Ministry – or more particularly, crazed main-man Al Jourgensen – were at the forefront of my musical tastes for the first half of the 1990s, thanks to Jourgensen’s relentless work ethic with assorted side projects and production work that included Revolting Cocks, Lard, 1000 Homo DJs, PTP, Acid Horse, Lead into Gold, Gwar and more. The industrial music scene provided the soundtrack to the whole transgressive culture movement of the time that took in fetish clubbing, underground movies, true crime, porn, cult cinema, experimental literature and assorted taboo-violating activities – it was a pretty spectacular time.

So Fix was always going to appeal. But this is not a movie about the band really – if you know nothing about Ministry before the film, you won’t be much wiser by the end. Rather, it’s a study of rock ‘n’ roll excess and disintegration, based largely around the band’s 1996 tour and concentrating on Jourgensen’s wilful decent into heroin addiction. As the frontman lurches from quiet contemplation to manic excitement to drug-induced paranoia (he’s continually worried about being shot on stage by crazed fans or religious fanatics, and spends a lot of time pondering which is the best bullet-proof vest to wear), we watch him shoot up and behave in much the way we expect of a rock wild man. But the question at the heart of the film is how much of this is genuine? The drug addiction, sure – but as Jourgensen himself admits, he’s playing a role – acting the part of a rock star because that’s what the fans expect and want – even though musically, the band effectively shot themselves in the foot at the height of their success and when they looked as though they could achieve superstardom. Jourgensen affects a stage persona for sure – though how much it bleeds into reality is open to question. In the end, you find yourself wondering if he’s is a genius or an idiot – and the truth might be somewhere between the two, but definitely leaning towards the former.

Offering supporting comments are long-suffering (or not – Ministry has always had a revolving-door line-up) bandmates like Paul Barker, contemporaries, colleagues and former high livers like Lemmy, Trent Reznor, Dave Navarro, Buzz Osbourne and Jello Biafra, who talk about working with or alongside Jourgensen and the attraction and perils of drugs and drink on the rock lifestyle, while next generation artists like Tool’s Maynard James Keenan and Korn’s Jonathan Davies discuss the influence of Ministry and the perils of rock stardom. For some, the penny doesn’t yet seem to have dropped – Amen’s Casey Chaos chugs desperately from a couple of bottles before giving a rambling, drunken interview while Jesus Lizard’s David Yow cavorts naked on stage with the band (you’ll see a fair amount of rock star penis in this film) and cheerfully discusses sucking cock for money. As with Jourgensen, you can’t tell if he’s telling the truth or not.

If you are looking for a documentary with a story arc, this won’t be for you. Jourgensen neither dies nor cleans up at the end. But as a study of both the insanity and the sheer tedium of a rock tour – the very nature of which almost invites self-destructive behaviour – then this is a raw, sometimes cringeworthy, always fascinating study, And the live footage of Ministry is a reminder that this was the most brutal, innovative, mind-fucking and essential band of it’s time.

The DVD comes with a poster and a decent, if unremarkable CD by Paul Barker.

DAVID FLINT

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