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Welcome Welcome
Synopsis Synopsis
Screening info Screening info

Featured artists:
Veruca Salt feature Veruca Salt
Wesley Willis Fiasco feature Wesley Willis Fiasco
The Jesus Lizard feature The Jesus Lizard
Eleventh Dream Day feature Eleventh Dream Day
Seam feature Seam
Triple Fast Action feature Triple Fast Action
Die Warzau feature Die Warzau
Sister Machine Gun feature Sister Machine Gun
Red Red Meat feature Red Red Meat
The Pulsars feature The Pulsars
Yum-Yum feature Yum-Yum

Interviews feature Interview subjects
Reviews feature Reviews
Production notes feature Production notes
Credits feature Credits
Loop merchandise feature Loop merchandise
By the numbers feature By the numbers
5 Questions 5 Questions
Director biography feature Director biography
Links feature Links


5 Questions for Scott Petersen

1. Why did you make this movie?

Scott Petersen: I was bored and it was a great way to marry my two obsessions: movies and music. Chicago also happens to have a very vibrant music community and lots of really interesting and distinct bands existing side-by-side.

2. How did you decide which bands to use?

Scott Petersen: The first criteria, of course, was that the band agreed to be in the movie. This was done by approaching them after a show at a local club then bugging, cajoling, and incessantly calling them until they agreed to be interviewed. I also wanted to show the diversity of the bands currently active in Chicago, especially the rock genres that have been identified with the city (i.e. industrial, Midwest power pop, and underground punk). I also chose the bands based upon where they were in their career and what their experiences were in regards to major and/or independent labels.

3. If you were trying to show how diverse the Chicago music scene is, why didn't you use Tortoise, Gastr del Sol, etc.?

Scott Petersen: Out of the Loop is a documentary on Chicago rock bands and fame in the music industry. While Tortoise and Gastr del Sol make fascinating music, they are not rock bands. If I would have opened up the movie to other styles (insurgent country, jazz, hip-hop, etc.), I felt it would have lost focus. I wanted to center on one specific style. Furthermore, if your favorite Chicago rock band is not featured in Out of the Loop, it's not necessarily because I hated them or they slighted me or anything like that. The documentary on Chicago rock bands would probably run about 5 hours. I don't know about you, but I can't sit still for 5 hours, regardless of the subject matter.

4. How did you pick the songs?

Scott Petersen: During the making of the movie, I realized that many of the bands were writing or performing songs about fame. This gave me a narrative link between the interviews. Not all the songs are about fame, but I did try to incorporate lyrics as part of the narrative. Some songs were chosen because that particular performance, camera coverage, and audio were superior to any other song in that band's set.

5. Did you see Hype!?

Scott Petersen: Yup. I liked it a lot, but Hype! and Out of the Loop are different in style, scope, and focus.


Unless otherwise noted, all media on this site are © Scott Petersen