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This is the start to finish story of Kid Dynamite. It goes from the tryouts of Jason Shevchuk to their reunion shows a few years ago (and a mention of their fourth reunion show to try and save CBGBs in 2005). Shevchuk put all this footage together, interviewing the band members, roadies and other friends of the band to give a full multi angled story of Kid Dynamite, all intertwined with live performances spanning the life of the band. This is a rather unbiased (as much as it can be) account, as someone (Dave Hause) expressed their distaste for their reunion shows (he said it was good, but it didn't compare to before they broke up), and another person talked about how there would be another band that would take the punk world by storm in the same way Kid Dynamite did. Shevchuk took a hard look at all aspects of the band, making for a complete and informative documentary.
There are a lot of good stories on here, but none are told better than by former roadies Hause (now in The Loved Ones) and Colin McGinnis (who spent time in Paint it Black and is currently in None More Black). Shevchuk recalled them going up to him at the first Kid Dynamite show, comparing them to Beavis and Butthead, and they more than lived up to that comparison with their interviews and stories. The two were hysterical, making themselves the most entertaining part of the documentary.
The camerawork of the full band interview took me a bit away from their stories. It was in black and white and there was a lot of panning to the different members of the band, rarely staying on one person with no camera movement for more than a few seconds. I found myself trying to follow the camera instead of listening to the words, but that doesn't take away from what they had to say.
That small complaint aside, Four Years in One Gulp is essential watching. Its a great comprehensive documentary about an influential band who continue to have an impact on modern day punk rock.
Written by: RF