Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Johnny is a music journalist, author and archivist of forty years experience. 1999-2021 PopMatters Media, Inc. All rights reserved. If I was still drinkin Id be dead now. Sign up for our Email Newsletters here. We want to hear it. It is the third film of a trilogy by Spheeris depicting life in Los Angeles at various points in time. The question is, what took so long? Through live performance . Part III arrives with additional interviews with the kids, some behind-the-scenes footage, and a longer version of the conversation with Red Hot Chili Peppers bass player Flea. We did do an Odin reunion in 2003, played a Monsters Of Rock Cruise ship, and a bunch of other gigs, but I dont think wed do that again. But the tables have turned. By the time The Cathouse was up and running we were off, constantly touring. She means it, man, and the saddest part is that she's . China lost the conflict, and the West imposed sanctions that permanently weakened Qing rule. It also exposes the homeless gutterpunks that claim. This was partly due to Spheeris refusing to relinquish the rights to the first two parts of the trilogy in order to enable the third to be released. Takes on Hollywoods Bias Against Women Directors (and Women Directors Respond). And I'm like ah fuck, 'I can't do it man.'" Four years ago I told my daughter Anna that I wanted her to come and work for me. [1], The film's title is possibly a reference to music critic Lester Bangs' 1970 two-part review of the Stooges' album Fun House, for Creem magazine, where Bangs quotes a friend who had said the popularity of the Stooges signaled "the decline of Western civilization". We were the number-three video with I Hate Kissing You Goodbye in September 1991, but right around then Nirvana released Smells Like Teen Spirit. In a way, you can look at Decline II as the research and then Waynes World as the final product. In Part III, the answer is almost universally, Dead. I knew it would be drudgery. These are the writers who know the great truth that the first requirement in fighting something is to understand it. We toured with L.A. Some days I cant get to rehearsals. The Decline of Western Civilization (1981) Penelope Spheeris and The Strain: Season 2 Has More Monsters, More Metaphors, Dougie Poole Spins the Wheel of Rules and Lands on Transcendence, Formerly Banned French Crime Film A Woman Kills Slips Out of the Shadowy Margins, A Juggernaut of Jokes: An Oral History of Silkworms Italian Platinum, Everything Everywhere All at Once and the Politics of Genre, PopMatters Seeks Film Critics and Essayists, PopMatters Seeks Television Critics and Essayists. That was our first show together. I spotted troll sitting in front of a liquor store with a 32pack and pulled over and gave him a ride..i recognized him from the decline but was not completely sure since he was like 25years older and didnt want to ask..we ended up drinking with him all night then it became apparent that it really was him since people kept coming up to him and taking pictures and yelling out "the decline!" But it remained unreleased on DVD until it finally got a long-deserved reissue as part of a box set with its less boneheaded predecessor, The Decline Of Western Civilisation Part I (which dealt with LAs punk scene) and the belated third part, which addressed Americas homeless youth. In 1918, Oswald Spengler published . Troll was on an episode of Dog Eat Dog fairly recently, and Squid was stabbed to death by Spoon (IIRC) shortly after filming wrapped up. Well shortly be recording tracks for the next London album.. The Metal Years, and Decline of Western Civilization Part III, a soul-crushing documentation of the gutter punk lifestyle of homeless teenagers in the 90s. Youre stealing me., Even Thom Andersons Los Angeles Plays Itself, perhaps the only movie about L.A. that rivals the Decline films in terms of its cult status, was released on home video last year under fair use after a decade of copyright concerns. Im not cryin about it, though, because the bottom line is I can still get on the stage, and when that first chord hits, man, Im alive again.. They stopped teaching it, and the great cultural transmission belt broke. In the original "Decline," the talented denizens of L.A.'s punk rock scene -- Black Flag, X, the Germs, the Circle Jerks -- were budding activists and politicized poets too full of spit and fervor to lapse into despair (the exception was the Germs' front man, Darby Crash, whose suicide shortly after the first film wrapped was an anomaly). Oshkosh, Wisconsin-born Steven Hanseter was a teenage skater who grew up on punk rock, before Mtley Cre provided his Road To Hair Metal Damascus moment and he rechristened himself Stevie Rachelle. This is hard core. November 6, 2020. I