One of the quotes on the cover of Dig! reads that if universities offered a graduate degree in rock stardom, this film would be the principal text. That claim is arguable. What isn’t arguable is that if universities ever offer a degree in music documentary DVD packages, Palm Pictures will teach it and the special edition of Dig! will be the bible.

Seriously, check out that block of words under "features". This two-disc set is an immersive experience to say the least. You’ll feel like one of the band, or at least one of the entourage, as director Ondi Timoner did. She and her crew spent seven years tracking two indie sensations on their quests for rock immortality: The Dandy Warhols, led by Courtney Taylor, and The Brian Jonestown Massacre, led by Anton Newcombe. Though other band members are essential, the real focus is on Taylor (who narrates) and especially Newcombe. The two singer/songwriters share a friendship, but also a fierce rivalry, which escalates as the Dandies start to break through and BJM spiral toward a wreck.

Newcombe’s blatant narcissism and appetite for self-destruction drives Dig!, otherwise a fairly routine doc, into the realm of tragedy. It’s almost beyond belief how badly he squanders his potential, loses his grip on reality and alienates everyone who matters to him. Timoner says in interviews that she didn’t just set out to capture Newcombe’s violence (with his band, with his fans), epic heroin abuse and delusions of godhood, but it was unavoidable. His downfall becomes the heart of the film.

The soul of Dig!, however, is the rock lifestyle, during tours, during parties, in-studio, at record companies, etc., captured by Timoner’s crew with Hi-8 video, Hi-8 film, spycam, washout, overexposure, grain and more. The music has just as many textures, from ambient performance sound to slick studio licks. Unfortunately, we never get a complete song until two very good performances in the outtakes, plus the Dandies’ videos (Last High, TV Theme Song and Bohemian Like You). Also, everyone is trying to out-cool each other, so they mumble a lot.

Many deleted scenes are just goofing around or repeats of what’s in the film, but a few stand out: Newcombe in a solo interview, switching from his pseudo-spiritual claptrap to surprising clarity about his volatile nature; footage of the BJM cutting an album in five days. There is a great deal of post-release analysis, with follow-up scenes tracking various band members in 2003, winning the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, and several interviews.

The commentary by Timoner, her brother David and Vasco Lucas Nunes (co-cinematographers) is essential to understanding how much toil and sacrifice went into this film. (Ondi got busted with BJM. She did time with them.) It also helps identify the various musicians, A&R guys, managers and friends who pop in and out. The commentaries by members of the two bands—no Anton—are like two parties you didn’t think you were hip enough to be invited to.

Dig! on its own falls just short of greatness. The DVD, though, is a complete music scene. It truly puts us inside the heads of everyone involved. That’s not always pretty… but it’s so awesome. You dig?