American Hardcore - The History of Punk Rock 1980 - 1986
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Movie Reviews of American Hardcore - The History of Punk Rock 1980 - 1986
Movie Review: I give it five, 'cause its the first...
Summary: 5 Stars
Kids around today should see the value in these interviews and this old photage of live shows and what-not. Its cool for those of us who were around also...
I don't care to worry about if BLush and co. are doing this to cash in. I'm just glad someone is putting this out.
Movie Review: HXC!
Summary: 5 Stars
GREAT MOVIE!!! i wait a lot for this to come out in dvd format...
they left a lot of bands out, thats true, husker du, suicidal tendencies, excel, beowolf, and many others...
but this is just the essences...
great footage...
Movie Review: ahh memories.....
Summary: 5 Stars
Great fun for anybody who was there. Like watching home movies. FYI anybody asking silly questions like "where were the Misfits and DK" obviously weren't there.Movie Review: PRIMAL ROCK
Summary: 4 Stars
With each generation there is a core group that feels disenfranchised from the rest, rebels without a clue dead set on believing in a different world where only they are the normal ones. They prefer not to be part of the standard norm, instead creating their own images, words and music to symbolize what it is that is unique about them selves. In the 50s there was the greaser, in the 60s there was the hippie and in the 80s there was the hardcore punk rocker. The most amazing thing is that each of these groups has turned out to end up the same way, becoming the norm and finding respect in a world that they rebelled against. AMERICAN HARDCORE takes a look at this last group.
Subtitles "The History Of American Punk Rock 1980-1985", the film documents the early days, the rise and the eventual fall of the icons of this musical movement. Perhaps some might not consider it musical at all seeing as how it relies little on melody and depends more on sheer volume and power. But when historians look back on the music scene, this one will take its place among the movements that while never quite becoming hugely popular, did indeed influence many acts that followed.
Through interviews with those who were on the scene when it began, with those who played in some of the biggest bands of the time, the movie begins its journey in the California punk rock scene where groups of early teens in the 14-15 age group, tired of what they consider oppressive parents and government agencies, revolt with a new music that they adapt for themselves. While the 70s let loose bands like The Ramones and the Sex Pistols, the American hardcore scene took these ideas and broke them down into a rougher, edgier sound.
Bypassing melody, the early American hardcore music relied on three chords played loudly and as fast as possible with a guttural vocal that was more grunting and yelling than singing. Played in storefronts and abandoned buildings, the music found its niche with these youngsters in search of a voice of their own.
The interviews throughout this documentary show those founding fathers of that movement today as they discuss what was happening when they began and how they were affected by one another. It covers the scene from location to location, noting how what started in one area was adapted in another part of the country and while the same, took on its own versions. The L.A. scene was not like the D.C. scene and neither was quite like what was found in the Boston area.
The film focuses on what became the legends of that time with bands like Bad Brains, SSD, YDS, DOA, Minor Threat, The Circle Jerks and perhaps the most famous (thanks in part to the charisma of lead singer Henry Rollins) Black Flag. Members of each group talk about not only what was going on where they were at but what it was that brought them where they were, how they felt at that time and how it altered their lifestyles.
In the end, to me, the most amazing thing was to see the change and to hear them discuss how they ended up. Some left bands and went on to become seriously wealthy with investments, some became authors and speakers, and others continue to play today. But just like those in the past, the controversial hip shakers of the 50s, the protestors of the 60s, this generation of rebels became the mainstream as well. They became the fathers and businessmen that their fathers were. Perhaps not selling shoes or working at an ad agency, but in their own way they became the exact thing they were rebelling against so long ago.
One thing of interest I found was the influences that these bands had on current acts. While not cited or discussed in the film, bands like Metallica and the Red Hot Chili Peppers come to mind as well as several other bands. Would these bands have become as popular as they are without the early hardcore punk music? Who knows? It's a topic not discussed in the film that could have yielded more conversations than what we have formed here. Then again, perhaps that's not what director Paul Rachman was looking for.
The movie is a fascinating study of youth gone wild finding them selves in an artistic way. If you're not a fan of this type of music, this film will not convert you into going out to find the CDs of bands heard. The music, as I said, is fast, loud and more along the lines of Johnny Weissmuller than Frank Sinatra. It has its place, but not all will include it. If you want to find out where much of today's music was based though (and no I don't mean the pop tart of the month music but the more heavy styles), then this movie will give you an insight that perhaps might not have been known. Well made, well documented and interesting, it's a slice of history not known to most. Now is the chance for music lovers and pop culture watchers to once again discover the American hardcore scene found in this film.
Movie Review: Definitely worth watching
Summary: 4 Stars
If you saw the IFC documentary that came out not too long ago called "Punk: Attitude", "American Hardcore" picks up where that one left off. By around1980, traditional punk had pretty much died off, and the Hardcore movement was just starting up. "American Hardcore" focuses on all the bands that formed in different regions around the US as a reaction to (among other things) the incoming Reagan administration, the resurgence of bloated 70's dinosaur rock, and the emerging 80's mindless cocaine party scene.
The movie covers in a somewhat chronological fashion the rise and fall of the hardcore movement. From the dirty beach cities of Los Angeles, to the downtown suburbs of Washington D.C., up to Boston, and germinating everywhere in between. Since Hardcore was a regional phenomenon, the movie covers the scene from a regional point of view, addressing how each city would have it's own group of outsider kids who did not want to be part of the popular culture, and who would do anything they could to actively reject it. This manifested itself in many forms ranging from the incredible Pettibone flyers advertising SST shows, the creation of regional labels and fanzines, to the D.C. and Boston "straight edge" movements. The filmmakers interview members of bands important to the scene including Black Flag, Bad Brains, Circle Jerks, SSD Control, DOA, Minutemen, MDC, DRI, Minor Threat, Teen Idles, and so on.
Though a very thorough film, there are a few glaring omissions. On the director's commentary track, the filmmakers say that they wanted to include Dead Kennedys and the Misfits in the interviews, but due to intense legal turmoil within both bands during the filming, neither were able to be included in the movie. I understand this, yet at the same time I feel both of these bands deserved to have at least a minor segment due to their seminal influence on the hardcore scene. Also, many of the Midwest bands, most notably Hüsker Dü, get only a passing mention in this documentary.
My only other problem with this movie is that, just as in "Punk: Attitude" where members of bands from the first wave of punk rock say that punk died in 1981; "American Hardcore" ends with the aging hardcore guys saying "Punk is dead" or "Punk died in 1986". As a person who was just coming of age in 1986 and discovering the third wave of punk beginning with the resurgence of bands like Social Distortion and Bad Religion, the aging hardcore people come across just like their predecessors: as bitter old men.
In spite of the few drawbacks, this is an incredible film for both musical and social history. If you want to expose yourself to well rounded punk history, then I highly recommend watching "Punk: Attitude" (~pre-punk-1981), "American Hardcore" (~1981-1986), and "Punk's Not Dead" (~1986-present). Additionally, do not miss the incredible documentaries "The End of the Century" (The Ramones), "The Filth and the Fury" (The Sex Pistols), "Westway to the World" (The Clash), "We Jam Econo" (The Minutemen), and "The Future is Unwritten" (Joe Strummer). [NOTE: as of the time I am writing this review, "Punk's Not Dead" and "The Future is Unwritten" are still in theaters. Hopefully they'll be on DVD by late 2007.]