anyone who has seen this will realise wy i was so excited to find it on dvd in a record shop in downtown baltimore about 2 months ago, i watched it like 3 times in one night cause i was so excited to had it. I have been looking for this documentary for years and finally stumbled apon it again, fuckin score!

"The performers, attitudes, and music of late '70s, early '80s Los Angeles punk scene are documented in this film by director Penelope Spheeris. Not merely a compilation of concert footage, The Decline of Western Civilization compiles numerous viewpoints on the meanings of the punk movement, from journalists -- one of whom calls punk the folk music of the 1980s -- to club security guards, to the punks themselves. The center of the film, however, is the music, which is fast, loud, and abrasive and often played with purposeful ineptitude; the lyrics are intentionally controversial and shocking, often seeming to embrace violence, sexism, racism, and even Nazism, though usually in an ironic manner. The performances, by bands such as Black Flag, X, The Circle Jerks, and Fear, are mostly shot from within the audience, where the camera often becomes an unwitting participant in the crowd's slam dancing. Especially fascinating are the performances by The Germs, thanks to the antics of their violently self-destructive lead singer Darby Crash, who would later die of a drug overdose and gain a martyr status within the punk community. The film was followed several years later by a sequel focusing on the world of heavy metal."

- Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide

The dead guy at the party rules.

I prefer part 2, featuring Chris Holmes of WASP wasted in a pool while his mom looks on in horror.

sinistas said:

Ya, he was all fucked up, and he died shortly after that.

once i dreamed pt.1 was going to be on cable,mtv,i think. in the dream i read it in the t.v.guide.the dream was so real,i thought it really happenend. i went through the whole fucking t.v.guide about 3 times and couldn't find it.i finally accepted it.yeah, lee ving rules in that.

powerkok said:

Uh, Chris Holmes is not dead.

Not that I liked the bands better, but I thought the punk one was a better documentary than the metal one.

While this is true, it has Megadeth with Chuck fucking Behler in it. Batman shirt FTW.

sinistas said:

Thats probably my favorite part too. Although Ozzy all drunk in the morning smoking butts and making eggs in his bathrobe is pretty good too.

I didn't know this was on DVD. I downloaded this on a torrent awhile ago. I think it's way better than the metal one. Darby making eggs was priceless. And the Black Flag (with Chavo, their best singer IMO) and Circle Jerks sets were fucking awesome. Plus Lee Ving of FEAR kicking that girl in the face!! HAHA I gotta get this on DVD NOW!

I actually haven't seen that one, only the metal one. I can never find either of them for sale, I guess I'll have to look again. I forget they were re-releasing this.

Chris Holmes in the pool was amazing.

Yeah, they are supposedly both coming out on DVD in the near future. I've never seen either of the DVDs in a store.

keith got this when we were playing Baltimore, it hasnt been re released onto dvd. this dvd he has is clearly a vhs to dvd transfer.

still great to watch.

"im not here to make friends, if im making friends then im not doing my job."