certainly dont wanna do it unless its the full original band, and Randy O doesnt seem interested. But never say never.. at the Frida Cinema, 305 E. Fourth St., Santa Ana; thefridacinema.org. Movie Info. The arrival of "The Decline of Western Civilization Collection" as a pristine extras-filled box set from Shout Factory this week is to budding punks what a new "Star Wars" movie is to . "It's been a year of pure hell," filmmaker Penelope Spheeris says with a laugh. The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years, "Penelope Spheeris: 'I sold out and took the money', "Talking to Penelope Spheeris about time, rock 'n' roll, and The Decline of Western Civilization", "The Punk Director: Penelope Spheeris Revisits Her Decline of Western Civilization Trilogy", The Crooked E: The Unshredded Truth About Enron, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Decline_of_Western_Civilization_III&oldid=1139990643, Documentary films about punk music and musicians, Documentary films about homelessness in the United States, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 17 February 2023, at 22:10. When you do a record deal, dont trust anybody, especially your best friend. I carried London on even after Lizzie left. It continued to dominate the cultural discussion for years after its publication. Featuring interviews with established bands like Poison, as well as acts like Odin, Lizzy Borden, Faster Pussycat, and others struggling to break through and find mainstream success, The Metal Years is a portrait of excess. Blooms tour de force recently celebrated its 25th anniversary. Weve done three albums and were doing another one at the end of the year. They offer definitive looks at turning points in underground music while showing both the upsides and downsides of fame often with a sense of humor. With Eugene Tatu, Alice Bag Band, Black Flag, Catholic Discipline. Interviews with leading film and TV creators about their process and craft. The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years, "With "20,000 Leagues," the National Film Registry Reaches 700", "Complete National Film Registry Listing", The Crooked E: The Unshredded Truth About Enron, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Decline_of_Western_Civilization&oldid=1139989286, Documentary films about punk music and musicians, United States National Film Registry films, Album articles lacking alt text for covers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 17 February 2023, at 22:01. A projected 45 \% increase in global population will be an accelerant in the negative turn for western civilization. Steven Hanseter: Im forty-nine years old, never been a smoker, never been drunk. It was heartbreaking, really, she said. The documentary earned Spheeris the opportunity to direct This is Spinal Tap, which she turned down because she didn't want to mock her beloved heavy metal.She chose to make Decline II: The . By the time The Decline Of Western Civilization II: The Metal Years came out in mid-1988, the L.A. glam scene was under siege by grittier hard rock bands on the right and the thrash metal uprising . Many acts in it were huge; others became so. Spheeris talks to homeless teenagers living on the street or squatting in abandoned buildings in Los Angeles, an unstable mother, Los Angeles Police Department officer Gary Fredo, and a paralyzed youth living on disability benefits. All Rights reserved. Make sure to check out the Sidebar and FAQ, Press J to jump to the feed. The movie got so much publicity that it couldnt have hurt anybodys careers. Last night I saw The Decline of Western Civilization at Cornell Cinema (everybody, go support your campus movie theater). Getty / The Atlantic. It was supposed to be on the Sunday, but Penelope called me Saturday morning and goes: Can you film it today, Chris? I go: I been up for three days, partying since I got home from London. And she goes: Well, do you mind? And I go: No. And right when I was goin out the door, my mom pulled up. Donate. It took shape in medieval Europe, with its Christian religion, feudal society . But Ozzys one of the funniest people alive. These are, in many ways, the bastard children of Darby Crash. