Customer Reviews

The Decline of Western Civilization Part II-The Metal Years [VHS]

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This is about Eighties HEAVY METAL. .
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!
This was what I grew up on and I still prefer it to grunge or rap-metal. It was feel good music that was more interesting than the current crop of sullen/politcal rock groups that all seem to sound alike.
For those of you who looked down on this stuff, you might want to check out this documentary with open minds.(Remember those?)C'mon, you know you want to.

The 80's LA metal scene. Where the winners rose to the top and the losers died in obscurity. This vid has it all for those who love the hair rock, brain dead, heavy metal 80's.

Highlights include-

1. Ozzy Osbourne interview in his kitchen as he's attempting to make his own breakfast.

2. A drunken Chris Holmes (W.A.S.P.) lounging in his pool slamming straight vodka and tries to conduct an interview while his obviously embarrassed mother looks on.

3. Odin. A band that was going to be the 'next big thing'. Never heard of them? This video is the only place you'll ever hear of them.

4. Lemmy Kilmister, Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Steven Tyler, and Joe Perry inputting their own little snips and two cents randomly through out the film.

5. First hand knowledge of what it's like to be in the band 'London'.

6. AN early version of Megadeth and Dave's unique insight.

7. All the bands like 'Seduce' who came to LA to make it big.

And of course the everyday slobs who had to voice their views on everything that is metal. SOme have a brain cell or two while most of them are straight up losers. Also who can forget the 'de-metalizing institute'? A place where parents sent their rocker kids to 'get out of metal'. ...

Great look back at a great time for music.

PUT THIS THING OUT ON DVD ALREADY. Christ, you can get Spheeris' "Suburbia" on DVD, and that thing is a piece of garbage compared to this movie. This is a classic time capsule, and having to buy this thing on Amazon for $45-$50 is a joke.

Close your eyes and just imagine that the bad dream that is music now, was just that.. a bad dream. Boy bands were a phase your little sister was going through, the only cheap broad exposing herself and comp-synthing her voice was Madonna and caucasian boys wore their pants on their waists and wanted to be rock stars not street thugs. This is a jump back to real metal and all it's faces in the decadent 70's 80's and 90's.

Ms. Speeris takes us on a journey of faces, music and lives all changed by metal and its many strains. You got your shock rock, theater rock, hairband and slasher all in one movie. It touches on the absurdity that affects the music industry by a good idea being beat to death.

The fifties had Elvis, Dion and Darin clones, the seventies had the gender bender dress ups Bowie, Kiss, Cooper, NY Dolls, and the unfoundedly alleged studio pre-fab Yes and Rush clones in arena rock like Kansas, Styx, Boston (all damn good bands.) It crescendos with the hair bands that seemed to look alike after a while in the 80's.

The interviews of the hopefuls trying to make it into that genre are kinda touching to anyone who ever tried their hand in rock. This pokes a spyglass into the decadence and the fun, as well as the sad true behind the scenes of sex, drugs and rock-n-roll. Gladly, it touches on subjects enough to get an idea, and not a sermon on its shortcomings. That was how it was...no apologies.

Metaldiva is an afficionado and defender of those 30 years and says true rock fans have to get this home. We have been waiting for the dvd for sometime now and need to pull together and vote to get it into the stores soon, otherwise you'll end up paying up to a hundred for it. It will be well worth it as this is a true rock collectible. I wont to go into WHO is in the film, because half the fun is seeing who shows up in the cameo interviews, but rock fans will be pleased. I must of said "Oh! Look who it is!" all through the movie. I'd like to see the producers find the folks trying to make it then and do a "where are they now" update film.

Metaldiva Sez: Get it today..Rock Lives!!!
PS: Check out DWC, the first one. It's a great look at the now little reported punk scene of the late 70's and eighties.

Features interviews with notables in The Heavy Metal genre, fans, groupies, and aspiring musicians, with performances by Odin, Lizzy Borden {still performing}, London {post- Nikki Sixx}, Seduce {who really did possess some talent there}, and Megadeth {before they mega-died}.

Questions range from the plans of the musicians if they are not successful {from what I have seen, most did not - considering their apparent adamance, I wonder how many of them actually became homeless, conformed, became involved in other positions within the music industry, or otherwise died*; among them all. I did recognize Vixen who went on to experience some success with an album}, to the "satanism" angle, which was limited {perhaps thankfully} to 'the devil horns' hand gesture, most comically explained by a Christian probation officer as containing the ubiquitous authority of The Devil with the upthrust fingers, and the three pointing down representing the denial of the Christian trinity, also containing '666' within the bend of the fingers - I honestly do not believe any of the 'rockers' and 'metalheads' even considered that more involved Occult symbology, and just lift it in the air as a habit, but was probably first used by Ronnie James Dio as relating to Heavy Metal. She also had quite a collection of confiscated gauntlets, studded fingerless gloves, spiked bracelets, and collars - no doubt plenty of records and tapes as well.

A cleaned-up Steven Tyler & Joe Perry of Aerosmith relate tales of their narcotic excesses, a rehabilitated Ozzy Osbourne has an amusingly pleasant morning chat while preparing breakfast {at one point, he misses a glass almost completely while pouring some orange juice and talking about his own alcoholism and drug use}, Alice Cooper in full makeup on the theatrical set takes umbrage at a certain band for what he feels is unjustified replication, KISS' Gene Simmons offers intelligent and concise commentary on the going-on within the industry, Paul Stanley also offers cohesive commentary amongst a bevy of beauties in bed, Lemmy Kilmeister of Motorhead offers gruff realities overlooking Hollywood, and WASP's {at the time} Chris Holmes drunkenly rambles on about his intoxicated exploits as his poor mother sits poolside, progressively becoming more inebriated with two bottles of Vodka - one can readily perceive his unfortunate mental degeneration.

