Omar and Cedric: If This Ever Gets Weird Captures a Beautiful Friendship from Mars Volta and At the Drive-In’s Iconic Duo
We talked to director Nicolas Jack Davies about the music doc's SXSW premiere.
Image courtesy of the film Movies Features The Mars Volta
Every frame of Omar and Cedric: If This Ever Gets Weird, the new documentary about guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala who co-founded prog-rock bands At the Drive-In and Mars Volta, is historical footage. From the early days in El Paso, Texas, to big stages in Australia, band fights to idle moments backstage, Rodriguez-Lopez seemed to always have a camera rolling. That alone sets the film from British director Nicolas Jack Davies apart from your average talking-head music doc. But it’s the incredible story of friendship surviving not just normal band struggles, but tragic deaths, breakups, drug addiction and even the pull of Scientology that makes this a must-watch for more than just fans of the band—but anyone who loves a compelling platonic love story.
Paste talked with Davies at The Jezebel x Paste Interview House at High Noon in Austin during SXSW last week. You can watch the full interview below.