Rock ‘n’ roll bands with strong lead singers often have to go to some pains to remind their fans that they are, in fact, bands. Witness the buttons and T-shirts from the 1970s proclaiming “Blondie Is a Group” or the 1994 Rolling Stone cover line “Hole Is a Band, Courtney Love Is a Soap Opera.”
The new documentary “Counting Crows: Have You Seen Me Lately?” does its best to give fair play to other members of the band besides its charismatic singer, Adam Duritz. But there are still people who stop him in public and call him “Counting Crows.”
Duritz is not just the band’s frontman, but its founder and principal songwriter. After watching this engagingly detailed documentary you are likely to envy the relative anonymity of his bandmates, although they, too, were caught up in the maelstrom of Duritz’s fame, and the backlash. One guitarist recalls a stranger approaching him and saying “We saw you in Milwaukee … and we walked out.” The joke is that the band broke big with its 1993 single “Mr. Jones,” which was about wanting to be famous. The band endured, made some more hit records, and is still working today. But they all deal with the stress of fame, it seems.
Today, Duritz is a reflective figure. The documentary, directed by Amy Scott, will pull you back from any “pity the poor celebrity” eye-rolling with its revelation of his struggles with mental illness, which he endured, undiagnosed, during the ups and downs of early fame.
He can still be a slick guy — at one point he asks, “Are my boots in the shot?” and, getting a nod, he continues, “Good, because they’re awesome.” But even if you’re not a fan, this movie will convince you of Duritz’s largely consistent integrity.
Counting Crows: Have You Seen Me Lately? Not rated. Running time: 1 hour 30 minutes. Watch on HBO Max.
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