Person unknown
03-14-2011, 04:56 AM
I had a chance to see this film the other night, this was not the DVD so this is a review of the film itself only.
Punk attitude is directed by Don Letts. I am sure most of you know who he is but for those that might not, Don Letts got his start as the DJ at the infamous Roxy club in London during the 76-77 punk explosion. At the time there where very few punk records so he feel back on his Reggae collection and was instrumental in forming the link between the two genres. Later he went on to form Big Audio Dynamite with Mick Jones, and has since directed a few films on the punk scene of the late 70's
Punk attitude charts the rise of punk from the late 60's onwards. It relays on interviews and footage through out the eras.
If you have been heavily into the music for awhile then the film is not going to tell you anything you don't already know, but the interviews with the likes of
Wayne Kramer (MC5)
Steve Jones (Sex Pistols)
Glen Matlock (Sex Pistols)
Paul Simonon (The Clash)
Ari Up (The Slits)
Poly Styrene (X-ray Specs)
Henry Rollins (Black Flag)
Jello Biafra (Dead Kennedys)
Along with members of Suicide, Buzzcocks, The Damned, The Ramones, Bad Brains and quite a few others, is worth a watch just to get their take on the whole thing. For the period from 68ish-78 it is an excellent document of that part of the movement to be expected really as this is where Lett's was heavily involved. However after this I feel the film is lacking in a great many respects. Their is some coverage of US punk after this era, but no mention at all of what's going on in the UK. Crass is a glaring omission as well as Discharge and even the Exploited. Don seems to still carry his generations blinkers that after 78 nothing worthwhile came out of the UK. Its not mentioned at all, and while Don and pals where chasing after major record deals and courting the mainstream a lot of these bands in my opinion where putting what came before to shame by whole heartedly rejecting the mainstream and embracing the DIY ethic.
It also lets itself down in the modern era, we get hero worship of Nirvana, mentions of Green day, Blink 182, Rancid etc
Nothing about anything underground, no Aus Rotten (or similar) no CRS7 bands, nothing on anything underground at all, or anything form the UK not even the Levellers or back to the planet or dare I say it Chumbawamba.
However what is there is very well presented and makes for interesting watching, I will at some point get the DVD just for the extra three hours of footage but be warned it suffers from the 77 punk attitude of nothing happened underground in the UK after 78 that was worthwhile, or in the US after 85, and in my opinion due to this it ranks of sour grapes, they claim that getting major record deals was instrumental in going world wide where as what came after showed this to be false. I feel this is reinforced by condensing modern punk to only what is mainstream. Only watch this for the insightful 68-78 part and the 79-85 US hardcore part (which is incomplete, no 7 seconds, no Bad Religion) those two sections make it worth the price of admission, ignore the rest.
Punk attitude is directed by Don Letts. I am sure most of you know who he is but for those that might not, Don Letts got his start as the DJ at the infamous Roxy club in London during the 76-77 punk explosion. At the time there where very few punk records so he feel back on his Reggae collection and was instrumental in forming the link between the two genres. Later he went on to form Big Audio Dynamite with Mick Jones, and has since directed a few films on the punk scene of the late 70's
Punk attitude charts the rise of punk from the late 60's onwards. It relays on interviews and footage through out the eras.
If you have been heavily into the music for awhile then the film is not going to tell you anything you don't already know, but the interviews with the likes of
Wayne Kramer (MC5)
Steve Jones (Sex Pistols)
Glen Matlock (Sex Pistols)
Paul Simonon (The Clash)
Ari Up (The Slits)
Poly Styrene (X-ray Specs)
Henry Rollins (Black Flag)
Jello Biafra (Dead Kennedys)
Along with members of Suicide, Buzzcocks, The Damned, The Ramones, Bad Brains and quite a few others, is worth a watch just to get their take on the whole thing. For the period from 68ish-78 it is an excellent document of that part of the movement to be expected really as this is where Lett's was heavily involved. However after this I feel the film is lacking in a great many respects. Their is some coverage of US punk after this era, but no mention at all of what's going on in the UK. Crass is a glaring omission as well as Discharge and even the Exploited. Don seems to still carry his generations blinkers that after 78 nothing worthwhile came out of the UK. Its not mentioned at all, and while Don and pals where chasing after major record deals and courting the mainstream a lot of these bands in my opinion where putting what came before to shame by whole heartedly rejecting the mainstream and embracing the DIY ethic.
It also lets itself down in the modern era, we get hero worship of Nirvana, mentions of Green day, Blink 182, Rancid etc
Nothing about anything underground, no Aus Rotten (or similar) no CRS7 bands, nothing on anything underground at all, or anything form the UK not even the Levellers or back to the planet or dare I say it Chumbawamba.
However what is there is very well presented and makes for interesting watching, I will at some point get the DVD just for the extra three hours of footage but be warned it suffers from the 77 punk attitude of nothing happened underground in the UK after 78 that was worthwhile, or in the US after 85, and in my opinion due to this it ranks of sour grapes, they claim that getting major record deals was instrumental in going world wide where as what came after showed this to be false. I feel this is reinforced by condensing modern punk to only what is mainstream. Only watch this for the insightful 68-78 part and the 79-85 US hardcore part (which is incomplete, no 7 seconds, no Bad Religion) those two sections make it worth the price of admission, ignore the rest.