I thought club owner and sharp dresser Bill Gazzarri had quite a remarkably life-loving attitude, offering great opportunities to many bands who may otherwise would have never seen the spotlight, and initiated salacious events such as dance and strip contests for sexy young ladies. His commercials were heavily circulated on 105.5 KNAC at the time, which was the only Heavy Metal radio station in the L.A. area - now there are none. KNAC DJ Tawn Mastrey was also featured herein.

Ultimately, I feel 'The Decline of Western Civilization part 2: The Metal Years' was an accurate, though somewhat limited documentary of the 80's Metal subculture, although I personally would have liked to have seen interviews with Venom, King Diamond, Possessed, Bathory, Manowar, and Celtic Frost as well. Perhaps there will eventually be a part 4, focusing on these 'dark bands'? It would be interesting, but whether or not they are actual Satanists would be another matter altogether. This film concentrates largely on Hollywood 'pop-metal' and Glam rock.

_________
* Incidentally, 'The Decline of Western Civilization part 3' features interviews with some of the homeless street dwellers of Hollywood.

"The Decline Of Western Civilization Part II:The Metal Years",is a really interesting look at rock 'n roll. In this documentary,Penelope Spheeris(the girl who directed this)interviews artists/bands from both the 70's AND the 80's,and if you ever wondered what rock 'n roll was like behind the scenes,then this is your place to turn:Rock stars such as Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of KISS,Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith,Poison(the band,just so you don't get confused),Alice Cooper,Ozzy Osbourne,etc. are in this documentary,and you get to learn what it is like if you want to make it into the music industry,things that happen once you have made it into the industry(sex,drugs,etc),what some of the rock stars who are in this did once they had made it succesful,among several other interesting facts and stories. You even see probation officers in this documentary who talk about what happened with some parents once rock 'n roll and heavy metal had become so huge,and musicians who claim that they dropped out of school when they were only in seventh grade and musicians who were wanting to make it big when this documentary was made are also in here-which is why this documentary is so interesting and why it also gives Penelope Spheeris "two thumbs up" for doing such a good job at putting this documentary together. Overall,this is a good,interesting tale of rock 'n roll,heavy metal,and decadence,and anyone interested in either one of those things should check this documentary out.

I love this movie! I remembered it from "back in the day" and it still is the funniest freakin thing I have ever seen! Someone needs to do a "Where are They Now?" for this movie. . . seriously!

The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years (Penelope Spheeris, 1988)

What is truly fascinating about this film is that there's so much more to it than there seems to be. While Spheeris seems to want this to come off as a sort of Errol Morris-liek "give 'em enough rope" documentary, the hand of the maker is very much in evidence if you look.

The greatest example of this is the amazing dichotomy between the bands we see interviewed and the bands we see perform. To a one, the interviewed bands (those who don't perform, anyway) have stood the test of time, and are still regarded as good, or great, bands today-- Motorhead, Black Sabbath, Aerosmith, etc. The bands we see perform, on the other hand... well, it's embarrassing to admit I actually listened to some of that stuff in 1988, and I can only look back and wonder what on Earth I was thinking buying Faster Pussycat albums. Is it coincidence that all the live footage is godawful, while all the bands without live footage are, well, not? I have my doubts.

Then there's the Chris Holmes interview. (Some might take W. A. S. P. guitarist Holmes as the exception to my rule above. I don't think so-- W. A. S. P. and The Last Command have, at least in my collection, been in sporadic rotation for over two decades.) It sits there like the eight hundred pound elephant in the room in stark contrast to the deluded silliness of the amateurs and the "oh, man, that lifestyle just sucked when I lived it" cynicism of the professionals. But I think there's more to it than just stark contrast; Holmes sits alone in his position in the film, guitarist for a band who's actually gotten to the heights all the amateurs are dreaming of, but not yet gone on to icon status. Is he a symbol of what all the amateurs are aspiring to? Is he just another step on the road to icon status? Both of the above? Who knows? It's hard to look at Holmes' interview in any sort of analytical way; it's set up in such a way as to provoke the maximum emotional response, and it succeeds tremendously. It is probably also worth noting that when London, during their interview, rattle off the names of the guys who came through the band and then went on to make it big, one name is conspicuous in its absence-- that of W. A. S. P. lead singer Blackie Lawless. Again, I wonder whether anything in this movie is in any way coincidental.

Seen twenty years later, The Decline of Western Civilization II is a fascinating look into the world of "what the hell were we thinking?". Highly recommended for overgrown headbangers who are now deaf, or on their way to it. *** ½

Every single other movie, even the most crappy has gotten a DVD release, why not this movie that showed a slice of American rock n' roll history? Its a damn crime this isn't on DVD, whose brilliant idea was it not to release this with all the trimmings? Probably the company who released it originally because most companies have the IQs of a rock when it comes to making a profit. This music is coming back with Van Halen and Poison selling out stadiums, this movie is due for a come back on DVD and get the release it deserves. Really pisses me off you have to get raped for a damn VHS, put the damn thing on DVD finally!

One of the very best movies on metal music by far. Deserves to be released on dvd...