Listen up and I'll tell a story
About an artist growing old
Some would try for fame and glory
Others aren't so bold

Everyone, and friends and family
Saying, "Hey! Get a job!"
"Why do you only do that only?
Why are you so odd?
We don't really like what you do.
We don't think anyone ever will.
It's a problem that you have,
And this problem's made you ill."

Listen up and I'll tell a story
About an artist growing old
Some would try for fame and glory
Others aren't so bold

-- Daniel Johnston, "Story of an Artist"

When members of Anvil take the stage at the Uptown Theatre tonight to answer questions after a screening of the rock doc "Anvil! The Story of Anvil," they undoubtedly will feel that they’ve achieved their lifelong goal of becoming rock stars. It will be a successful gig, because they will see their name in lights and on the big screen, which is the most sobering part of their story: The barometer for success has been fame, which is why they haven’t enjoyed themselves more over their 30 years together.

It was Paul Westerberg, leader of The Replacements (who were referred to as “lovable losers” more times than they deserved), who said, "The only people who think '[This Is] Spinal Tap' isn’t funny is musicians, because they know it’s real."

That pathos comes out in the story of Anvil, which has been described as "a real-life Spinal Tap." Singer/guitarist Steve "Lips" Kudlow and drummer Robb Reiner started playing together in Toronto bands when they were 14. They’ve been at it ever since.

"Anvil!" owes much to Penelope Spheeris’ "Decline of Western Civilization, Pt. II: The Metal Years" and “American Movie.” In all three, the rawness of people chasing -- not living -- dreams is uncomfortable to watch, because they’ve bought the concept that what they do isn’t valid unless they become big stars. At the beginning of the film, Kudlow is seen working at his day job. "Anvil gives me the joy and peace you need to get through life," he observes, then the film goes on to prove his words hollow.

Every cliché of the music business is rendered, and some of the most poignant bits are of family gatherings where Kudlow’s siblings and mother talk about their deluded rock star-wannabe brother and son. What’s more, watching the Kudlow-Reiner friendship being tested time and again is the sort of raw insight into the human condition that is the lifeblood of documentaries. Whether you’re left laughing at them or rooting for them depends, I suppose, on your appetite for destruction.

Much is made about how Anvil didn’t rocket to the stars the way their onetime peers Slayer, Metallica and Anthrax did, but it’s an artificial construct: Anvil plays gigs, makes records, and has a small but avid fan base. But they always want more, they rarely talk about artistry or what they want to do with their music, and whatever success they have is contingent on how others see them. For the viewer the problem is, like so many "American Idol" contestants, their dream of grabbing the brass ring is about as interesting as their music, which is not very.

In the end, there are more Anvils in the world than Metallicas, and Kudlow’s assertion that "We’re gonna be rock stars. It’s a f---ing dream. But it’s gonna come true," feels archaic at a time when "rock star" is an energy drink and a punch line. They’re at the Uptown Theater tonight. Give ‘em a hug. Give ‘em a demo tape. Tell them they’re not alone.

"Anvil! the Story of Anvil," playing at Uptown Theatre. Anvil (Steve 'Lips' Kudlow, Robb Reiner & G5) will appear in person for a brief live performance tonight, May 8, after the 7:15 p.m. showing.