Music notes: Pink highlights new crop of music documentaries

Pink is the subject of the documentary, "Pink: All I Know So Far."

Credit: Andrew Macpherson/© 2021 Amazon

Credit: Andrew Macpherson/© 2021 Amazon

Pink is the subject of the documentary, "Pink: All I Know So Far."

In 2018, Pink dazzled Atlanta at the venue then-still-known-as-Philips Arena on her “Beautiful Trauma” tour.

The show, filled with aerial maneuvers, muscular pop songs and the singer’s unfettered joy, became my top pick among Atlanta’s concerts in 2018.

Pink returned for an encore performance in March 2019 at what is now known as State Farm Arena. The venue name changed, but Pink’s dedication and showmanship did not. In fact, she was even more vocally impressive and assured as she romped through 20 years of hits. Not surprisingly, she topped my 2019 list of favorite concerts as well.

In the new Amazon Prime documentary, “Pink: All I Know So Far,” it’s apparent that Pink loves music. She respects hard work. And she adores her quietly supportive husband, Cary Hart.

But her real love affair is with her children.

Willow, who is about to turn 10, and Jameson, 4, are captured in nearly every frame of the visual memoir, which was filmed during the 2019 European leg of the “Beautiful Trauma” tour.

Shave a couple of years off of the kids’ current ages and you have the adorable hellion who is Jameson, with his silky blond curls and impish grin, and the thoughtful Willow, who shares her mother’s penchant for adventure (note their recent performance on the Billboard Music Awards) as well an introspection that belies her years.

As much as “All I Know So Far” — which is capped with Pink’s new song of the same name — is framed by a countdown to two massive shows at London’s Wembley Stadium (with a total audience of more than 160,000), its heart resides not with Pink-the-pop star, but Alecia Moore, the mom.

Carey Hart and Pink star in her new documentary, "All I Know So Far."

Credit: Andrew Macpherson/© 2021 Amazon

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Credit: Andrew Macpherson/© 2021 Amazon

Whether grabbing a glass of red wine to recap the previous night’s show with her team, traveling on a private plane, trying to read a dog-eared paperback or attempting some hotel room stretches, Pink’s brood is present and demanding attention. And she’s always prepared to give it to them.

Similar to Billie Eilish’s “The World’s a Little Blurry (on AppleTV+), family is the constant. Though unlike the young Eilish, Pink, 41 and married to Hart since 2006, has already experienced the romantic heartbreaks detailed in Eilish’s documentary.

Pink, these days, is more interested in trying to knit in the car, working out and personally maintaining her distinctive blond coif (mostly because it’s precious alone time before a concert).

Her balancing skills were rewarded every night on stage, especially when she’d go airborne in a 360-degree rotating harness, a speck floating around cavernous venues, free for at least a few moments.

If you want to dig into some other 2021 music documentary offerings, here are a few worth your time.

Dave and Virginia Grohl in the documentary, "From Cradle to Stage."

Credit: MTV

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Credit: MTV

“From Cradle to Stage” (Paramount+): The shaggy coolness of Dave Grohl is paired with the laid-back awesomeness of his mother, Virginia Hanlon Grohl, as they pop in to chat with Pharrell Williams, Miranda Lambert, Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons, Brandi Carlile, Rush’s Geddy Lee and Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello and their mothers. The six-episode series is based on Virginia Grohl’s 2017 book, “From Cradle to Stage: Stories from the Mothers Who Rocked and Raised Rock Stars,” and offers a unique perspective from the parental units who discuss the journeys — sometimes fraught, other times joyful — of their now-famous musical offspring. The tenuous connection between Dave Grohl and Pharrell — both raised in Virginia (though about 200 miles apart) and both percussion aces — is especially enlightening, as is the upbringing of Reynolds, one of nine children raised by Mormon parents, including “super mom” Christene. Episodes with Reynolds, Pharrell and Lambert are available now; Carlile’s arrives May 27; Morello June 3; and Lee June 10.

Tina Turner sits for an interview in 2019 for her HBO documentary, which first aired March 2021. Courtesy of HBO

Credit: Courtesy HBO

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Credit: Courtesy HBO

Tina Turner, “Tina” (HBO and HBO Max): While heavy on her years with Ike Turner, this deep dive directed by Oscar winners Dan Lindsay and TJ Martin (“Undefeated”) also zooms into Turner’s unlikely and spectacular return as a middle-aged rock strutter in the 1980s. Turner sat for a rare series of interviews with the directors in 2019 at her majestic mansion in Zurich, Switzerland, where she resides with doting husband Erwin Bach. They also captured her return to the U.S. for the opening of the Broadway production, “Tina – The Tina Turner Musical,” which, along with this documentary, are framed as the final bows in an extraordinary career. Now we wonder — will she accept her solo induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in person later this year?

Demi Lovato, “Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil” (YouTube): It’s painful to watch at times, especially the second of the four episodes (“5 Minutes From Death”) when the singer’s then-assistant finds Lovato unresponsive from a drug overdose. But the overall arc of this bracing doc is one of hope and redemption, even if a sage such as Elton John expresses his skepticism about Lovato’s decision to indulge in stimulants in “moderation.” Lovato is focused and composed throughout, and interviews with her biological family and touring family, as well as others in her orbit (doctors, security members), detail a story still in progress.

Upcoming music documentaries

Moby, “Moby Doc”: Arrives May 28 in theaters and digital platforms. Includes interviews with David Lynch and David Bowie.

Brian Wilson, “Long Promised Road”: Premieres at the Tribeca Film Festival June 15. Features interviews with Al Jardine, Bruce Springsteen and Elton John.

Sly Stone is some of the unearthed footage that will be seen in the documentary, "Summer of Soul," spearheaded by Questlove.

Credit: Courtesy Mass Distraction Media

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Credit: Courtesy Mass Distraction Media

“Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)”: Lands in theaters and on Hulu July 2. Spearheaded by Questlove, the film spotlights the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival and previously unseen performances from Sly & The Family Stone, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Stevie Wonder and more.

Paul McCartney, “McCartney 3, 2, 1”: A six-episode series debuts on Hulu July 16. McCartney engages with super-producer Rick Rubin for in-depth interviews about his musical history.

The Beatles, “The Beatles: Get Back”: Arrives in theaters Aug. 27 (a sneak-peek is available now on Disney +). The oft-delayed insight by director Peter Jackson will offer rare studio footage of the band prior to their breakup, as well as their historic 1969 rooftop concert seen for the first time in its entirety.