When you see the star-studded list of musicians in the new documentary The Heart is a Drum Machine, you’ll probably find one or two tempting enough to make you reach for your wallet. But let’s get some bad news out of the way first, so you don’t feel ripped off later.

The film takes the question “What is music?” to some pretty awesome people. But if you’re expecting a definitive, earth-shattering answer, be warned that most of the interviews have been sliced down to sound bytes. A lot of the film felt like I was flipping channels and only catching pieces of interesting conversations. Then again, I suppose the broad tagline “A Documentary Film on Music” should have prepared me for a lot of ideas crammed into just over an hour.

On the bright side, part of the film’s charm comes from its shotgun approach to answering the question “What is music?” We hear about everything from EEG brainwave music to aboriginal funeral chants to playing musical saw in the subway to the “Golden Record” sent into space. I liked that the film was more of a cultural collage than a heady attempt to explain music.

So in the spirit of the film, here are some random musical thoughts I found fascinating, in no particular order:

Slow Songs for Learning, Fast Songs as Antidepressants. Dr. Orli Peter claims that slow songs (around 60 beats per minute) help with cognitive skills like learning a language, while faster songs act as temporary antidepressants.

John Frusciante on the Star System. The filmmakers must be big Frusciante fans, because they included his uncut interview as the only bonus feature. He makes a unique argument against the star system in the music industry – why would we want music, which lives in the endless realm of imagination, defined by a musician’s public image? Ironically though, this film’s success depends entirely on its lineup of musical stars.

Violent Music is Just Human Nature. Metal guitarist Ivar Bjørnson says that writing songs about killing people isn’t really that evil – it’s just like having a violent dream. To him, songwriting is about delving into the human psyche, in all its bizarre forms.

Matt Sorum (Velvet Revolver/Guns n’ Roses) on The Backstreet Boys. Hearing them over the speakers in a restaurant, he would normally have made some snide comment. But then he saw something that completely changed his perspective: a young girl was listening to the Backstreet Boys intently to escape from her parents’ shouting match. From then on, he knew never to write off a song as musical trash – it could be someone else’s therapeutic musical treasure.

Happy Birthday, You Conformist! Even though we think of music as a creative exercise, electronic composer Morton Subotnick reminds us that we usually value musical conformity over creativity. Just try singing “Happy Birthday” with a few unique notes or rhythms, and see if anyone compliments you on your creative interpretation.

Has anyone else out there seen the film? Reactions? Favorite moments?

Charlie McCarron, Sound Consultant
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