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An Edinburgh filmmaker, who has been working on a documentary about Wheatus, the American band known for their hit single Teenage Dirtbag, has spoken of his experience touring with the group and the awkward moment when he was mistaken for a member by an excited fan.

IV Jones produced and co-directed the film, Wheatus: You Might Die, which has been years in the making. He said: “In a nutshell the documentary follows the band Wheatus, but it mainly focuses on front man and founder Brendan B. Brown and his external struggle in maintaining his band. It also tackles his internal struggles with himself while also confronting his past. The film tackles some dark themes where Brendan really makes himself transparent on camera, which makes for a raw and sometimes tough to watch movie. It's not just a typical rock-doc. It is a journey of someone's life and how they have managed success while coping with their inner demons.”

IV studied television at college in Edinburgh and then at Napier University where he learned “all aspects of making narrative and non-fiction films”. “Most of the time I was making short films with friends and like-minded creatives in and around Edinburgh and Scotland since 2005,” he said. “I got the documentary film making bug while following a wrestling organisation which was putting on an event up north. I enjoyed working out all the logistics, doing research and conducting interviews. I never knew what type of scenarios I would capture on film which was exhilarating.”

Wheatus Documentary: Film makers discuss their new film about iconic ‘Teenage Dirtbag’ band

He was invited onto the Wheatus project half way through its completion, making an overnight trip to London on the Megabus to speak to director and creator Antony D. Lane. Antony had been promoting his movie Invasion of the Not Quite Dead when he started making plans for this project.

He explained that he sees the film as “a story of one man's struggle to keep his dream alive, his band alive, and to some degree, himself alive through the creative art of making music on his own terms”. He said: “Like with any project, especially if it's self-funded, it can take years of blood, sweat and tears.”

Making the film

Making the film took its toll on its creators and the band, as they travelled across Europe and the USA together, capturing everything on film.

“These sorts of documentaries take a long time to make, especially with no benefactor or proper funding in place,” said IV. “It’s actually the hardest thing I have ever done and it’s also quite taxing on my mental health. Brendan was honest with us and didn’t censor in a sense of what we were allowed to capture. He didn’t really say no. There is a great scene where the band are in the green room while on tour and there is a disagreement with lead singer Brendan and bass player and best friend Matthew Milligan. It really shows you the dynamic of their relationship. Brendan’s anger and frustration comes out, and Matthew was able to defuse this, while also elevating band morale. It’s a great scene which displays everyone's place and personally while on tour.”

However, there were some lighter moments too. Director Antony said: “I remember I filmed everything, and I didn't realise after following Brendan for a few minutes, I'd accidentally followed him to the tour bus toilet, he lifts the lid of the toilet pan up, obvious takes out his instrument to do a wee and looks over to me and says something like "hell no!" and closes the door. Both of us broke out in huge laughter. Touring life can be stressful for the band, especially the early years when Brendan was tour manager, so it really was incredible to grab the lighter moments, and to see Brendan with a smile. It was a fun, but awkward moment.”

IV, a little guiltily, added: “While on one of the last tours we filmed, Antony, myself and our sound guy Danny Allen were chatting with Wheatus’ bass player Matthew in the green room after a show at Plymouth. As it was getting late, we all got up and headed out into the main hallway of the university building. Two security guys in white shirts, black ties and earpieces approached us with excitement and shouted “It’s Wheatus”.

"Without hesitation, he got out his phone and handed it to his colleague to take a photo of us. I remember holding all this film gear looking at Matthew and waiting for him to explain to this guy that this wasn’t the band but filmmakers making a film on Wheatus. But very quickly it became apparent that Matthew was willing to play along. With the security guard with his arm around us all with a big smile, the photograph was taken. There is a guy somewhere who thinks he got a photo with the band Wheatus. Sorry, ha ha.”

Wheatus documentary: Edinburgh filmmaker speaks of experience filming Wheatus: You Might Die

The band

Wheatus lead singer, Brendan B. Brown and bassist Matthew Milligan spoke exclusively to the Edinburgh Evening News about their experience with the film makers, w hat it was like to be constantly on camera, and what they hope people will see in the documentary.

Brendan explained: “It's about what it has been like to keep this band going, I think maybe the struggle to know what our lives had become, as a result of the song and our attempt to manage it all ourselves, and document it. Perhaps an understanding of how dangerous it can be to rely solely on passionate purpose to overcome trauma....an admission that professional help is required.”

He added that the hardest part of the process was: “watching your old self make mistakes in an indelible picture of something you have struggled not to be and at the same time, feel grateful that you made it through and worked to be something more healthy.”

“There were days where I woke up and got out of my bunk and the very first thing I saw was a camera pointed at me,” said Matthew. “I'm not bothered by how I look on camera, but even still, it gives you the feeling that you need to be "on" for every waking moment of every day. Which can certainly be exhausting. I think watching the documentary back made me realise just how difficult this particular time period actually was for the band. At the time I was just focused on working hard and doing everything in my power to keep the shows great, the fan base engaged and growing, and the interpersonal relationships as calm and healthy as possible. Watching the film back, many of the most dramatic and notable moments played back exactly as I remembered them but only on replay did I realise just how rough certain scenarios actually were."

When asked what he hoped people would take from the documentary, Matthew answered: “There's always more to someone than initially meets the eye. Humans are beautiful and flawed and trying their best. The power of music cannot be underestimated.”

Both Brendan and Matthew have played in Edinburgh before, with Brendan saying: “We have the fondest memories of Edinburgh. We've played there many times. It's a magical place with a castle, and somehow we never seem to mind the rain, which comes up from the ground. It's the reason to go back again and again, and find a cosy place for a roast.”

Matthew added: “We absolutely love Edinburgh. We don't get to play there as often as Glasgow but I am always thrilled to see it on our tour routings. We always have great shows in Scotland and Edinburgh is no exception. Oddly, the first Edinburgh memory that comes to mind right now was that we were there many years ago on the day of our drummer Kevin Garcia's birthday. His favourite drink is tequila and so we wanted to get him a bottle as a gift. We walked all over the city and could not find a single shop that sold tequila. He wound up with a bottle of scotch but as the old saying goes, when in Rome!”

Filmhouse blow

IV had hoped that the film would be shown at the Capital’s Filmhouse when it is released next year and he said he was devastated by the news of its closure. ““It’s a troubling time for independent cinemas in Edinburgh,” he said.

Associate producer Mark Christopher Covino also said he knows all too well the problems facing independent films – now more than ever. He said: “I could write a bible on this topic alone. But to put it simply, raising the money to make these films has become extremely hard over the years. We now have a mass influx of people creating “content.” That includes documentaries, narratives, series, TikToks, etc. It’s completely over saturated the market and because of that, it’s become harder and harder to get funding and to be seen.”

Wheatus documentary: Edinburgh filmmaker speaks of experience filming Wheatus: You Might Die

Making the film

The band

Filmhouse blow

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