Monks: The Translatlantic Feedback with Evan Laffer

Rock Docs

Today's episode is about "Monks: The Transatlantic Feedback", from 2006, directed by Dietmar Post and Lucia Palacios.

Our guest today is Evan Laffer of the Jokermen podcast and media empire. This is Evan's second Rock Docs appearance, having previously joined us to discuss "Bob Dylan: 1978-1989 - Both Ends of the Rainbow" with his fellow Jokerman Ian Grant.

The movie is about the pioneering art-rock band The Monks, who were comprised of five Americans who met while serving in the U.S. Army in Germany in the early 1960s. They formed a beat group called The Torquays and then connected with some mysterious German businessmen who convinced them to fully reform their sound and dress like monks, including the "Friar Tuck" style hairdo, shaved on the top. They were to be Monks at all times, to always be sexy, and avoid being Torquays.

The Monks' music and ethos was unlike any band at the time, and nobody has come close to copying them. The film sometimes raises more questions than it answers, but that's appropriate for a band that is steeped in mystery.

Rock Docs is a Treble Media Podcast hosted by David Lizerbram & Andrew Keatts

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