Featuring: Keith Morris, Rick Wilder, Flea, Naked Aggression, The Resistance, Final Conflict, Litmus Green
Director: Penelope Spheeris
Producer: Scott Wilder
Cinematography: Jamie Thompson
U.S. Distributor: Spheeris Films, Inc.
As indicated by the title, The Decline of Western Civilization: Part III is the third movie in Penelope Spheeris' documentary series about the evolution of the punk rock genre and its fandom. Decline I, Spheeris' directorial debut, was released in 1979 and presented an unvarnished (yet generally favorable) view of the punk rock phenomenon as it existed during the '70s. The follow-up, which reached theaters nearly a decade later, utilized the same unblinking approach, but turned out to be a sporadically hilarious enterprise as interview subjects made fools of themselves in front of the camera. Now, at the end of the '90s, the third segment of the trilogy has arrived. (We'll have to wait until around 2008 to find out whether there will be a fourth.)
Unlike the previous two movies, which were focused primarily on the punk music scene and the musicians, Decline III looks at today's fans, most of whom weren't born when Decline I was released (although, as Spheeris discovers, many of them have are familiar with it). The picture is assembled from a series of interviews with punkers in their late teens and early twenties who bear monikers like Squid, Filth, Spinner, Why-Me?, and Pinwheel. It asks questions about how the punk music scene has changed during the past 20 years, whether participants view it as a lifestyle or a hobby, and what the driving forces behind punk rock fandom are.
Today, as in the '70s, the primary emotion fueling punk rock is anger. This kind of music, which is a kind of primal scream against society's ills, represents an outlet for a segment of the '90s disaffected youth. However, while '70s punkers possessed idealistic notions about changing the world, the '90s crowd isn't trying to better life - they're trying to escape it. The new generation is characterized by an almost shocking fatalism. Most of youths interviewed by Spheeris, when asked where they will be in five years, placidly respond that they'll be dead - and that the sooner they go, the better.
While it's as difficult to overgeneralize about punk rockers as it is about any collective group, there are common traits. Many members of the punk rock movement (at least those spoken to by Spheeris) have a history of child abuse as well as drug and/or alcohol addiction. (One tells a story about how, when he was an infant, his mother quieted him down by replacing the formula in his bottle with beer.) They experience intense feelings of societal rejection and are regarded as outcasts. They are generally smart and well-spoken, are unconcerned about personal hygiene, and drink 24 hours a day. Most are poor and homeless, crashing in squats or on the street, and few have a job or exhibit a desire to get one. Instead, they engage in panhandling, "photospanging" (posing for tourists' photos for a couple of dollars), and, occasionally, robbery. Despite a disdain for the law, they are generally non-violent, and are frequently the object of persecution by skinheads (their right wing polar opposite) and the police. (To be fair, Spheeris talks to a representative who presents the police perspective.)
The single characteristic that defines every punk rocker's world view is an overpowering sense of dejection about society. ("Everything sucks in every which way possible.") They do not want to be a part of it, and do everything within their power to escape from it. In a way, their philosophy is naïve and muddled - if they really wanted freedom, they could go into the wilderness and live on a commune (as some groups have done), but, in a strange sort of way, they seem to feed on the squalor and corruption around them. "True" punk rockers band together to form a surrogate family. They despise those who do not wholly embrace the lifestyle and reject musicians who "sell out" by signing with a commercial record label.
Although most of Decline III is focused on the fans, Spheeris takes time out to engage in sit-down chats with a couple of bands, Naked Aggression and The Resistance, to discuss their beliefs and how they view the punk phenomenon. She also interviews '70s figures such as Keith Morris (of Circle Jerks), Rick Wilder (of Mau Mau's), and Flea (of the Red Rot Chili Peppers) about how the punk movement has changed over the years. The anger is still there, they say, but the sense of being able to make a difference is not.
For Spheeris, Decline III represents the latest chapter in a varied career. In addition to documenting the Los Angeles punk scene, she has helmed studio projects such as Wayne's World, The Beverly Hillbillies, and Senseless. She has also produced music videos for Fleetwood Mac, the Doobie Brothers, and Seals and Croft, and has done work for MTV. However, like Michael Apted (whose resume lists both the long running Up documentary series and the latest James Bond movie, The World Is Not Enough), the power of real people and real situations keeps drawing her back to the documentary world. With Decline III, she has made her most successful and compelling motion picture to date, opening a window on a segment of society that most of us do not understand. The movie is non-judgmental and uses a straightforward approach to explore, but neither condone nor condemn, the experience of being a punk rocker. There is death, pathos, and sadness in the stories that unfold herein. This is not propaganda; it is truth. The Decline of Western Civilization: Part III is opening in a scattershot fashion across North America throughout 2000, with all proceeds from its theatrical run going to a charity for homeless boys and girls.
© 2000 James Berardinelli