the DECLINE of WESTERN CIVILIZATION (1981)

[RCMerchant]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9hqwGs48bM

Made in 1981 at the height of California's punk movement by Penelope Spheeris who went on to make such diverse films as  SUBURBIA (1983), HOLLYWOOD VICE SQUAD (1986), WAYNES WORLD (1992), and even the LITTLE RASCALS (1994), is an eye opener to those not a fan of punk rock circa 198? and a nostalgic look back to those who do remember _(tho I was in NYC at the time-the scene was a little different-not as violent.)
The bands are a mixed bag-according to your tastes, of course. There are the good-(Black Flag,Circle Jerks,X),the bad-(Alice Bag,Catholic Disipline), to the just plain scary-(the Germs,Fear).
In between the bands playing music,you get some fine interviews with Black Flag,X and best of all,Darby Crash of the Germs making breakfast with his girlfreind and his pet tarantula.
Also some choice clips of the fans themselves-disalusioned kids with bad haircuts and worse attitudes.

If you love punk music-this is a must see. If you don't-it's still a must see-if only for a slice of life look at a cultural phenomonem.

Darby has breakfast.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFtmrNdKLLc

[lester1/2jr]

I haven't seen this in a while. I remember  liking the Germs and thinking their was a little too much X.

The second one , the glam rock one, has become more notorious I think.

My favorite doc of this era though was "Urrgh a music war."  I used to watch that all the time.

[RCMerchant]

I haven't seen this in a while. I remember  liking the Germs and thinking their was a little too much X.

The second one , the glam rock one, has become more notorious I think.

My favorite doc of this era though was "Urrgh a music war."  I used to watch that all the time.

Yeah-I thought there was waaay to much X...and they coulda dumped Alice Bag altogether-along with the French guy from Slash magazine.
I saw URGH! A MUSIC WAR waaaay back in the day-one one of those big clumsy 'video disk' player things in the early 80's!

[Flick James]

URGH! A Music War was great! 

[RCMerchant]

URGH! A Music War was great! 

Yes it is. 
Oddly enuff, Belinda Carslie of the Go Go's was a freind of Darby Crash-and turned down the oppurtunity to join the Germs! Too bad. THAT would have been cool.

The Go Go's -URGH!
I like the Valley Girl body surfing in this clip!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I13c7pgdXto&feature=related

Boy she's hot!

[Flick James]

Both Decline and URGH! are such interesting movies. They both came at the same general period, and both turned the public on to music that was very under the radar at the time. The mainstream would see an explosion of both punk and new wave in the next few years.

The two movies are so different from one another in many ways, however. Decline is a bit more underground and considerably more gritty, and also very specific to California. URGH!, on the other hand, was a British film, but covered a much larger cross-section of both British and American artists. What's so intersting if you watch it now, you can see the early face of the new wave/punk genres, and their very close connection to the 70's glitter rock that inspired them. You can almost see the faces of Bowie and Iggy Pop superimposed in many of the artists featured. In the next few years following, new wave would take on more of it's own identity, and eventually become homogenized crap once groups like Wham! and A-ha came along to begin the end of the genre. However, I will always have a soft spot in my heart for the early new wave movement and all those wierd artists who more closely resembled their influences from the 70's than what they would become in the mid-80s. A unique and heartbreakingly brief crossroads period.

[Allhallowsday]

About 2 years ago, ZAPRANOTH was kind enough to send me a DVD burn he'd made of URGH! A MUSIC WAR.  ZAP is great, and so is URGH!  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kC4LqiRoIE8  

I don't think I've seen THE DECLINE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION PART 1 (I have seen PART 2 on IFC and enjoyed it.)  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPYw3I7FG1A&feature=related

[lester1/2jr]

there is a part three i think. haven't seen it.

[voltron]

I haven't seen the original, but I thought The Metal Years was a fun watch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qKlZELdJh8&feature=related

[Archivist]

I liked The Metal Years as well.  But even as a teenager when I saw the movie, I actually felt kind of sorry for the band Odin.  They were obviously trying hard but not really going anywhere, they were sozzled with booze and drugs, and they had this weird guy, like a cross between Stan Lee and Hugh Hefner pushing them as the next big metal thing.  Strange.  It's an oddly depressing movie as well, considering all the excess portrayed in the movie.

[lester1/2jr]

Circus Circus has this on vinyl

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6iQngZc2hw&feature=related