Product Details

• Actors: Hoyt Axton, Paul Krassner, Mercury Morris, Jim Abrahams, Frank Zappa
• Directors: Malcolm Barbour, John Langley
• Format: NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Lions Gate
• VHS Release Date: February 7, 1990
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6302037301
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #412,940 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars This Is A Ripoff, June 16, 2003

By 

Richard Jones "aka DickStock" (Lamma Island, Hong Kong S.A.R.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cocaine Blues [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Frank Zappa is NOT a "Primary Contributor". He appears briefly on three occasions during this 52-minute snoozer about cocaine abuse in the 1970's.

About this non-movie, I think Frank said it best; "I think its completely absurd."

5.0 out of 5 stars A classic document...., April 16, 2008

By 

Tristram Shanty "Eclectic Reader" (Los Angeles, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cocaine Blues [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This is a classic document on the cocaine phenomenon, particularly
covering the '80s mania that swallowed Hollywood and most of America's
youth. Ignore the reviews that complain that it's not "starring" Frank
Zappa. He appears, logically and articulately, as one of the "players"
who addresses the blizard of powder that became a cultural epidemic --
and which is making a resurgence in the 21st Century. If nothing else,
this documentary tracks the appeal as well as the destructive nature
of a unique drug that has seduced young and old alike. It's a winner --
literally and figuratively, with Festival Awards and kudos from critics.
Highly recommended.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars It's Not About The Song, August 15, 2009

By 

DOUGLAS MCCORMICK (Honolulu, HI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cocaine Blues [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I own versions of the song Cocaine Blues by Bob Dylan, Keith Richards, Dave Van Ronk, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Jackson Brown and probably one or two other artists, and I have heard conflicting stories about who wrote it. I thought this video was about the song. I was especially excited that the narrator is Hoyt Axton, because his version is my favorite, though I have never seen it on his records.

It's not about the song. It is an anti-drug documentary. It is however, the best anti-drug documentary I know of, like the best house in a bad neighborhood.