The Decline of Western Civilization Part I

Dir: Penelope Spheeris

1981

****

1981’s The Decline of Western Civilization Part I is Penelope Spheeris’s first film in a now notorious trilogy that explores three musical sub-cultures that were largely ignored by the mainstream press at the time of each film’s release. Spheeris’s films capture exactly what was happening at the time and record some phenomenal sets from many a long-gone band before they became either giants in the music world or by-gone legends. Some of the venues are also now regarded as sacred ground, many of them now closed for decades. A documentary made today about the Los Angeles punk scene would look very different, with interviews from people who were there repeating their now, half remembered memories of drink and drug fuelled nights at gigs. Most probably can’t remember, some memories are blurred and romanticised and quite a few of them are dead. The Decline of Western Civilization Part I was the here and now, it’s all there for an audience to see, exciting for those interested in the punk world in 1981 and fascinating now for those interested in where a movement once shone. Los Angeles wasn’t the birthplace of punk and punk itself had begun a few years earlier, much of punks history is disputed by those who followed different bands, I know punk fans who are so knowledgeable about the music, bands and movement that they put most wine connoisseurs to shame when it comes to waxing lyrical and general snobbery. Punk represents different things to different people, your mum and dad may think punks were all safety pins and huge green mohicans but that isn’t really the case. You have your London postcard punk and you have your real punk, American punk and British and European punk being different beasts. This film isn’t the history of punk, it was a fly on the wall documentary capturing the performance of the bands and the views of the audience. Spheeris lets the film be what it wants to be, she obviously needed everyone on camera to give permission for their faces to be seen and that was difficult enough, with each band lambasting the request as if they were made to against their will. I love punk, but I love the punk I know. I’m fascinated by it but much of it has become romanticized. Punks hated hippies, mainly because they sold out but all these years later many of the more successful punks have done exactly the same. Punk was the last inventive youth revolution, there hasn’t been one since. Punk deconstructed everything, so now everything is possible. Punk pioneers are seen as social heroes, so it is important sometimes to watch films like The Decline of Western Civilization Part I again, and realise that much of it was fluke, serendipity and that many of the punk pioneers were not very nice kids. It’s a warts and all documentary, great music and a bunch of 1950s kids either rebelling against their white picket fence upbringing or coming from broken homes and heading down a downward spiral. There are loads of posers and wannabes but there are also genuine broken kids who have lost all care. Highlights for me were seeing the live performances from Black Flag and Circle Jerks. I quite like Alice Bag Band too and watching Fear taunt and insult the audience is still amazing all these years later. I think watching Germs is the film’s real poignant scene. Germs lead singer adorned the films poster, their performance is just a slur as lead singer Darby Crash is barely able to stand. He was dead from suicide by heroin overdose before the film was released. It is a raw and powerful capture of history, as all documentaries should be.