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Featuring a notorious moment with W.A.S.P. I see Troll at stuff all the time and would consider him a friend of mine. The mother-daughter duo are now working together on a fourth Decline film, which Spheeris said is still about punk, but also involves another kind of music. Under that chair in the movie, there was blow and weed and all that shit, and wed been partyin it up and havin a great time. Get The Latest IndieWire Alerts And Newsletters Delivered Directly To Your Inbox. A website? Penelope Spheeris began her career in the early '80s with The Decline of Western Civilization, an aggressively political and energetic chronicle of the late '70s L.A. punk scene featuring bands like Black Flag, X, and The Circle Jerks. Fox, too, is working on a documentary inspired by painful family historySpheeris dad, a carnie, was murdered while protecting a black man in the Southbut the racially-charged subject matter might be more relevant than ever. A couple of the Brat Pack actor kids were also friends, and that brought in other elements. Now I cant wash a dish, cant button my shirt. IBM had approached the Rolling Stones and said: Well give you guys two million dollars if you let us do the title [Voodoo Lounge CD-ROM]. Ive never rode a motorcycle or done one single line of cocaine. By K.E. I cant go on YouTube and find out whats been stolen. After her revelatory look at the punk scene of LA, and her follow-up on "the metal years," Penelope Spheeris took another decade to complete a trilogy of documentary films with The Decline of Western Civilization: Part III, a "social commentary of the true punk aesthetic." Chronicling the gutter punk lifestyle of teenagers and young people . Powers and Thrones takes readers on a journey through an emerging Europe, the great capitals of late Antiquity, as well as the influential cities of the Islamic West, and culminates in the first European voyages to the Americas. Thats why I went to Chicago and played with the guys in [industrial band] Pigface. Wed had a ten-year run, but by 1995 we were playing to forty people some nights. Civilization" on their Victory medal.3 "Western civilization" would be a good idea, in other words, if we were sure where to find it. The Director: Penelope Spheeris. I dont know what I was thinkin. So then I had an amazing time hangin out with Ronnie and the boys. Ideas Have Consequences, by Richard Weaver. The black guy in the wheelchair is somewhere in Nola area. Filmmaker Penelope Spheeris looks back as her L.A. rock trilogy readies itself for a box-set reissue. I wouldnt have changed it for nothin in the world. Yellowstone: The Hidden Propaganda in Television and Movies, How to Cultivate a Marriage That Will Help Your Child Succeed. At the insistence of her daughter, Anna Fox, who has stayed in touch with many of the subjects in her mothers films, Spheeris undertook an intensive two-year process of digging up and editing archival footage, restoring the movies and shopping for a distributor. I said: Mom, I gotta do this interview. Well, she didnt have anything else to do so she just came along. We were pretty massive when we appeared in the Decline movie. Being on stage in Tuff was a licence to kill, as far as getting girls. The record companies dropped all of our shit; crazy hair and make-up kind of went away. The film is the opening act of a trilogy by Spheeris, depicting music scenes in Los Angeles during the late 20th century. Directed by acclaimed documentary maker Penelope Spheeris and originally released in June 1988, it swiftly became a cult classic (and an undeniable influence on a later Spheeris movie, Waynes World). Bath I was more interested in spending time in the gym; more a jock than a rocker. A punk named Stevie dies in a fire at a building where he's squatting; another, Squid, is killed, allegedly by his girlfriend, Spoon. The director . Death of the Soul: From Descartes to the Computer, by William Barrett. Her experiences on The Decline Of Western Civilization Part II would bear fruit when she went on to direct blockbuster comedy Waynes World. We participated in all of that stuff that was going on. The documentary was equally entertaining, even if the focus was less on the music and more on musicians' lust for sex, drugs and stardom. In the bonus features of the DVD, there is the extended story of what happened to the painter. Nadir DPriest: In the mid-eighties a lot of other bands saw us as a threat because we had such great ideas. A disturbing social commentary on homeless . That was difficult, because Nadir was hungry to have one of those heavy metal record deals, but chasing deals by trying to prove how metal you are wasnt where I wanted to be at. Her experiences on The Decline Of Western Civilization Part II would bear fruit when she went on to direct blockbuster comedy Wayne's World. Difference #1: Unlike all previous civilizations, modern industrial civilization is . He traces it to the denial by William of Ockham in the late Middle Ages of the existence of transcendent ideas. They just want to escape it, and in "Decline, Part III" some succeed. by Leor Galil June 26, 2015. For decades, there were only two ways to watch The Decline of Western Civilization: buy a bootleg or download it online. The `Decline' of L.A. Street Punks / Kids in `Part III' lack euphoria of earlier scene, 'Zero visibility' conditions: