We Got Tha Punk!
Nevermind The Bollocks, Here's The Popcorn
by JJ

Good punk rock movies are hard to find. And believe me, as Le Video's resident punk rock cinematic connoisseur rat, I've spent a lifetime looking. When SLC Punk debuted at the Embarcadero, it was only I (and some other elderly man) taking in the first matinee with eager (and possibly misguided) anticipation. Now, with the recent release of SLC Punk to video, I have become inspired to share my findings with you, my celluloid-loving cyberpunk friends.

But since everyone has a different definition of just what exactly the word "punk" means, I'll start by giving you mine: punk is an overarching lifestyle that transcends mere music and fashion to touch upon more philosophical and intellectual issues. Simply put, it's about freeing yourself from the shackles of society, the constraints of enculturation, so that you may think for yourself, chart your own course. It's about knowing the true nature of something by pushing that thing to its limit, even if that something is you. It's about questioning everything - an ideal iconoclasm - and verifying personal truths. It's about living with ideological integrity and emotional intensity. And a lot of the time, it's about cutting loose and having fun.

The movies I'll list here, likewise, embody that ethos and spirit, while not necessarily adhering to the surface constraints of form and fashion.

First off we have the aforementioned SLC Punk, a well-meaning if not slightly flawed film that is still highly recommended in the usually unwatchable wasteland that is the punk rock movie. The action centers around two lovably antagonistic protagonists, Stevo and Heroin Bob, as they try to verify personal truth in the unlivable (to them) wasteland of Salt Lake City (the "SLC" from the title) in 1985. The fact that the pair are, at the time, the only "real" punks in the straight-laced Mormon metropolis allows the film to build upon a philosophical foundation of contrasts.

And through the madness and (occasionally) madcap mayhem, certain scenarios allow larger issues to be argued; dualities discussed include punks vs. hippies, violence vs. peace, "real" punks vs. poseurs, chaos vs. structure, and anarchy vs. fascism. Some very good questions are both implicitly and explicitly asked, such as "Does violent anarchism become fascism when it seeks to impose its value systems on others?"

And though most of these questions are answered with what amounts to a cinematic shrug, it is done in a knowing, wink-wink kind of fashion, as if the filmmakers are well aware that no solutions are being provided, and that it's only important that the viewer ponder the paradox. Again, "think for yourself."

The only problem I had with the film is that it seems to, in places, equate punk with mindless violence, a cultural construct and media myth which has been in place since daytime talk shows reached out to the violently disenfranchised youth of America and said, "Punks are messed up and need makeovers." And the youth bought in.

And though I usually despise films that trumpet their soundtracks as a reason to see the film, in this movie the musical cues work really well, both in content and placement; not only are classic tracks by Exploited, the Stooges, Fear, the Ramones, the Vandals, the Velvet Underground, Adolescents, and Dead Kennedys featured, but oftentimes they are included at very appropriate points in the plot. The best example of this is when Minor Threat's "Look Back and Laugh" begins playing as Stevo contemplates his loyalty towards his best friend Bob. (For those of you not in the lyrical know, the words go, "One day something funny happened, but it scared the shit out of me/Their heads went in different directions, and their friendship ceased to be."). But the real kicker is that the track is pushed back in the mix before the second part of the lyric kicks in, so in order for the musical cue to make any real sense, you have to know the song on your own. Nice.

Also rising above the mix are the performances by the lead actors, Matthew Lillard as Stevo and Michael Goorjian as Heroin Bob. Lillard transcends his usual one-note snarkiness to create an actual character, and Goorjian makes Heroin Bob (so named because of his fear of needles) one of the most likable - nay, lovable - characters in recent memory. So while the film is hardly perfect, it certainly offers enough to not only the punks out there in movie land, but to all the ideological and agitational aficionados everywhere. (SLC Punk can be found in both the Independent and Comedy sections of Le Video).

Another recent (and even better) movie that gets out the punk is Bruce McDonald's mockumentary Hard Core Logo. Made in 1996, the film follows the exploits and exploitations of a punk band that rockily reforms in one last attempt to cash in on the newfound popularity of punk rock. Their subsequent tour naturally peels back the scabs that have barely formed over hardly-healed wounds, and the (a)moral allegorical tale reveals that principle will always win over pretense, both on and off stage. McDonald has a reputation of being the king of the rock'n'road movie, and the rocky road he lays before us in Hard Core Logo is both entertaining and informative, a kickass combo contributing to his best effort to date. (Hard Core Logo can be found in the Bruce McDonald/Canada and the Independent sections of Le Video)

A more classic film - probably the benchmark of the punk rock genre - is Alex Cox's beautifully lyrical love story of destruction, Sid and Nancy. If you've gotten this far in this article, you probably don't need the plot spelled out for you, but for those who need it, Sid was the bassist for the original English punk band, the Sex Pistols, and Nancy was the groupie/girlfriend who sent him spiraling to self-destruction. The film is based on their true romance, and is a heartbreaking and aching portrayal of nihilism and narcissism. Gary Oldman, back when he was a lean and hungry actor at the top of his craft, puts in a stunning tour de force performance as doomed druggie Sid Vicious, while Courtney Love has a pre-fame bit part as groupie Gretchen (a precursor to her real later life with Kurt Cobain, as detailed in Nick Broomfield's "Kurt and Courtney," available in the Nick Broomfield/Documentary section of Le Video).

"Over the Edge" is a classic film that embodies everything the punk rock spirit represents. This over the top drama is a curiously skewed cautionary tale that, like Sid and Nancy, is also gleaned from true events. In this case, the details depicted loosely mirror events that unfolded in Arvada, Colorado in the 1970s, when a planned community that consisted of bushels of teens didn't plan well enough (there was no place for them to hang out, recreate, or procreate) and pushed them - well, you know where.

The film, which marks the debut of a very young Matt Dillon, does a great job of showing kids trying to break free of the society that binds them. They end up pushing themselves, their parents, and the town leaders to the very limit in their collective quest to discover themselves. And there's some good examples of cutting loose and having fun along the way. From the first scene, where two kids shoot out the windshield of a cop car from a highway overpass, only to gleefully ride away on their 3-speeds to the tune of Cheap Trick's "Surrender," to the memorably explosive climax, this film is packed with equal parts mirth and mayhem. A punk rock masterpiece. (Over the Edge is available in the Drama section of Le Video).

And finally, for those craving Monty Python-type humor with more of an anarchic edge, might I suggest almost any of the 15 episodes of the British TV comedy series, "The Young Ones." The Young Ones are four college "students" (never seen in school) - a punk, a hippie, an anarchist poet, and a cool guy - who live together in domestic disarray and disfunction with hilarious results. The best episodes are Cash (where punk Vyvyan is pregnant and Neil the hippie joins the police force - "Open up - it's the pigs!"), Bambi (where the lads go on a game show and Emma Thompson has an early career cameo), and Flood (where London is flooded with 50 feet of water and Vyvyan goes to Narnia). The best comedy series ever! (The Young Ones are available in the BBC section of Le Video).

Other more music-oriented punk rock selections at Le Video include Penelope Spheeris' documentary "The Decline of Western Civilization," the Sex Pistols' art movie "The Great Rock N Roll Swindle," and the Sonic Youth/Nirvana video tour log, "1991: the Year Punk Broke." All are available in the Music Video section of Le Video. Also check out the History of Rock N Roll, Volume 9, which has a great one hour chapter about the music and the lifestyle we so know and love.