A new documentary short, which premieres today on Documentary+ and RollingStone.com, tells the story of the Patterson brothers who have made metal their lives.
Dan, 48, Joel, 45, and Andy, 43 — all work together making doors, tables, hearths, and other works of art out of metal and spend their spare time playing heavy metal music together. It’s early on a Wednesday and there’s plenty of work to do (Andy already has his coveralls on and protective eye gear resting on his head), but today they’ve gathered in a small office of their shop, Santa Barbara Forge, for a Zoom call to reflect on All Things Metal, a new short film streaming now about their brotherhood and how nearly everything they do revolves around some form of metal. As they speak, they all seem to have the same mannerisms, a shared sense of humor, and laser focus, likely from being together so much of the time.
Since childhood, the brothers have used music and other creative outlets as their own bespoke therapy for Tourette syndrome, which the Tourette Association of America defines as “characterized by sudden, involuntary movements and/or sounds called tics.” All three brothers have Tourette’s but none of them show any tics during the interview.
For Dan, who plays drums, Tourette’s feels like “this knot that’s getting tighter and tighter.” Over time, he and his brothers have discovered a way to slacken the knot: playing music. “When you let yourself communicate on the drums or another instrument, it’s like this exhalation that sort of loosens everything,” says Dan. “It’s hugely therapeutic.”
“Playing music puts me in a peaceful space,” concurs bassist Joel, who’s wearing a Santa Barbara Forge T-shirt and sipping coffee. “I think being able to check out and do something physical has helped my Tourette’s.”
“The reason I like playing metal is because it’s extremely physical with both the left and right hand on the guitar,” Andy says.
All Things Metal, a 17-minute short by director Motoki Otsuka, shows how creativity has secured a bond between the brothers who work together at Santa Barbara Forge and make music videos for their metal songs on their YouTube page. It gives a history of the brothers, explaining how the Pattersons became a tight-knit family as their Presbyterian pastor father moved them around the country, forcing the brothers to rely on each other. When they were each diagnosed with Tourette syndrome, their mother encouraged them to make silly videos and play music as an escapist outlet.
Now the Pattersons write songs and make videos on their lunch breaks. They classify the songs as “Christmas metal,” “emo fantasy,” “workout metal,” or any other subgenre they can dream up. Whatever they call it, though, working together has helped them. “Tourette’s makes you feel different, and if you feel different, you have to reconcile that,” Andy explains in the film. “And I know that I felt, and my brothers felt, ostracized for lengths of time, but it brought us together in huge ways.” In the movie, those links include a quirky sense of humor, their love of metallurgy, and of course music.
The brothers see their often outrageous songs as “a friendly troll of the world.” They perform only at special events like the Fourth of July parade or to make videos at a skate park. “Our last gig at a local brewery, they were like, ‘What band name should I put on the bill?'” Joel says. “I’m like, ‘Ah, whatever you want.'”
“My goal when we play live is to do an arena show level performance in a driveway,” Dan says.
The short, which Rolling Stone Films produced and premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year, is available to view now on the streaming platform Documentary+ and here on RollingStone.com. The film, which Otsuka’s partner Lucy Sexton produced, is one of five docs part of Rolling Stone Films’ partnership with Documentary+.
Dee Snider, former Twisted Sister frontman and one of the film’s executive producers, felt a special connection to the brothers when he first saw the film. “When I watched the doc, I saw that the Patterson brothers did pretty much everything I do but took it to the next level by fabricating heavy metal!” he tells Rolling Stone via email. “We are kindred spirits.”
Read more at RollingStone.com.
