The Decline of Western Civilization Part II:The Metal… The Decline of Western Civilization Part II:The Metal Years
1988 Directed by Penelope Spheeris
Synopsis
It's more than music...it's a way of life.
This flick interviews up and coming glam bands who made their home in the L.A. scene. Also interviewed are some of the genre's idols including Kiss, Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, Poison, Megadeth, Lemmy from Motorhead and of course, Ozzy. Also, spotlighted performances from bands such as Faster Pussycat, Odin, London (Nikki Sixx's old band), Seduce and Megadeth. The movie's range of topics include groupies, alcoholism, drugs, the glam image and why it attracted so many people from many walks of life. The movie's funniest (and saddest) segment includes filmmaker Penelope Spheeris's attempt to interview a W.A.S.P. guitarist in his pool, drunk as a skunk and with his MOM sitting right there!
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This ill-advised sequel to the punk rock time capsule that is The Decline of Western Civilization is, unashamedly, a big laugh at all the hair bands who somehow managed to make glam metal a thing. The joke being that since many of these androgynous troubadours ironically displayed a mean streak of misogyny, inflated sense of self-worth or, in the case of the would-be stars, such a general delusion regarding their actual chances of making it, that they deserve every ounce of our derision. All Penelope Spheeris had to do was point a camera and ask them to talk about themselves. Hubris took care of the rest.
As disgusting as a lot of her subjects are - and they are disgusting…
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This ill-advised sequel to the punk rock time capsule that is The Decline of Western Civilization is, unashamedly, a big laugh at all the hair bands who somehow managed to make glam metal a thing. The joke being that since many of these androgynous troubadours ironically displayed a mean streak of misogyny, inflated sense of self-worth or, in the case of the would-be stars, such a general delusion regarding their actual chances of making it, that they deserve every ounce of our derision. All Penelope Spheeris had to do was point a camera and ask them to talk about themselves. Hubris took care of the rest.
As disgusting as a lot of her subjects are - and they are disgusting…
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Without death, life would be meaningless.
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One of my favorite Documentaries
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Why have I always overlooked this title? Metal is by far the greatest music genre to be the core of a documentary. All leading headbangers are full of stories about their sex lives, drug problems and near death experiences, making any time they have talking on camera, more often then not, immensely enjoyable for all audiences. Also, this being the '80's, the road stories of the musicians are even more ridiculous and as a result, hilarious.
Most of the bands featured have gone on to stand the test of time such as Motorhead, Aerosmith and Kiss - but even the lesser known bands on the film are full of great opinions as well. The settings for all of the interviews…
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This is a documentary on perhaps the dumbest age of music that I can remember. Penelope Spheeris has a wonderful talent of getting raw opinions of people deep into a scene, and this movie has a lot of it. It's also frigging hilarious. You know, unless you don't think that guys that basically cross-dress to get girls is hysterically funny.
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This is one of my top five favorite documentaries of all time, and I'm not even a fan of metal. It is equal parts fascinating, hilarious, and heartbreaking and the perfect encapsulation of the decadence of the era. Of the three installments in the Decline series, it is my favorite and if you are a guest at my house, you will watch this film.