spheeris' first film documented the LA punk scene which seemed filled with real aimlessness and rage expressed through movement and sound and sweat and violence which had a couple misguided subjects but was ultimately still kind of profound and sad to observe the array of kids attracted to it and whose sole means of expression it was whereas this film traces the glam metal of the 80s in all its artificial posturing and is probably one of the funniest documentaries i've ever seen. a non-stop onslaught of incredibly staged and exaggerated interview set-ups of people who couldn't stop dressing up and performing if they tried; there's more painfully overt effort on display to look "cool" off the stage than their…

"Why didn't you pick better songs?" - Some Jabroni who kept throwing devil horns during the dopiest metal moments.

Where oh where did Penelope Spheeris stumble upon Chris Holmes? Time stood still during the swimming pool interview where he douses himself with vodka as his mom glares. Probably the most arresting segment I've seen in a movie this year. I can still see him splashing his mom when I close my eyes.

Spheeris asks some really great questions, like "What if you don't make it?" And, "Is dating girls for food and money prostitution?" They occasionally put the subjects in a bind or tee them up for self-incriminating answers. One of my favorites: Steven Tyler's rambling comparison between masturbation and…

Not necessarily the best movie to watch back to back with the original. Where the original feels immediate, urgent and objective, this movie is so staged and angled towards condescension that it's almost off-putting as a documentary. In order to believe that Ozzy is really spilling orange juice all over his countertop, one has to ignore that it's an insert shot showing this (Ozzy maintains that this was staged). The memorable Chris Holmes bits, which thrilled/shocked me so much when I first saw this, may also have been largely staged. But then you gotta consider the subject matter. Isn't making something ridiculously fake and laughable exactly the form that this content deserves? The answers is, for the most part, yes!…

Another great rock dock from Penelope Spheeris. Slightly more polished but still appeasingly grimey this one looks at the 80's metal scene when the genre was at its most commercial thanks in large part to the "glam" bands. I love metal with all my heart but this paticular subgenre I avoid and this perfectly encapsulates all it represents and why I never vibed with it. Souless, vapid, obsessed with excess, and oh my god the misogyny is on an entirely different level. It can all be summed up just by looking at Paul Stanley's scenes, not even listening to him just watching how I assume he chose to be interviewed. It is something I will NEVER stop cringing/laughing at.

Not…

Spheeris' follow up to her seminal THE DECLINE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION is a fascinating watch. It can be viewed as a humorous look at the outrageous attitudes and fashions of the LA rock scene in the late 80's which are crazily over-the-top, but it also serves as a powerful counterpoint of the first film.
In the original, Spheeris looked at the burgeoning punk scene in the same area. The attitudes and style was one of shock and rebelliousness, but the tone was of a generation that was angry, lost and unsure of what to do with their lives. It was a film of searching and nihilism, yet it felt as if there was a purpose to their outrage.
Viewing THE…

A document of both cringe-inducing comedy and high personal tragedy, this subjects of this film leave a vague depressing sensation that only grows more poignant as time marches on. The general ickiness in behavior on display is undercut by the obvious self-destruction of some of these folks, while others are just clearly dumb assholes. The most unforgettable moment is still Chris Holmes in the pool, calling himself "a piece of crap" and drinking to incomprehensibility. KISS might be the most loathsome band in the world, and how they managed to achieve this end while maintaining general sobriety I'll never know. But the person who comes off the best in the interviews is probably Lemmy, mostly because he doesn't say awful…

☆"I'm 29. I'm what they call 'an old fuck.'"☆

Though I grew up listening to some of the mainstream artists featured in Penelope Spheeris's The Decline of Western Civilization II: The Metal Years, I look back on the mid-to-late-80s as something of a silly period of "heavy metal" music, as there's very little that's heavy or metal about most of these bands. But I'll give them their credit as Spheeris does: they are loud, they had a great time, and they rode the wave of a fad as long as they could.

As opposed to her seminal documentary on the LA punk scene, The Metal Years very much has some slicker production and crisper visuals than the DIY feel we…

“Most of them just got out of high school and they can’t get real jobs because they don’t look right for real jobs.”

Mostly bleak stuff, with some magical moments. The focus here is on the copycat glam acts who will never leave regional circuits for the big leagues. Several relate how they’re technically homeless, using the sex appeal of the band life as a type of currency to find a meal or a place to stay. The high-profile interviews mostly serve to convey the fantasy that these kids are chasing. Spheeris makes her vantage point clear by capturing some of the more pointed back and forths she has with her subjects, asking one macho man whether he’s considered that…

The Decline of Western Civilization es una serie documental realizada por Penelope Spheeris, estructurada en tres partes a lo largo de dos décadas. Cada una da cuenta a través de una escena musical específica de la ciudad de Los Ángeles el absurdo y sinsentido de una juventud cada vez más desesperada por llenar su espíritu con algo. Y como sabemos, si hay una cosa que fue siempre el caballito de batalla de los jóvenes para esclarecer sus inquietudes, desagotar la ira acumulada o simplemente matar el aburrimiento, fue, es y será la música.

En esta segunda parte el foco está puesto alrededor de la era dorada del heavy metal (no sé si en términos de calidad pero de masividad, seguro).…