The Decline of Western Civilization

Synopsis: The Los Angeles punk music scene circa 1980 is the focus of this film. With Alice Bag Band, Black Flag, Catholic Discipline, Circle Jerks, Fear, Germs, and X.
Director(s): Penelope Spheeris
Production: Spheeris Films
  1 win.
 
IMDB:
7.7
Metacritic:
93
Rotten Tomatoes:
100%
NOT RATED
Year:
1981
100 min
391 Views


1

That stupid punk rock.

I don't, you know...

I just think of it

as rock 'n' roll

'cause that's what it is.

You know?

PENELOPE:

What do you like about it?

Well, I like that it's like...

It's something new

and it's just reviving

like old rock 'n' roll.

And it's like it's raw again.

It's for real.

And it's fun, and you know...

It's like, it's not bullshit.

There's no rock stars now,

you know.

Okay, attention!

Attention!

For the third time, attention!

Hey, wait a minute!

Attention! Shut up!

Attention!

Attention, please be advised...

Please be advised that...

Please be advised that by

your entry upon these premises...

...that by your entry

upon these premises...

...you are consenting

to being photographed.

...you are consenting

to being photographed.

This means they're gonna take

photos of your ugly faces right?

...and you having your likeness

used in motion pictures.

...and having your ugly likeness

used in a filthy motion picture.

...and for other purposes.

...and for other purposes.

...and for other purposes.

...and other purposes.

...and for other purposes,

God knows what!

...and for other purposes.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And at the bottom,

it says, "Thank you."

And you can tell them

to f*** off.

[GUITAR STRUMMING]

LEE VING:
So how come they let

all you long hairs

in here tonight?

- What's the problem?

- MAN:
It's not a big...

This is 1980. Can't you afford

a f***ing haircut?

[GUITAR STRUMS]

JOHN:
It's a f***ing movie

representing f***ing LA.

Dance!

You want people in Philadelphia

to see a bunch of deadbeats?

MAN:
Yeah!

- One, two, three, four!

-[TAPPING STICKS]

[NAUSEA PLAYING]

[SINGING] Today you're

Gonna be sick so sick

You'll prop your forehead

on the sink

Say Oh, Christ!

Oh, Jesus Christ!

My head's gonna crack

Like a bank

Tonight you'll fall asleep

In clothes so late

Like a candy bar

Wrapped up for lunch

That's all you get

To taste poverty

And spit poverty

Nausea

Bloody red eyes

Go to nausea

Bloody red eyes

Go to nausea

Bloody red eyes

Go to nausea

Bloody red eyes

Go to sleep

Today you're gonna

Be sick so sick

You'll prop your forehead

on the sink

Say, Oh, Christ!

Oh, Jesus Christ!

My head's gonna crack

Like a bank

Tonight you'll fall asleep

In clothes so late

Like a candy bar

Wrapped up for lunch

That's all you get

To taste poverty

And spit poverty and spit

Nausea

Bloody red eyes

Go to nausea

Bloody red eyes

Go to nausea

Bloody red eyes

Go to nausea

Bloody red eyes

Go to sleep

You're talking out of harmony

You can't remember what you said

Cut it out

You feel retarded

Take the scissors

Saw the head

You're talking out of harmony

You can't remember what you said

Cut it out

You feel retarded

Take the scissors

Saw the head

Nausea

Bloody red eyes

Go to nausea

Bloody red eyes

Go to nausea

Bloody red eyes

Go to nausea

Bloody red eyes

Go to sleep

- WOMAN:
Yeah!

-[CROWD APPLAUDING]

Punk music generally,

that is, hardcore punk

is characterized by its speed.

It has a lot of "fuzz"

as musicians call it,

cranked into the music,

it's high volume, high speed,

usually monotone volumes,

vocals,

uh, characterized

by protest type lyrics.

I think a lot of the time that

it gets out of hand is because

of the speed of the music,

which is way above

the normal rhythm of a dance.

You know, if you take

a four-four disco

time signature,

you know, just comfortably,

you can kind of...

...dance easily to the disco

rhythm which is,

I understand,

126 to 132 heartbeats a minute.

[PUNK ROCK PLAYING]

Whereas the kind of music that

the Germs or the Black Flag

is playing

is upwards of 250,

300 beats a minute.

Which is not comfortable

or normal to dance to.

One, two, three, four!

One, two, three...

[PUNK ROCK PLAYING]

And this is why this dance that

you'll see in the film,

the Pogo dance,

which is, you know,

jumping up and down

and bouncing off walls

and stuff like that.

This kind of an abnormal

level of adrenalin.

And uh...

And so sometimes,

some violence breaks out.

Wow! Man!

Nowadays, I don't...

I think the kids are,

I don't know,

more desperate or something

like that or more bored.

Some of the better of the punk

bands that developed into,

son of, like, folk music.

I don't mean folk music

as a traditional folk music.

But the allegory can be drawn

in the 60s

when protesters used

acoustic guitars.

Now, instead of

acoustic guitars,

you know, they have high-speed,

300 beats a minute speed rock.

And yelling about

the same things.

About how their air

was poisoned out there.

You know, the air in utopia

is poisoned.

You know, the final joke, so...

It's Black Flag.

It's Black Flag.

[PLAYING PUNK ROCK]

We're gonna be a white minority

We won't listen to the majority

We're gonna feel inferiority

We're gonna be white minority

White pride

You're an American

Fm gonna hide

Anywhere I can

Gonna be a white minority

We don't believe

There's a possibility

We, you just wait and see

We're gonna be white minority

White pride

You're an American

White pride

Anywhere I can

Gonna be a white minority

There's gonna be large cavity

Within my new territory

We're a gonna die

[MIC FEEDBACK]

[SCREAMING]

[SINGING]

Okay, the Church, uh...

It used to be a Baptist church

and now they just rent out

all the rooms in it and stuff.

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Penelope Spheeris

Penelope Spheeris (born December 2, 1945) is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. She is best known as a documentary film director whose works include the trilogy titled The Decline of Western Civilization. She has directed feature films, including Wayne's World, her highest-grossing film. more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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