"At the forefront of Icelandic filmmaking today."- Morgunbladid (Reykjavik newspaper)

Source:
http://this.is/glysgirni/2/ham.html