How to Watch What Drives Us

What Drives Us is a documentary by Dave Grohl that pays homage to the struggle of beginning a music career, and how often that involved touring in a van. It’s coming to Amazon Prime Video later this month and features a huge cast of musicians talking about touring, from St Vincent to Ian Mackaye to Ringo Starr.

1. It’s on Amazon Prime Video

What drives us is a new documentary directed by Dave Grohl and produced by Foo Fighters. The film will be available to stream globally via Coda Collection and on Amazon Prime Video from Friday 30th April, and is set to be one of the most anticipated releases of the year.

What Drives Us pays tribute to the moment in every musician’s life when their commitment is tested, and their desire to play music for others becomes an almost irrational act of blind faith. It demonstrates the dedication and passage of rock and roll, and takes you back to a time when musicians took their music to people one show, one overnight drive, one dilapidated little club at a time.

It traces the stories of some of the biggest artists in the music industry, recalling their romance and adventure, as well as the idiocy and chaos that comes with the road. It also examines what it takes to turn a van into a home and how the tricks of this trade have been handed down through the decades.

The film focuses on the Foo Fighters’ 1995 tour, two months before their self-titled debut album was released. Through previously unseen home movies, we follow the band’s journey across the United States, as Dave Grohl – just a year after Nirvana disbanded – bonds with his new bandmates in the back of their rusty, but reworked van.

We also hear from a variety of other music legends, including Jennifer Finch of L7, Tony Kanal of No Doubt, Flea of The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Lars Ulrich of Metallica, Charlie Gabriel of Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Brian Johnson of AC/DC, St. Vincent, Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, Slash and Duff McKagan from Guns & Roses, The Edge of U2, Ben Harper, Kira Roessler of Black Flag, Ringo Starr of The Beatles, Mike Watt of Minutemen, Pete Stahl of Scream, Radkey and Ian MacKaye of Fugazi / Minor Threat.

What Drives Us is a must-watch for any music fan and will be streaming exclusively on Coda Collection and on Amazon Prime Video from today, Friday 30th April. You can watch it on any device that supports the Amazon app, from desktop computers and laptops to Fire TV devices, Android and iOS mobile devices, PlayStation and Microsoft Xbox consoles.

2. It’s on Coda Collection

THE CODA COLLECTION launches in the UK & Europe, delivering an immersive experience of iconic moments in music history. With a curated selection of concert films, music documentaries and episodic series, The Coda Collection brings to life the untold stories behind our favourite musicians and their performances.

The channel’s acclaimed library of exclusive concert and documentary content includes titles with Jimi Hendrix, Pearl Jam, the Rolling Stones, PJ Harvey, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dave Grohl’s critically acclaimed “What Drives Us” and Nigel Godrich’s seminal performance series “From the Basement”. It also features a rich editorial destination across Coda’s desktop and mobile sites – led by former Chicago Tribune music critic Greg Kot – that provides valuable context alongside each video title.

WHAT DRIVES US is an homage to the moment in every musician’s life when their commitment is tested and their desire to play music for others becomes an almost irrational act of blind faith. The first step to prove to yourself and the world that you belong is to load up your instruments, your talent and your courage and get in the van to take your music to the people – a true rock and roll rite of passage.

It tells the story of young bands RADKEY and STARCRAWLER who are taking on the world one town at a time, while also recalling the romance and adventure, as well as the insanity and chaos, of their own time on the road. It also takes a look at the history of this rite of passage and how it has been passed down from generation to generation over the decades, and what it means for today’s artists.

What drives us is being launched as part of the Coda Collection, a subscription service offering an enthralling selection of essential concert and music documentaries and rare archival performances on Amazon Prime Video Channels. The lineup includes streaming premieres of titles like “Music, Money, Madness...” Jimi Hendrix In Maui, “The Rolling Stones On The Air,” Johnny Cash At San Quentin, Miranda Lambert: Revolution Live By Candlelight and Bob Dylan’s Trouble No More.

3. It’s on Netflix

If you’re a fan of Dave Grohl’s band, Foo Fighters, then you’ll want to check out what drives us. The band’s frontman hopped behind the camera to direct the upcoming tour-themed documentary, and it’s a must watch for anyone who enjoys a good rock show.

In what’s being touted as the best touring doc of all time, What Drives Us takes you inside the van doors of some of the biggest names in the music industry. The film features everyone from Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea to St. Vincent talking about the perks of touring in a van.

The film has a release date of April 30th, and it’s available on Coda Collection in the US and select global markets. The movie also appears on Netflix, but you’ll need to be a paying customer to take advantage of the service.

The film is also available on iTunes and Amazon Prime Video in some territories, though the latter is a more expensive option.

You can also watch it on YouTube if you’re in the mood for some classic music videos.

4. It’s on iTunes

Apple launched iTunes in July 2005, and it changed the music business forever. Back then, if you wanted to hear a certain song, you had to buy the album or CD single. But with iTunes, you could download any song from any artist for a fraction of what it would cost at the record store. In the 10 years since, it’s become the world’s largest music retailer and a key player in the digital economy.

One of the biggest surprises about iTunes is how much it sells - not just music but also movies, TV shows and even books. That’s a welcome development, as it might encourage more people to read.

The iTunes Store makes it easy to find a particular movie or TV show by typing just the first few letters, so you don’t have to do a whole lot of searching. The company should make it easier for e-book fans to find their favorite books in the same way. Hopefully, e-books will be available on all devices within the next few years. But for now, iTunes is a great way to get your fix. It’s just that it has a few bugs to work out. It’s slow to load, a memory hog and seems to update almost every day.