Meet Me in the Bathroom

A new film documents the New York music scene of the early 2000s

By Kendall Polidori

The documentary film Meet Me in the Bathroom, based on the 2017 book of the same name by journalist Lizzy Goodman, provides a snapshot of what’s known as the last great romantic age of rock ‘n’ roll.

The story highlights the defining New York bands of 2001-2011, including The Strokes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Moldy Peaches, TV on the Radio, LCD Soundsystem, The Raptor and Interpol.

While the book is better than the movie, the film adaptation makes the musical endeavor more personal by offering perspectives from the core musicians themselves, such as Karen O (Yeah Yeah Yeahs), Paul Banks (Interpol), James Murphy (LCD Soundsystem) and Julian Casablancas (The Strokes).

The documentary shows more than just the bands’ early performances in New York’s hottest clubs. It details the struggles and anxieties that came with becoming so popular too fast. With a backdrop of world events, such as 9/11 and Y2K, and key moments in pop culture, like the introduction of Napster, Meet Me in the Bathroom hops around each band’s rise as DIY artists.

The watch is worth it for its raw live footage. In one clip, viewers get a front row look at an expressive live performance from Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Sweat gleams on Karen O’s face as she grips the microphone and holds it close to her lips, singing with her whole heart as she crawls the stage. Her quirky outfit clashes with the look of her bandmates.

But the documentary fails to maintain a clear story arc. Scenes are short and jump too quickly, and the ending felt abrupt. Maybe the storyline is that there was no direct storyline.

These bands weren’t necessarily trying to pioneer a new age of music, but they did. Their experiences were sporadic, radical and punk, and the moment was gone before they knew it. No one was ever sure what was going to work— until it did.

Kendall Polidori is The Rockhound, Luckbox’s resident rock critic. Follow her reviews on Instagram and Twitter. @rockhoundlb

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