Staff Magazine - Today is the Day Documentary/
June 6th, 2017
by Staff Magazine
English:
“THE MAN WHO LOVE TO HURT HIMSELF”:
A DOCUMENTARY ABOUT STEVE AUSTIN FROM TODAY IS THE DAY.
THE MAN WHO HURTS HIMSELF FOR LOVE.
For music to be the strong force it is, engines are needed. Engines that make progress without regard to fashions or benefits. Steve Austin, from the band Today is the Day, is one of those engines that make music become a universal language, capable of being understood by the most diverse people, and that finds in its message a reflection of its own reality emotional. But an engine of these characteristics requires a high cost for the driver. In this case, this cost is reflected in the artist’s own life, who is away from home, exposed to near-death experiences and sees his children grow up and is not at his side to accompany them.
Anthony Short has spent two years together with Steve Austin to create a portrait as true as possible about the reality of one of the most creative and dynamic people in the music industry. The result is “The Man Who Loves To Hurt Himself” , A documentary on the figure of Steve Austin, and we strongly recommend you to see it. We chatted with Anthony and Steve about some of the issues that are discussed in the documentary and about opinions on some issues of interest. We hope you enjoy it.
The first question is a must, how has been working with Steve Austin during the two years of filming this documentary?
Anthony Short: Usually when you are making these types of films, there is a real awkward moment of getting to know someone, breaking down their fears of the camera, making sure everyone is comfortable and getting across a message that is sometimes very staged and rehearsed. Since I have known Steve since 1997, there really wasn’t that barrier. It was really nice to be able to turn on the camera and just talk to him like a genuine friend. I really wanted him to open up and be honest in a way that most documentaries have a hard time achieving. I think we captured the best moments after hours of just sitting and talking about whatever naturally came to mind on that day, whether it was up in his studio or on the road playing shows across the country, we would forget the camera was even there at times. In that regard Steve was brilliant. He is a deep thinker, like a modern day existential philosopher. I’m always intrigued by the way he is able to verbalize his perceptions. I share a lot of the same views on life and love that he does and so the conversations we had were very easy and natural to have.
How has it been to collaborate with a film crew for two years to make this documentary?
Steve Austin: It was very weird at first because I don’t like talking about myself. But, Anthony is a long time friend and it made it easier to relax and just let things happen naturally.
Where did the idea of dedicating a documentary to this great artist come from?.
Anthony Short: The idea came from my brother Alex, who co-produced the film with me. Alex introduced me to Steve all those years ago and has also toured with Today is the Day on several occasions over the past 2 decades. He and I were talking about another project I was working on and the subject came up about the concept of “not selling out” and what that means to different people. It happened to be a project revolving around music as well and we started talking about what inspires us. Steve Austin and his career naturally came to the foreground in our conversations as a force of nature on that topic.
The title of the film seemed very personal to me. I recalled him telling me about writing the song entitled The Man Who Loves To Hurt Himself and how it was about the way he looked at himself. What I took from it was, we all get in our own way sometimes in the pursuit of something greater – either by bad habits that keep us down or by not letting go of things that are failing us. The song was a reminder that you need to wipe the slate clean and put your all into everything you do, whether or not you think it will hurt you. The message seemed so universal, that I wanted the world to hear it. Steve is the epitome of someone who carves his own path in life, doesn’t care what others think and as a result connects with people through his art in a way that is incredibly inspiring to me personally.
The documentary delves deep into Steve Austin’s personal life, what have you discovered of his personality that surprised you during the shoot?.
Anthony Short: It definitely does, and I credit him for being so open and vulnerable with me in that regard. Since I’ve known him for so long, there weren’t that many surprises to me about his life, dedication, and passion to his music. I guess what really stuck out to me was his love and admiration for his family. There is a real struggle for a touring musician to be away from home as much as he is, and he is very open in the documentary about how much that sucks. It hurts him to be away from home all the time. He thinks about how it affects them and he is hard on himself about it. But it’s all because of how much love he has for them. His wife Hannah, and his two kids Hank and Willy are some of the best folks I’ve ever met, so I totally sympathize with him. Playing music is his job and traveling away from home is a big part of it. This is another aspect that I think is very relatable to a lot of people. Whether you’re a truck driver, a traveling salesman, or in the military you know how it feels to be away from people you love and the toll it has on you personally. The perseverance is really hard to overcome – and Steve really opens up about that in a way that defines the core message of this film.
The film goes beyond the surface and shows us a more personal portrait of you. Are you satisfied with that portrait?
Steve Austin: Well, yes and no. I think we all think we have a pretty good idea about who we are and what makes us ourselves. When you see it in a film it awakens you about things about yourself that you never knew.
As the minutes pass the viewers realize that you have opened a lot emotionally for the shooting. Was it hard for you to show parts of your life that people who do not know you did not know?
Steve Austin: Not really, as far in front of other people. I have always been brutally honest about myself in my music and doing this was pretty much the same concept. It was harder Remembering and living through old memories of painful things.
Of the moments of your life that appear in the documentary. Which one do you prefer?
Steve Austin: All of it. He followed me around the country at shows and at home. It’s a pretty accurate view inside of my life.
There are parts in the documentary that are very emotional, such as the images of the birth of the first son of Steve Austin and his wife, or the story of the traffic accident suffered by Today Is The Day in 2014. What was, for you, the most emotional moment of the shooting?
Anthony Short: It sounds like the most emotional parts for me are exactly the two moments you brought up, but both parts came about in very different ways.
In the editing process of the film, Steve had given me some really great personal home movies that were such a great window into him as a person outside of the music he is known for. I wanted to shuffle through those moments in the film at times where you really feel his love for his family. I still get choked up myself in the scene where you see him and his first child being born while the soundtrack is an interview of him talking about the most important thing in life is love.
