Another State of Mind

If you have any love for punk rock you need to see this movie. If you call yourself straight-edge you need to see this movie. Watch how life on the road cab destroy friendships and how good intentions go away when people are faced with harsh realities of life in a bus on the road. My favorite part is actually seeing the creation process of the social distortion song "another state of mind". At one point during a minor threat show ians mike goes out and the crowd doesn't seem to care and sings in unison for him. Very powerful show scenes. If you can track down a copy of this kick ass picture buy it, hold on to it and share it.

You need to get the 20th anniversary edition and watch it with the commentary it is a lot better than the regular versison

I saw this movie tonight for the first time since 1985, when I caught it on Night Flight. Seeing it 28 years later, I was amazed how much of it I was still able to recall, but more than that, how much the perception of Punk has changed since the 80's. Having a shaved head or pink hair does not raise an eyebrow today, you even see kids with those kind of hair styles, tattoos and body modifications, who aren't into punk, or aware of where those styles originated from. A number of times in the Movie, you have various punks mention how people harass them for their appearance, and it was so true, back then it took a lot of guts to walk around like that. This movie brought back a lot of memories of being a teenage punk, how it was almost like belonging to a secret society that most people had no idea existed. I also like how un-PC punks were back then, unlike today's army of whiners. I wonder what became of some of the people in the Film? Like Marcel or that gorgeous death rocker Valerie ? In all it's a very interesting time capsule of a time that will always be dear to me.

This documentary follows members of the bands Social Distortion and Youth Brigade on an ill-fated tour across the U.S. and Canada. They fix up an old school bus that has seen better days, pack up all the band members and roadies, and set out on a tight budget. The farther they go, the more strained things get - Social Distorion almost breaks up because the going got to rough for 'em ('cept for Mike Ness, bless 'im) and the bus breaks down and they just can't go on, so they stay with Minor Threat for a couple of days and then pack it in. Lots of interviews with real punks, lots of concert footage with some *excellent* music (all three bands are great) and shows that even though the tour was a failure overall, people can still do things on their own with limited funds if their hearts are really in it and they can maintain unity. Some scenes are funny, some are kind of scary (those Canadian punks were kinda feral), and a sense of desperation builds... but it's always real and always true. Don't miss a chance to see this one - I've watched it probably a hundred times and don't mind if I see it a hundred more.

Any fan of Social Distortion or Youth Brigade must see this. Documents the tour and lives of the band members and roadies. Great live footage and commentary.