Film Series: The Decline of Western Civilization

The Decline of Western Civilization is a film documentary trilogy by Penelope Spheeris chronicling different elements of Los Angeles street subcultures including punk rock, heavy metal and 'gutter' punk . The films themselves are in part rock/concert footage, ethnography and genuine social commentary.

The first film in the series was shot in LA in 1979 and 1980 and was released in the summer of 1981. It is comprised of live footage and interviews of influential underground punk bands that at the time went largely unnoticed by mainstrem rock/music press including Black Flag, Germs, Circle Jerks  and many more. The film touches on the ethos of punk rock and the relationship to issues of corporate control, 'stardom,' drug use and authenticity.

The second film entitled The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years, filmed from 1986-1988 (released in '88) deals largely with the Glam Metal scene of late 80's LA and the excess and endulgence that ensued. The film contains performances and footage of metal superstars, wannabees, industry types, club owners all describing their lifestyles and perspectives on the scenes. The film contains infamous interviews with Chris Holmes of WASP intoxicated in a pool, Ozzy Osbourne speaking about sobriety and the ramifications of drug use, Steven Tyler talking about spending millions of dollars on drugs as well as appearances by Lemmy from Motorhead, Dave Mustaine of Megadeth, Paul Stanley from KISS and many more. The film touches on the afformentioned issues of drug and alcohol abuse as well as misogyny and treatment of 'groupies', money, sales, celebrity among others. 

The third film in the series revisits punk culture in the late 90's and compares it to the subculture outlined in the original film in terms of aesthetic, ideology, and music. Spheeris' third film follows a group of gutter punks, mostly homeless (often by choice), transient teenagers who shut out mainstream society and opt to squat and live on the street as an embodiment of hardcore punk and anti-establishment ethos. The film features performances by underground hardcore punk bands Final Conflict, Litmus Green, Naked Aggression and The Resistance.

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Track of the day: Bad Brains - Sailin' On

Often credited as the pioneers of hardcore punk Washington D.C.'s Bad Brains have a sound so manifold it would be unjust to bind them within the sole genre they established. Bad Brains began as a Jazz fusion band in the mid '70s in the same vein as fusion ensembles such as Chick Corea's Return to Forever and were well versed in the Hard Rock of the era ie. Black Sabbath. The introduction of punk and ska punk to the band began the formation of the diverse yet iconic sound attributed to Bad Brains. While the initial success of the band is sometimes credited to the novelty of seeing an entirely African American band play punk music, their contributions to a wide spectrum of music (hardcore, punk, metal, alternative, hip hop, ska, reggae...) stands testament by the large number of successful (culturally and commercially) bands that have directly drawn influence from the band. To name a few: Faith No More, In Living Color, Fishbone, Sublime, Black Flag, P.O.D., Deftones, Beastie Boys, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rage Against the Machine and many many more. Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins once noted that he was inspired by the pacing of Bad Brains' abrasive, hard, fast rhythyms juxtaposed to mellow, smooth reggae and it was this dichotomy that Corgan used to develop the Pumpkins' sound.

I have personally had the pleasure of seeing a Bad Brains performance live and it is unlike any punk  concert I have seen before. Singer HR stands tall, stern and relatively unmoved raising two peace signs while creating a myriad of vocal textures and literally emitting multiple voices.



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