Punk: Attitude (2005)

Other reviewers have already shown that in no way is this a "comprehensive rockumentary" about punk; I suppose almost anyone watching this film will be disappointed that some of her/his beloved bands are totally left out, and I am no exception. My personal lament is that the Riot Grrrl movement of the early nineties is completely ignored, despite the important role it played in Second Wave feminism, and in transforming punk from an often violent and misogynist movement into a tool for female empowerment. I was also disappointed by the terribly cliché ending; all the aging remnants of our favorite sixties and seventies punk bands complaining about how the scene has been distorted and bastardized by a bunch of awful commercial sell-outs like Blink-182 and Limp Bizkit (after spending an hour and a half congratulating themselves and their peers for their past awesomeness of course). It is clear that these people have either completely dismissed all the incredible groups and activities that have gone on in the last twenty-five years, or for some reason they became totally disconnected from the punk scene after their own prominence dwindled. It is almost inevitable that a movie about the origins of punk rock be dominated by white males; while there is a bit of an effort to include a few female artists and critics as well as a couple people of color, I was dissatisfied by the lack of attention paid to their role in the movement and the racism and sexism that many groups and followers frequently displayed. The overall flavor of the film is to talk about how awesome punk is, and show some really marvelous clips from history-making shows at CBGB, etc., but I believe true fans would prefer a more complicated look at the history. This film would have benefited from admitting to its narrow scope (really just the scene in the sixties and seventies) and a more nuanced look at what punk was, is, and ought to be.

I have nothing really bad to say about the first hour of it. It's actually helpful if you want to know the history of "early" punk ie The Stooges, The Velvet Underground, The MC5, and The Count Five. I loved The Damned footage of them playing New Rose. The Clash and The Sex Pistols seem to get all the attention though when the UK punk scene is discussed. No mention of Wire or Joy Division.But I have to agree with another person who observed how they left out a crucial chunk of hugely influential post-punk 80's American groups: The Minutemen, Husker Du, The Replacements, and The Pixies and set the stage for pretty much every band afterwards. No mention of Devo either. The film also makes the West Coast punk scene seem like it died in 1982 or something. Nothing against Black Flag, Germs, X, Circle Jerks, or Dead Kennedys but it gets old mentioning these groups, it really does. It would've been nice to see Fishbone mentioned and how punk splintered into a ska phase throughout the 80's and beyond, particularly on the West Coast.And Henry Rollins does his usual "ambiguous" put down of the West Coast punk scene: "How can you have sun, fun, hot chicks, and punk rock?" Well Mr. Rollins, was Black Flag an East Coast punk band? Big fat no, they're from the West Coast, which is a band he joined by the way. I also observed there was also no coverage or even mention of the Riot Girl scene in Olympia, WA and D.C. of the early 90's ie Bikini Kill and Sleater Kinney. They paved the way for bands like Le Tigre, The Gossip, and The Capricorns who are really responsible for the disco-punk explosion that groups are now reaping the rewards from like VHS or Beta, The Rapture, and Bloc Party.The majority of the Riot Girl bands have outspoken leftist politics and are lesbian and to me that's more relevant than some old geezers reminiscing about a bye gone era and sticking their middle fingers at the camera and saying f*** you.And then to end it with footage of Limp Bizkit, Green Day, and Sum 41 is an insult to fans because those bands don't represent how punk evolved but how punk got commodified. Overall, I got the feeling that the filmmaker's opinion on just who is punk, and what is punk is rather one-dimensional and subject to his own "punk" aesthetics.

I watched this last night and was thoroughly hooked from the first moment to almost the very end. As someone old enough to remember walking down Portobello Road in the summer of 1976 and thinking "something really weird is going on", it was a marvellous exercise in nostalgia for ME, but I was wondering what a young person would make of it all. I think they would find it interesting but I don't know if they would necessarily understand just how revolutionary the whole thing was. It would have been good to have included some short clips of contemporary mainstream acts such as Abba, Yes, Fleetwood Mac etc just to provide some reference points for what Punk was rebelling against. As the man who virtually single-handedly introduced reggae to the punk scene, Letts is admirably modest about his own contribution but in a way it would have been more accurate if he had allowed his many interviewees to sing his praises a little more. I thought Chrissie Hynde was the most insightful (as usual) and the women in general gave more interesting interviews than the men. One aspect of Punk was that it was almost completely un-sexist and this was thoroughly recalled and explained. The more unsavoury aspects of Punk: the neo-fascism, the glorification of hard drugs, the violence - these were rather glossed over, I felt. The despicable inhumanity of the hardcore scene in the US in the early 80s was hardly mentioned, nor were the psychotic antics and subsequent suicide of G G Allin. Neither were the abominable Oi bands mentioned, with their extreme right-wing Nazi leanings. Although I can understand Lett's not wanting to give them any publicity, any history of Punk that fails to acknowledge the extremely dark places that some of it led to is incomplete. Although the film suffers from the usual shortcomings of music documentaries - ie. the vintage clips are too short and the interview clips are too long - as an attempt to celebrate the positive aspects of Punk it is completely successful. Too bad Johnny Rotten and Iggy Pop obviously refused to take part, or Lou Reed for that matter. Never mind. This is a very worthwhile film and anyone who is interested in the Punk phenomenon will find it fascinating.

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!