A journey of no return to the land of rock and roll

The rock group La Renga published his first feature film, which under the title Totally owned It is performed in 200 theaters across the country.

Regard detailed footage of a long motorcycle trip it started just over two years ago (16 February 2022) by the four members of the band, accompanied by a gang of biker friends, technicians, assistants and managers.

With the excuse of covering the journey between the different locations where they played live (the action takes place in different sections of the tour to present the album Off the gridconcluded in January this year with four shows at the Racing Club stadium), this little two-wheeled army is on a journey of over 5,000 kilometres.

The beauty of the landscapes

Valleys, rivers, mountains, small towns and canyons of Argentina’s diverse geography come together in images so well shot and edited that not even the most creative tour agency could have done better.

That is to say, for those who are unfamiliar with the various paradisiacal landscapes that make up the Argentine territory, this is a great opportunity to get lost in the profound Creole beauty. Although this may not have been the main driving force that led the group to produce this film.

Moreover, Totally owned will have a profound resonance among enthusiasts of large-displacement motorcycles. And in this sense let’s remember that together with the electric guitar, jeans and leather jackets, these metal horses represent the deepest spirit of rock and roll as a symbol.

Spirit of which La Renga has always been rich. The journey, which the film is about, because it is a journey and in more senses, begins with a visit to several mechanical customization workshops in the suburbs, where Chizzo, Teté, Tanque and Manu try out different motorbikes until they find the appropriate “beast” And from there everything will be route and path.

The ace quartet of Mataderos (with Manu Varela as another faithful member since 1994, of course) will line up next all his stage power in several shows across the country.

A motorcycle movie

Produced by the singer and guitarist Chizzo Nápoli himself, who also wrote the screenplay and lends his cavernous voice to the off-screen stories that run through the entire film, the film has powerful audio treated with Dolby Atmos, surround sound technology launched in 2012 with the Pixar film Brave.

Several drones were used to capture the aerial scenes and we note that several kilometers of film were shot for the 93 minutes finally selected.

Motorcycle films have been a genre unto themselves since their release in 1953. The wild one, with a young Marlon Brando leading the Black Rebels. That image of the actor, dressed in his leather jacket and peaked cap, riding a 1949 Triumph Thunderbird, is still iconic in itself today.

Then came what for many is the motorcycle film par excellence: Easy Rider (Searching for my destiny1969), with Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper unleashing each other and not just on the asphalt.

And the list continues with productions remembered as Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man (1991) where Don Johnson was not yet so old nor Mickey Rourke so full of Botox. Or closer in time Ghost Rider, the avenger of ghosts (2007) with Nicolas Cage with an oiled hairdo.

But who were those who introduced the motorcycle into Argentine rock and roll without asking permission? Undoubtedly that banner belongs Riff.

And in this regard, in the film La Renga There is a very emotional scene where the caravan stops to pay homage to Pappus. There, where today stands the monolith commemorating his death, which occurred in a motorcycle accident on 24 February 2005.

The songs live

Like everything in this movie, the concert scenes are thoughtful and very well edited. From the Córdoba show passing through Salta, San Luis and Río Negro. In between are vibrant excerpts from performances in Potrero de Funes, Baradero and even from the recital at Ciudad de La Plata Stadium.

But since not everything is a grand open-air spectacle for the public, the quartet will take time to show off their vice along the way, with a couple of long walks on the banks of a river, in a minimalist format, where they take the opportunity to remember their love by Canadian Neil Young who surrenders Hey, hey, my, my.

It’s important to say this Totally owned It is above all a film for fans of the band. Which obviously are legions. And in this way it works with a great sense of inclusion towards its audience: no one will ever be able to say they have never been able to see a show by the quartet. Just go to the cinema.

Because the film is this and much more, because the intimacy of the journey, the camaraderie of this tribe, the camaraderie, the vicissitudes of that dream journey (which also had its obstacles), the stops to stay overnight or share a beautiful evening barbecues show the intimacy of La Renga as never seen before.

The film’s soundtrack could easily be a greatest successes updated, where classic compositions such as Nomads, Elephant Pogue, Talk of Freedom, Ballad of the Devil and Death OR The party, among many others, along with some songs made specifically for the film, such as That nowhere place OR Way to go, brother.

It is a road movie (or road movie, in Spanish) in the strictest sense of its name. But it is also (and above all) a rock documentary. From a hard rock band that has been playing on stages for more than thirty years and which remains today (and with Indio Solari practically retired) as one of the two great emblematic groups of this genre driven by human blood. The other, of course, is Divided.

Here is the Gibson Firebird from Chizzo screaming like an airplane turbine about to explode. The bass of a Tete much more electric even than his own instrument, or that unstoppable wrecking ball that is his brother’s drums. Tank.

manual It provides various instruments precisely and accurately, from quenas and saxes to electronic keyboards. And obviously the public of the different regions visited, that other great protagonist who never stops haranguing, does the rest.

If by chance some of you were there late on a Saturday night many years ago doing queuing outside the Ritz cinema to see Woodstock yet another. Or outside the Lara cinema on Avenida de Mayo to be moved by the powerful sound of Led Zeppelin, this is a great opportunity to vibrate again.

If, however, you are too young to know what we are talking about, all you need to do is get a ticket and dive headlong into the initiation rite into true rock and roll, conducted by La Renga.

Well, as a phrase that the film uses as an axiom says: “We were addicted to a spell. And it’s time to abstract ourselves and ride in the wind”… because “it only takes a world to turn”. And with absolute certainty they will emerge totally possessed.

“Totally Possessed”

Musical. Argentina, 2024. 93′, ATP. From: Gustavo Napoli and Diego Stokelj. With: Chizzo, Tete, Tanque, Manu, Gaby. Rooms: Hoyts Abasto, Cinemark Caballito, Showcase Belgrano, Cinépolis Houssay.