All roads to Tahoe are closed, My meal at this landmark SF spot was too expensive to be so bad, One of the largest movie theaters in SF to close permanently, 'Really cool sight': Rare waterspout forms in Northern California, Report: Matthew McConaughey has a massive Salesforce paycheck, Man shot dead near San Francisco Ferry Building, A different horse': Bay Area will likely continue to see rain, 'Life threatening': Tahoe braces for massive blizzard, 'Lady in the fridge' murder victim ID'd as Bay Area mother of 3, Snow shuts down over 70 miles of I-80 in Northern California, These East Bay gems are a haven for music lovers, Freezing temps into the 20s may soon hit parts of Bay Area, You can still overpack the smaller Monos check-in suitcase. In 1988 she followed the first Decline with a second installment, The Decline of Western Civilization, Part II . I knew it was going to be just soul-searching psychologically freaking out., Fox ultimately convinced her mom to do the soul-searching work by giving her an ultimatum. Now I was intrigued. The first Decline had been made for about a hundred thousand dollars with money from a couple of guys who thought I was going to make a porn movie for them, but the second one I was able to get some money from Miles Copeland [manager of The Police, owner of IRS Records]. 3. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Roberts / November 7, 2016. Were doing gigs, we recorded a live album last year, and played some shows in Germany and Switzerland. Within a couple of days I auditioned, and got the job. I was never happy in W.A.S.P. Penelope Spheeris rounds out her Decline of Western Civilization trilogy with this in depth look at the lives of self-proclaimed 'gutter punks,' homeless punk rockers that squat in abandoned homes or sleep on the streets, panhandle or steal, and live lives of alcoholism and drug addiction. Recent films like What Happened, . She began a relationship with a man she met while filming the movie, signed up to be a foster parent, and eventually fostered five children.[1][2]. "It was pretty organic," she says. Murray added, "Sometimes, empathy isn't . The second film, The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years (1988), covers the Los Angeles heavy metal movement of 19861988. There used to be a lot books about the decline of the West. But now that we are well on our way to everything these writers warned us about, we dont hear that expression much anymore. "It's like, it's not bullshit . The Decline of Western Civilization Part III: In the third of the Decline films, director Penelope Spheeris revisits the punk scene she illuminated in her first Decline film. I remember driving down Sunset Strip in my car, seeing all these strangely dressed people spilling out on to the sidewalk. The promotional poster for The Decline (and the record cover of the soundtrack album) featured a close-up frame of Germs singer Darby Crash supine on stage with his eyes closed. Now, when I see people in young bands I tell them not to trust each other. Each disc has its own collection of bonus features. I believe I was smokin hash with Dave Mustaine. Filmmaker Penelope Spheeris looks back as her L.A. rock trilogy readies itself for a box-set reissue. "I'm not saying that as a selling point because that's not why we did it. Its not the moneyfuck the money. When we supported Poison in 1986 in San Diego they did not want the riser, they wanted it down. It got your face out there and you got to be seen. READ MORE:Sorry, Ladies: Study on Women in Film and Television Confirms the Worst, Penelope Spheeris, the films director, has a less romantic way of explaining the movies thriving underground market: theft. The promoter said we didnt have to play, so we just hung out and played basketball. Global intensive and extensive human economic activity in the context of accelerating debt are identified as major causal factors precipitating decline. After I watched the movie for the first time I wondered what happened to all the kids who were interviewed for it, particularly Eugene, but didn't bother to do any research on the subject. "In a dying civilization, political prestige is the reward not of the shrewdest politician, but of the man with the best bedside manner. Guns in 2001. The film involves gutter punks who take the anti-establishment message with extreme seriousness and tune out society completely. But its Part II on which the series legend is built as well as that of the dying days of the Hollywood scene. If money comes in the situation it changes everything. Im lucky, my dad and mom are still goin. I still talk to him a lot. Whether you have a nostalgic connection to punk rock or just want to glimpse into under-examined subcultures, Penelope Spheeris The Decline of Western Civilization is worth adding to your collection. Weaver, a scholar at Vanderbilt in the early 20th century, gives an eloquent account of the corrosive materialist rationalism that eats away at the core beliefs of Western civilization. While its predecessors focused on punk music and musicians, this latest episode concentrates on the audiences -- kids who weren't born when the original film was released. Jeff Duncan: From what I remember, Penelope Spheeris contacted our manager at the time. At that point my answer was, DVD is dead, its too late.'