American Hardcore (1 Viewer)

Yes, yes.

The movie does a good job of describing those days, how difficult it was to put together a tour, how dedicated you had to be to try to make yourself known in a world that communicated through xerox zines and tiny record stores.

It was a good time to be 21 years old though, in a van pointed East, full of equipment and smelly "musicians."

Everyone gives props to Bad Brains in that movie, which is fitting, since they wrote the template all the "hardcore" bands used (and abused). HR is typically cryptic in his interview as I recall. That guy was (is) a lunatic - a real force of nature. Never seen anything like the Bad Brains in 1982, and don't expect to ever again. I went to rehearsal the next night and said to Sonny and the other guys, "Well, I quit. We'll never be as good as the band I saw last night..."

Okay, I didn't quit right then and there, but I did soon after.

Hardcore poured jet fuel all over the punk scene and burned it to the ground. We played a lot of music that could fit into that category - it was as fast as anyone out there - but we also played other kinds of music, and the audiences at that time would have none of that. In fact, I saw Bad Brains play a couple years later, in 83 or 84 and they did an entire set of reggae and emptied First Avenue in Minneapolis. Every "punk" that was there (and the place was packed) just left, and there were only about 20 of us who stayed through the whole thing.

That kind of narrow-mindedness was the downside of that whole commotion there in the 80's.
 
slightly OT, but not really, has anyone ever seen Hard Core Logo?

it's Canadian. it gives a pretty accurate (I'm guessing here) account of being a struggling, touring punk band. and despite it's billing, it's not really a Canadian Spinal Tap.
 
It's been on my netflix list forever, and it's only made its way up to #21 (it's a long list). Is it worth bumping to the top?
 
I haven't seen the movie but I hear some Boston bands are in it, I saw SSD Control a few times and others I think are in it, The Freeze, Jerry's Kids back in the day.
 
American Hardcore is available to watch on google video in its entirety.

There is a bit of a Hardcore renaissance at the moment with Fucked Up and Gallows getting some recognition, and a bubbling scene undercurrent, but I don't know, it just seems too watered down, and posed.
 
it's very good, but not great. I'd say bump it to 14. ;)
Ha - done!

There is a bit of a Hardcore renaissance at the moment...it just seems too watered down, and posed.
It's always been "posed." From day one there was a whole set of rules related not only to the music, but to how you, as a fan of the music, were supposed to look and act. Doesn't mean some of it didn't kick ass, but the big blanket of conformity covering the whole scene turned me off. It was stylish to rant and sing anti-Reagan stuff in those early days, but that crowd was more conservative than Reagan ever was.
 
It's a hoot to go to small clubs and see Angry Samoans and the like today. The uniform has been adopted by the kids.

Doc Marins...check
Tight ragged jeans...check
Loin cloth thing over ass...Check
Lether/cut...check
Perfectly sculpted hawk...check

So punk Rawk!
 
I missed all the good music movements. Though I have been enjoying the indie bands that have come around since the late 90s... I still know I missed out on all of my favorite bands in their prime and\or when all members were alive.

Stupid 1983 birthday...
 
I really dig Minor Threat/Fugazi.

As mjp mentioned PUNK had different flavors in different areas. LA Punk vs. NY Punk vs. DC Punk, etc... If you want to listen to DC punk, check out Minor Threat and, of course, Bad Brains....


Bill

p.s. I never got to see Minor Threat or Fugazi live, although I used to see Ian and Guy at shows at the Black Cat in the 90's. If it was a Dischord band, it was almost a guarantee that Ian was there. I also ran into him at an "indie rock" flea market in Arlington back in the day...
 
Oh I got to see Fugazi live in SF, they rocked.
And then there was the SF punk scene...
I got to work with the The Mutants with Snakefinger Producing and the Units in my early days as an assistant recording engineer. Man I was so naive. I really had no idea how cool it was to be working with those bands...
 
I love Minor Threat too... I remember when I picked up their "discography" and it was one disc... probably about 40-45 minutes total... good stuff. I really should check out Fugazi some day...
 
I got to work with the The Mutants with Snakefinger Producing and the Units in my early days as an assistant recording engineer. Man I was so naive. I really had no idea how cool it was to be working with those bands...
Snakefinger had some great, creepy 45s. "Here come the bums, they're after me..."

It's pretty unusual to recognize that what you are doing at the moment is going to be significant or even memorable in any way years down the road. I guess those punks that signed the Declaration of Independence realized that, but no one I knew in the punk rock days thought we were doing anything but making rock music that we liked, and putting those bloated arena fossils like the Rolling Stones six feet under.

Well, the Rolling Stones had the last laugh there, didn't they?
 
I liked the book more than the film. I think my biggest gripe was that the book had an entire chapter dedicated to the original Misfits and the movie had very limited Misfits coverage. I could be wrong, it's been a couple of years since I saw the film, but if I remember correctly that was my biggest complaint.

12 hits from hell, the released, then pulled off the shelf record by the misfits is one of my favorites of all time. Definately worth checking out if you haven't.
 
Snakefinger had some great, creepy 45s. "Here come the bums, they're after me..."

Snakefinger was great. A shame that he died so young. He did a fanfuckingtabulous version of Zappa's King Kong with The Residents. was another really catchy song. I was lucky enough to have seen him perform live a couple of times.
 
I love The Decline Of Western Civilization. It covers all the important La bands. The Germs, X Circle Jerks, Black Flag, Fear and more.

I especially like the Germs segment where they talk about the painter in the back yard.
 
Yes, The Decline is a great film. I wish they would put the damned thing out on DVD, but I guess there are rights issues.
 

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