Two frontmen, one shared scene, and years of tangled ambition sit at the heart of Dig!, a 2022 documentary about the volatile relationship between the Brian Jonestown Massacre and the Dandy Warhols.
What is Dig! about?
Directed by K. Asher Levin, the film traces how Anton Newcombe and Courtney Taylor, leaders of their respective bands, moved between camaraderie and open rivalry as one group chased wider mainstream recognition while the other kept resisting on its own terms. Rather than settling into a simple rise-and-fall structure, the documentary follows years of footage capturing recording sessions, on-stage clashes and the kind of friction that comes from two artists who clearly respect each other's talent even when they cannot stand being compared. It is as much a study of ego and creative drive as it is a chronicle of a specific music scene.
About the cast
The film's presentation credits list Thomas Jane, Harlow Jane, Emile Hirsch and Liana Liberato alongside the archival documentary footage, lending the project an additional layer beyond the raw concert and studio material. The heart of the story, though, remains the two bandleaders themselves and the members around them who lived through the era being documented.
Context & significance
Dig! belongs to a small group of music documentaries that treat a rivalry as a character study rather than a simple retrospective, leaning on unguarded, fly-on-the-wall footage instead of talking-head narration alone. Running 107 minutes, it gives space to the slower stretches of touring and recording that most band documentaries cut around, which is part of why it has stayed a reference point for anyone interested in how two ambitious groups can shape and shadow each other's careers.
Watching Dig! on Ktime
Dig! streams on K-Time with a free account login, and it is available with Persian dubbing and Persian subtitles for viewers who want either format. K-Time's Farsi-first design makes a niche American music documentary like this one just as easy to find and follow as any title in the wider catalogue.