Faith No More’s fourth studio release Angel Dust was released three decades ago on June 8th 1992. Our fan page has put together a short documentary film in celebration of one of the greatest albums ever written.
“I discovered FNM in 1990 with a cassette copy of The Real Thing. The album ignited a fire inside me and changed the way I heard music, The Real Thing was the beginning of a life long obsession. But it wasn’t until 1992 that I became fully immersed in FNM, Angel Dust changed my life and truly shaped my adolescent personality”, says director and FNM Followers team member Jim Brown.
In 2019 we celebrated the 30th anniversary of The Real Thing by putting your questions to the band. The responses were amazing however we wanted to surpass those efforts when celebrating thirty years of Angel Dust. We were keen to mark the occasion with something that would be worthy of the record’s brilliance, appeal to fans and something we could all return to in the years that followed.
Jim deliberated on a few ideas, “I was inspired after watching a BBC documentary on Nirvana’s Nevermind to create a film on this album. Something that has never been done before for FNM."
Using archive footage and an extensive collection of printed press material we have put together a short film which documents Angel Dust from the initial conception, and through the release and touring. We approached Podcast Croissant co-host Mike Hayes to narrate.
Mike commented on his involvement, "The Real Thing lived on heavy rotation in my Walkman. In ’92, off the strength of Midlife Crisis alone, I sold my skateboard for the $30 I needed to buy the CD of Angel Dust. I played Midlife Crisis to death, but the rest of the album was lost on me. It sat dormant for a few months until, on the recommendation of a cool high school friend, I gave it another run. One of the songs had cheerleaders on it, another had demonic squeals, there were drums that sounded like machinery, operatic voice, crooning, haunting string melodies, brutal riffs and slamming bass lines. All the allure of early Faith No More was hidden in there, but multiplied, if you dared to persevere.
To compile the scattered litterings of Angel Dust era FNM would be no easy feat, it would require an obsessed madman with encyclopedic knowledge of the band… Jim Brown asked for my assistance with the narration, and it’s an absolute honour to be involved in this documentary."
There is much more to know about the album’s history and how the music had an impact on the world. This documentary is merely a celebration of the album, it is meant to inform those unfamiliar with Angel Dust's legacy and to entertain those who already know.
FNM themselves have approved the film but did not participate in its creation.
“I liked that there were more smiles than cringes in it. We put everything we had into it, and it's cool to see it continue resonating with people over time" - Mike Bordin
Thank you and enjoy.
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