The Hole Truth

As the drummer for the controversial Courtney Love-fronted band Hole, Patty Schemel barely made it out of the '90s alive. Now, more than fifteen years after the group's dangerous, drug-fueled peak, Schemel is releasing Hit So Hard, a documentary about her life in and out of the band. The film...

By Bree Davies

May 3, 2012

Audio By Carbonatix

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As the drummer for the controversial Courtney Love-fronted band Hole, Patty Schemel barely made it out of the '90s alive. Now, more than fifteen years after the group's dangerous, drug-fueled peak, Schemel is releasing Hit So Hard, a documentary about her life in and out of the band. The film pieces together detailed interviews from Schemel's family, peers and bandmates, with home videos taken primarily during Hole's 1994 Live Through This tour.

What started as a simple film-archiving project quickly grew into the making of a full-on documentary, sharing the expert drummer's struggle with drugs and the pressures of fame. "It was difficult to watch some days," Schemel says of the footage. The documentary peels back Hole's mythic exterior to reveal Schemel's story of coming out of the closet, battling addiction, dealing with the deaths of bandmate Kristen Pfaff and friend Kurt Cobain, and, eventually, completing a successful rehabilitation, being happily married and giving birth to her daughter.

Hit So Hard begins its week-long run tonight at the Denver FilmCenter, 2510 East Colfax Avenue; Schemel will be at the FilmCenter for a Q&A session following tomorrow's 7:15 p.m. screening. For more information on tickets, $7.25 to $9.75, and showtimes, visit www.denverfilm.org. For more on the film, visit www.pattydoc.com.
Fri., May 4, 2012

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Bree Davies is a multimedia journalist, artist advocate and community organizer born and raised in Denver. Rooted in the world of Do-It-Yourself arts and music, Davies co-founded Titwrench experimental music festival, is host of the local music and comedy show Sounds on 29th on CPT12 Colorado Public Television and is creator and host of the civic and social issue-focused podcast, Hello? Denver? Are You Still There? Her work is centered on a passionate advocacy for all ages, accessible, inclusive, non-commercial and autonomous DIY art spaces and music venues in Denver.

Contact: Bree Davies

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Twitter: @cocodavies