Gorman Bechard, the novelist/filmmaker whose work I have covered extensively over the past couple of decades (!) for the New Haven Advocate, is bringing his new documentary about one of the most important bands in his life, The Replacements, to the indie film festival circuit this month.
Color Me Obsessed debuts at the Gasparilla International Film Festival, followed by screenings at the Wisconsin Film Festival on April 2 and the Chicago International Movies & Music Festival on April 15.
Color Me Obsessed is distinctive because while it features a number of international celebrities raving about the band, it doesn’t actually contain any footage of, or recordings by, The Replacements themselves. I haven’t had an opportunity to discuss this with Gorman, but one of his collaborators on the project, my old friend Dean Falcone, told me over lunch last week that the overriding concept of the doc was always to keep the band unseen and unheard, and to tell their story as if they were gods. Works for me, as my own “Rock Gods” serial on this site might attest.

In other Gorman news, I notice that his most recent fiction feature, Friends (With Benefits) has been picked up for Netflix’s “Watch Instantly” section, which has the potential to expand its audience a whole friggin’ lot. Friends (With Benefits) was filmed in and around New Haven, culminating in a local-band scene at Café Nine. The New Haven Advocate offices nearly won a supporting role, a deal I helped broker, only to have the opportunity for cinematic inmmortality scuttled by higher-ups concerned that the filmmakers might get in the way of the workers. (They would’ve, but we would’ve got a cover story out of it!)