Documentary sequel takes a modern snapshot of Athens Georgia music scene

Like the rest of the world, the music and art realm of Athens is vastly different today than it was in 1987. The decidedly quirky folk-art-tinged space, originally portrayed by director Tony Gayton and producer Bill Cody in the influential “Athens, GA: Inside / Out” documentary has given way to a much more politically savvy, yet no less innovative, community of creatives.

In “Red Turns To Blue: Athens Inside / Out Part 2,” Cody — along with director Tony Brazier and producer Dan Kelly — updates an overview of the scene. The sequel delves deeper into the society of artists who thrive far beyond the familiar jangle and angular pop of the ‘80s, including forays into the hip-hop of LG and Squale, the sincere chamber arrangements of Kishi Bashi and the dedicated political activism of county commissioner Mariah Parker’s Linqua Franqa, for a delightfully engrossing modern snapshot.

Credit: Courtesy of Bill Cody

Credit: Courtesy of Bill Cody

The new movie, completed just before the COVID-19 shutdown, places R.E.M. as more of an offhanded historical reference than star. Pylon’s Vanessa Briscoe Hay appears throughout, emerging as a wise southern sage, ruminating on music, art and politics while representing the continued female empowerment of the scene.

Released by MVD Distribution on streaming, video on demand and DVD platforms this past November, “Red Turns Into Blue” has been featured at intimate screenings in Seattle and Athens. Hay and producer Bill Cody recently spoke with the AJC about the production.

Change is the main theme of the new film and there’s certainly no reason to copy the original. The first one seemed very organic and of the moment, whereas this one seems a bit more focused.

Hay: The first one was right before R.E.M. had achieved international success. The B-52′s had already moved away, even though they’d come back often because of their families and friends, and Pylon had broken up for the first time. The whole thing was pretty much flying in the underground in terms of what was taking place in the university or the city administration.

Cody: The first one was shot on 16-millimeter film, and it may have seemed organic in some ways because we shot it over a compressed time and it became a well-thought-out party. With this one, it’s a new world, so it’s digital. But basically, the genesis of it was also at a party of sorts. I was in Athens for an event and [Pylon bassist-artist-photographer] Michael Lachowski and I talked about the fact that there needed to be an update of the first one. It was really obvious that — not that there weren’t strong women in the scene before — but this time it seemed like there was a young lady in almost every band. Cindy Wilson [of the B-52′s] was doing her solo stuff and Vanessa had the Pylon Reenactment Society going. These strong women icons of Athens making important new music. The other thing was, there were definitely more people of color involved in the scene, so we followed those two threads.

Credit: Raphaëla Alemán

There’s a definite political vibe.

Cody: There is and we didn’t even intend it that way at first. The intense discussion between [Drive-By Truckers singer-songwriter] Patterson Hood and Mariah Parker changed that. Of course, some of these racial and political issues have been struggles forever. They’re not completely solved in Athens or anyplace else but it does seem like people are actively trying. That’s why I want the film to get out there wider because right now, while everybody is so bummed out, depressed and angry, there’s still hope. The hope is in listening to one another and being open to change.

The other main thread is community. It’s very downtown Athens-centric.

Hay: Back then, the university wanted nothing to do with this kind of thing. We were kind of under the radar. Now, the music and art scenes are almost a public relations tool for both the city and the university. Although R.E.M. helped get a mayor elected and they were a big part of the “think globally, act locally” thing, it was still pretty low-key for a long time. These days, everything is different. A lot of it is due to the efforts of the people you can see in the movie. In 2020, UGA even hosted a Pylon exhibit, so I guess we’ve finally gone legit!

It’s a really good mixture of the old and new Athens mindsets — and female empowerment is right at the forefront.

Hay: It’s really an acknowledgement of what’s been going on all along in Athens. We’ve always had female empowerment and embraced all persuasions. Not only with bands like the B-52′s and Pylon, but even Oh-Ok. You could probably make a movie that’s just about the women.

Cody: Because it starts with Vanessa and Cindy, we were kind of making a statement. Both are influential to so many people. That’s a statement to their legacy and to the fact that women don’t generally get treated that well as they get older in rock and roll. Or in music in general. The performances of those two are so important — then we go straight to Nihilist Cheerleader who are younger. In the first one, it was a very young scene in many ways. But you go to shows in Athens now and it’s the same thing, everybody dances. Some of the people dancing are 80 years old and they’re dancing right next to a 15-year-old. I think that’s something that is very special about Athens, the inclusion. I would like for people to see this and maybe treat each other a little kinder, but also figure out ways to make things better for the entire community we live in. Is that too much for a film to ask for? I don’t think so.