Reviews of three new music documentaries, one of which is about an artist I knew a ton about going in, and the other two, less so.

U2 and Apple’s relationship has had some ups and downs over the last 25 years or so. U2 was in some memorable iPod commercials, had released a series of special-edition iPods, and was a key artist at various points of Apple’s move into the music realm. On the other hand, Bono and U2 were present for one of Apple’s worst debacles, that time they gave everyone a free album on their iTunes acocunt (I went long on that for AppleInsider back in 2018.)

Now, Apple and Bono are back together, with Apple TV+ releasing a new filmed version of Bono’s one-man show, which was itself adapted from his memoir. And it’s a triumph- probably my favorite thing of any kind that U2 or Bono has done in quite a few years.

We see Bono on stage, telling stories from throughout his life, while also performing snippets of some of his most famous songs, albeit in unfamiliar arrangements, and with some of the lyrics changed.

The template, it’s clear, is Springsteen on Broadway, the one-man show Bruce Springsteen did, which had a filmed version on Netflix in 2018- the star, singing songs and telling stories, sans the rest of his famous band.

Aesthetically, with a look that’s mostly in black and white, the Bono show owes a bit more to some of the other recent docs Thom Zimny has done about Springsteen, mostly notably the fantastic Bruce Springsteen’s Letters to You, also for Apple. The director is Andrew Dominik (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Blonde), who has never made a movie I’ve much liked, at least until now.

Bono talks about the band’s rise, their greatest successes, and meeting Pavarotti. There’s a long, moving section about the death of his father, which was in the runup to the band’s “All That You Can’t Leave Behind” comeback album in 2000. He’s even self-deprecating, about his famous smugness and grandiosity.

Chuck Klosterman once asked the definitive question about Bono: “Is Bono for real? Or is Bono full of shit?” The show shows a side of Bono we haven’t seen much of, with some self-awareness. But there’s not much talk about any of the band’s music from the past 25 years or so, nor about that iTunes album release debacle.

Bono and U2 have been part of some decent nonfiction films over the years. The concert film Rattle and Hum, most notably. But I was blown away by this one, which lands on Apple TV+ on Friday.

I’ve known Bono’s whole story for most of my life, but I cop to less familiarity with Swamp Dogg, the singer (real name Jerry Williams) who is something of a cult figure but not all that well-known in the general public.

The documentary, directed by Isaac Gale and Ryan Olson, is built on a fantastic idea: While the now 82-year-old Swamp Dogg’s pool is being painted, he holds court, along with the fellow musicians he lives with in a modest home somwhere in the Valley (Larry “MoogStar” Clemons and Guitar Shorty, who died during production).

He tells stories from throughout his life and career, and is visited by some surprising faces, including Johnny Knoxville and the voice of SpongeBob, Tom Kenny. (Since Knoxville still had dark hair at the time, it’s an indication that this was filmed quite a long time ago.)

There’s some fantastic music, mostly of the psychedelic variety, and lots of great stories. Overall, Swamp Dogg and friends are an enjoyable group of people to spent 90 minutes with.

Swamp Dogg Gets his Pool Painted is in theaters now, including a local premiere showing at PhilaMOCA in Philadelphia on Friday, May 30.

When Broken Social Scene got their start in Toronto, around the turn of the millennium, they weren’t really a traditional band in any way. There wasn’t quite a definitive roster of who was and wasn’t in it. Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning were the main figures, but a couple of dozen people filtered in an out, depending on the gig.

But then, a positive Pitchfork review of one of their albums caused them to break through, and having to act more like a regular band. And all throughout, Stephen Chung was there with a camera, to capture all of the big moments.

It’s All Gonna Break is based on a massive amount of footage that Chung shot back in the early 2000s. After the band rejected the idea of a documentary, Chung’s footage sat on the shelf for many years before it was revisited and completed. The film paints a picture of a band like no other, as well as the bygone Toronto scene, with familiar faces like Peaches and Leslie Feist popping up.

I was fascinated by this, despite having only tangiential knowledge of the band and their work. I expect longtime fans will be even more into it.

It’s All Gonna Break is in theaters now.