Is it possible that the greatest rock and roll documentary doesn’t involve the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, or Spinal Tap?

2004’s Dig! is certainly in the running for those honors. Directed by Ondi Timoner, Dig! looks at the rivalry and friendship between alt-rock bands The Dandy Warhols and The Brian Jonestown Massacre, which had their heyday in the late 90s and early aughts.

Now that documentary, which was awarded a Grand Jury Prize at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival, has been remastered and updated. Retitled Dig! XX, the new and improved film is “a bigger, better, crazier expanded reimagining of the original cut,” according to its own press. The film has 40 minutes of footage not seen in the original as well as new narration by BJM band member Joel Gion. The original film featured no narration from any Brian Jonestown Massacre members.

Dig! XX was shown in UK cinemas on March 25th and will play there in limited release starting March 28th. Here in the US, it’s available on Fandango at Home to rent or buy.

Timoner, along with her brother David, spent nearly a decade following both bands around to shoot the original Dig!. She and her brother managed to catch some incredible footage, including that of an onstage brawl during an industry showcase gig at the Viper Room in Los Angeles in 1996. The fight was enough of a cultural landmark to be parodied on The Gilmore Girls.

Though neither band ever broke that big, The Dandy Warhols easily eclipsed the BJM in terms of popularity and accessibility. Lead singer Courtney Taylor-Taylor, who narrates the original Dig!, had pop star good looks. And with catchy, poppy hits like “We Used to Be Friends” and “Bohemian Like You”, the Dandys’ found the degree of success where their music was used as TV show themes, commercial background music, and in karaoke bars. You can’t say the same for BJM.

Led by frontman Anton Newcombe, the Brian Jonestown Massacre had little in the way of commercial success, but managed to generate an enviable catalog of songs. Unfortunately, Newcombe’s musical genius came with personal volatility, probable mental illness, and substance abuse (which members of both bands struggled with) and ultimately derailed the bands’ chances at big success. In 2023, an inter-band brawl in a club in Melbourne led to the rest of the bands’ Australian dates being cancelled.

Boasting a soundtrack of 48 songs, almost all from the two bands, Dig! XX is a must-see for music lovers. And though the original Dig! ended with the depressing note of the BJM being dropped from their record label, the new cut shows both bands sharing a stage in 2023, fences apparently mended.

More information about Dig! XX is available at this website. To stream the film, go to Fandango at Home.