But being there in person 5 days after the tour van accident was intense. I hope that people get a sense of the magnitude that wreck had on him because it was a crazy time. As he put it, it would be like a small business owner watching their store burn to the ground. Not only did he barely survive, but he lost equipment, merch, the tour van was totalled and an entire leg of an income genrating tour had to be cancelled three weeks before Christmas. But then I saw first hand the emmense support both his family and his fan base expressed, and that is the moment you realize it’s all for real. Everything he does, the sacrifices he gives, the passion he has and the connections people have with him are real.
We are sorry about the news of your traffic accident while you were on tour with Today Is The Day. Have things returned to normal within the band?.
Steve Austin: Yes, it took a lot of time. I was smashed up pretty good and my spine was compressed from my head slamming into the ceiling of the van when it flipped upside down. I couldn’t really walk the same for a long time. I was able to play music and get around, but I was more or less handicapped for 2 years.
The documentary shows your two professional facets, as a musician and as a producer. Does one facet predominate over the other?.
Steve Austin: No they go hand in hand. I cant make music without the studio. The studio is useless without music. I love doing both and the more I grow and learn even as I get older, it benefits each of those things.
Do you think there is a generational relay with the same passion and delivery that Steve has?
Anthony Short: I think you can find artists in all generations and disciplines that have a way of expressing Themselves in such a primal and visceral way as Steve does – but I don’t think it is very common at all. So many people get caught up in the technical parts of delivery that they loose their core emotion. That emotion is what transcends genre, format, and time. Steve is definately one in a million.
Steve, we would like you to give us your point of view on the current state of music and the role played by underground bands in this panorama.
Steve Austin: Well, it’s good and bad. Good in that the internet has provided an outlet for many new artists who are really good and deserve to be heard. Bad in the sense that the over saturation of music has lowered the bar for Integrity, Originality and overall quality. The Music industry has really been hit hard (some of it’s own doing) by the economy and the state of digital downloading. But, alas it is the same as it ever was. If you truly love playing and creating music, then you will do it even if no one ever hears it, never getting paid or whatever. I meet true underground artists from time to time and they stand out. They get it. They do their craft and don’t compromise for anyone or anything.
Do you share Steve’s opinion about the big record companies?
Anthony Short: Well, I am certainly no expert when it comes to record companies, but I do find Steve’s perspective as an artist to be very enlightening. I believe the hardest part of any artist’s job is finding an audience. And the thing that makes a great artist is, most of the time, antithetical to doing that job well. Marketing, promotion, distribution and monetization of art and entertainment is better paired with a partner that shares the same focus of the artist. Finding the right partner is a very tricky thing though. From an artist’s perspective, companies tend to follow inhumane trends of sucking in more money than it should and dispersing less than one would hope, in principle. From the companies point of view, the value consumers put on paying for entertainment is going down (either by online streaming or illegal sharing), so the money pie that needs to be shared is very small and the cost of doing business is always going to rise. That makes for a very disruptive business model.
Steve makes the case directly with the audience that we should put up a better effort as a society to support the arts. As he puts it, people have no problems paying for their cell phone bills, if you go to the mechanic you pay him for a service, and for the price of an energy drink, people should be willing to pay for a song, or an album. The artist won’t get rich off of it, but at least he could keep going and the thing you enjoy listening too could survive. Too many artists have to call it quits because the burden becomes too great to overcome. That struggle is one that Steve addresses face to face in this film.
Tell us about your immediate future plans. What are you currently working on?.
Steve Austin: I am making Today Is The Day’s 11 Full Length record.
Anthony Short: Right now I am focused on getting this film out there for as many people to be able to enjoy it as possible.
Anthony, do you play in a band?
Anthony Short: No, not anymore. I have played in bands in the past but I am a full time filmmaker now.
What is your favorite album of Today is the Day ?. And your favorite song?.
Anthony Short: I was first introduced to Today is the Day when my brother gave me a copy of Willpower, so that is an album that I still look at with unadulterated nostalgia. My favourite song is the song the movie was named after – The Man Who Loves To Hurt Himself.
Checking your page of IMDb we have seen that you have participated in many important projects, almost always doing work related to sound. Is this your first project as a director?.
Anthony Short: I started in this industry with post audio and have grown into a producing role on a variety of different projects. This is the first feature I have directed and so naturally I produced it as well. I had the luxury of bringing my years of experience to this project. It allowed me to take my time in finding my unique voice in telling Steve’s story.
We loved the soundtrack of the documentary. The piano adds an even more emotional air to the scenes that make the viewing experience even more emotional. Have you composed the soundtrack?.
Anthony Short: Thank you. Yes, I composed music, edited, shot, produced, and directed the film.
To say goodbye we give you a space to tell people who are not familiar with Steve and his music why they should go to see this fantastic documentary. Thank you very much for your attention.
Anthony Short: Steve is a fascinating man with a unique story that I think relates to many peoples struggles. The movie depicts a man trying to find his way in life while faced with the inevitable questions of sacrifice and survival. If you know of Steve you will get o see archival footage of old band members from Brad Elrod to Brann Dailor and Bill Kelliher of Mastodon fame. If you have never heard of Steve you will experience an existential journey through a one-way conversation with a man who has for 30 years paved his own way in life in search of love and happiness.
A deluxe 20th anniversary edition of Today is the Day ’s seminal 1997 – release Temple Of The Morning Star album was just re-released on CD/DVD, 2xLP, and digital formats through the band’s new label home of The End Records, each format of the reissue featuring bonus materials and more.