Punk: Attitude (2005)

Touches You

Powerful

Best movie ever!

A Disappointing Continuation

If you want to understand the original nature of "punk" from the people who were there and who know their own motivation, and not what is now simply a label, you must watch this film. It intentionally stops when the 1st wave of punk stopped, and explains how the next movement was able to begin (the root of Grunge is in the 1st wave of punk). The 2nd wave is also not included, but that wave is captured in a different film titled "American Hardcore" from 2006. Both are must sees, and must own on DVD. Punk: Attitude is the single most accurate and compelling film regarding punk ever made. For anyone who enjoys The Clash, The Sex Pistols, The Pretenders, Siousxie & the Banshees, Adam Ant, or enjoys listening to Henry Rollins and Thurston Moore, you need to watch this film.

Let's spend five minutes with the dictators and only show them playing "search and destroy" and later one up that History of RocknRoll Punk Episode by by skipping the first four years of Black Flag so we can look at a long haired Henry Rollins as we switch back to Minor Threat and immediately wind up turning down interviews with Rolling Stone with Fugasi. Then we can do that same mistake jumping strait to Nirvana...all of a sudden Limp Biscuit was on the screen...That's when I had to change the channel...thinking back now they spent five minutes talking about how every one in England hung out in Don Letts bedroom...it get's a four only for the live footage of Velvet Underground.

Letts tops himself, and I didn't think that was possible after his excellent documentary on The Clash. This is the finest broad survey of punk ever. It suggests that punk is an attitude at the heart of rock, which existed before there was a "punk rock" per se. As soon as "punk rock" appears, you have little scenesters making necessities of virtues, imposing orthodoxies that undermine the freedom that the music longed for or expressed. Tons of interviews with the pantheon of punk royalty, but it is often the forgotten geniuses who never made significant commercial indentation that have the most to offer. Punk also has the virtue of many short & tight tunes, so there is less excerpting of musical performances than one sees in 99% of music documentaries. Is there a soundtrack available?

I just got back from the Tribeca Film Festival screening of Punk: Attitude and I was blown away! Don Letts (infamous DJ at The Roxy, member of Big Audio Dynamite, renaissance man extraordinaire) did a fabulous job at presenting a cohesive and highly entertaining piece of nostalgia. I'm homesick for a place that no longer exists! Moreover, he was successful at providing a fantastic source for generations of rebels to come. The current-day interviews were surprisingly intelligent and insightful, cut together with historic footage that flowed really well. (Sorry, I was there, back in the day, I'm surprised that so many of us are still alive!) The audience reaction must have been rewarding for him as well. I'm very glad that I got one of the coveted seats at this screening, and I'm glad that Mr. Letts went to all the trouble to bring us Punk: Attitude. It's not about a period of time, actually, it's an attitude.See it, rent it, buy it!