You could be watching...: The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years

When I said my “You could be watching…” series “may not be as frequent as BotW, Hot off the Press, or The Bookworm,” I was not planning to have four months pass between posts. However, that is exactly what happened and I am kicking myself for it.

But whatever. Instead of Two and a Half Men or whatever shit the major networks have scheduled tonight, I recommend watching The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years.

It is the second installment in a trilogy of documentaries about punk and rock. Directed by Penelope Spheeris (best known for Wayne’s World, The Beverly Hillbillies, and Black Sheep), the first film documented the Los Angeles punk scene in 1979-80, and a third movie was released in 1998 dealing with the gutter punk music and lifestyle of homeless teens in LA. Part II, as the title suggests, focuses on the metal and glam rock of 1987-88.

While chatting with Zee German today, I told him this movie was “priceless.” It is a complete reflection of how outrageous metal and glam were at the time. Paul Stanley is interviewed while lying in a bed with scantly clad women. Chris Holmes, from W.A.S.P., is interviewed in a swimming pool, drunk as hell, with his mother presiding over the whole thing. And the fashion is just insane. No wonder they called it hair metal.

Here is something I have seen a lot of on YouTube, especially in relation to eighties music videos: comments from teenagers bashing contemporary music, wishing they had been born 20 years earlier so they could have experienced music before corporate synergy turned it into formulaic shit. Part of me sympathizes with these kids. Since I had my own shameful obsession with the music of another era, I cannot help thinking this a common sentiment among the pimple-faced. Maybe the teens in 10 years will be pining for a return of the nu metal that was popular during my high school years (think Korn and Limp Bizkit), or maybe the fleeting ska and swing craze of 1998. However, another part of me wants to tell these kids to shut up and look harder. Great music is still amongst us; it is just not being played on the radio or MTV (because MTV doesn’t do music anymore). There is a whole world of music beyond what is released by the major labels. Discover it. Or be creative and do your own thing.

Speaking of glorifying music from yesteryear, I am going through a grunge/post-grunge phase. The soundtrack to Black Sheep is very fitting for me right now. Ah — 1996.