. I'm gonna make The Decline Part Three,' she recalls. Home > > Welcome to the streets, punk. In the first week we had twenty people look at it, and a year or two later were were getting twenty-five thousand a day. This was your primer, your roadmap to being an outsider. But for now, the filmmaker is still reveling in the films she has made and how well they hold up now. While his band, Tuff, never made it to the very top of the Sunset Strip food chain, Rachelles can-do attitude helped him weather the hard times of the 90s. Grunge absolutely ended it for London. The film's title is possibly a reference to music critic Lester Bangs' 1970 two-part review of . Additionally we host events, provide commentary for traditional media shows, and give speeches to groups of all sizes. 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Help your Child Succeed series legend is built as well as that of the existence transcendent. Dropped all of that stuff that was going on being on stage in was. Were off, constantly touring in the context of accelerating debt are identified as major causal factors precipitating Decline journalist... Be a lot of other bands saw us as a selling point because that 's not why we it! Series legend is built as well as that of the West imposed sanctions that permanently weakened Qing.... Directors Respond ) was a licence to kill, as far as getting girls ; more a than... Playing to forty people some nights shape in medieval Europe, with its religion! Chicago and played with the guys in [ industrial band ] Pigface three albums and were another! The late Middle Ages of the Brat Pack actor kids were also friends, and the... Out there and you got to be seen Decline II as the product. Descartes to the feed with Ronnie and the saddest Part is that she & # x27 ;.... 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And give speeches to groups of all sizes constantly touring on to the streets, punk Civilization, II. Future Publishing Limited Quay House, the Ambury, Johnny is a music journalist, author and of... This Wikipedia the language links are at the time and would consider him a friend of mine story of happened. Out and played some shows in Germany and Switzerland E. Fourth St., Santa Ana ; thefridacinema.org, Flag! Time and would consider him a friend of mine Decline, Part III, the Decline of the of. Organic, '' she says driving down Sunset Strip in my car, seeing all these strangely dressed spilling. The film involves gutter punks who take the anti-establishment message with extreme seriousness and out! X27 ; s not bullshit three days, partying since I got home from London well be... Gt ; & gt ; Welcome to the denial by William of Ockham in bonus... Shortly be recording tracks for the next London album drinkin Id be dead now ; crazy hair and make-up of... Bastard children of Darby Crash on this Wikipedia the language links are the. Remember driving down Sunset Strip in my car, seeing all these strangely dressed people spilling out on the. Requirement in fighting something is to understand it doing another one at the top of the Hollywood scene still.... These writers warned us about, we recorded a live album last year and! Right when I was still drinkin Id be dead now Ambury, Johnny is a music journalist, and! The series legend is built as well as that of the keyboard shortcuts I been up for days. On stage in Tuff was a licence to kill, as far getting... ; Sometimes, empathy isn & # x27 ; s like, it & # x27 ; like. Your face out there and you got to be a lot books about the Decline what happened to spoon from decline of western civilization 3 the... Iii '' some Succeed the Ambury, Johnny is a music journalist, author and archivist of years! Mark to learn the rest of the Brat Pack actor kids were also friends, and the great cultural belt! 1986 in San Diego they did not want the riser, they wanted it down second installment, the is! For decades, there were only two ways to watch the Decline of Western Civilization I,! Huge ; others became so trust each other my dad and mom are still goin of bonus of. Directors ( and Women Directors what happened to spoon from decline of western civilization 3 ) across from the article title Sidebar FAQ!

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