Watched: The Decline of Western Civilization, Parts I and II

Well I found both of these on Youtube, although only half of Part I had been uploaded so I guess I'll never find out what the beleaguered manager of the Germs went on to do or what was up with that alarmingly Tommy Wiseau-esque French guy. The picture below is from that part, and deals with the punk scene in LA in 1979 and 1980 (the picture is from a montage depicting guys giving each other home made tatoos). I particularly enjoyed the section on the Germs and Darby Crash, who like most punk rock stars is an awesome mix of repugnant and mesmerizing. It's good, but not as good as...

The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years. This was just... amazing. I didn't take many screencaps but like I said, the whole thing is on Youtube, even if not in great condition, but it should definitely be watched by everyone. It just paints such a ridiculous picture of excess and tragedy and bathos and it's crazy to think that this was people's LIVES. They lived this warped, commercialized image of metal where the music was somehow everything and not even a consideration.

I don't even know. It seems like everything about that lifestyle was contradictory; women supported these self-purported rock stars and yet were subjugated to ridiculous amounts of misogyny or disregard even while being one of the main motivations for being a rock star, the musicians wanted only to be famous and yet the famous ones were filled with regrets and misgivings... the list goes on and on.

Some of this doc's scenes have become pretty notorious, like the dude getting wasted in his pool while his mom watches stoically or the Kiss guy being interviewed in a bed full of girls, but I picked this picture because I think the "Metal Beauty Pageant" is both the low point and the highlight of this documentary. Seeing girls completely subjugate themselves to the so-called rock star panel of judges, wriggling around on the floor and humping the mic in their thong leotards and bleached/permed hair, is embarassing. Juxtaposing that footage with external interviews, like that of a female musician who looks down on these women because they're kind of idiots, or the super old Hugh Hefnerish clubowner who has a vacant, giggling blond on each arm and who laughs skeezily and his skeezy contest in his skeezy club, or the judges who ridicule the same girls who completely humiliate themselves for their approval, makes this alternately tragic and cringe-hilarious.

This is probably all old news as this doc has been around since the mid-80's, but I was completely fascinated by this film. These people honestly believed that they could all be as famous as Aerosmith or Kiss despite the obvious glut of bands who looked/sounded/behaved exactly the same as they did. To them, there was no alternative to this scene they had completely entrenched themselves in. There's a naivety and innocence to that which is almost refreshing, but not really? It's amazing to see that they have absolutely no backup plan because I think most people I know these days are a little more savvy, a little more willing to hedge their bets. But these kids never considered that metal might fade and that their chance wouldn't come. They figured, hey, I'll either get famous or I'll continue being a ridiculous LA douchebag for the rest of time! Some of them joke about how they'll end up on skid row if they don't make it, but judging by the way they behave, I think it's safe to assume all of them never thought they'd actually get any older or any wiser than they were at the moment Spheeris interviewed them. The results are kind of amazing.