The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years

Great documentary of the heavy metal scene of the late 1980s. Unlike the first "Decline..." this movie concentrates more on interviews than concert footage. There are just fascinating talks with old time performers (Alice Cooper, Aerosmith, Ozzy Osbourne) and newcomers (Odin, WASP, Poison). The contrasts and their views on music, drugs and sex are very interesting and illuminating. The movie makes no judgments on the performers or their music...they leave that up to the audience. The whole feeling of the film is actually uplifting and very funny. The bands come across as very upbeat and accessible. The interviews with fans of the music are just as fun. Interesting to see Ozzy Osbourne years before that reality show he did for MTV.

The only depressing footage is an interview with Chris Holmes of WASP. He's drunk out of his mind and makes it quite clear that he hates life, is an alcoholic, had a heavily dysfunctional childhood and will be dead soon. Very scary to watch and sad.

That aside, this is a great, accurate documentary of heavy metal. A must-see.

Every bit as funny as "This is Spinal Tap" but it's the real deal documentary and these poor guys aren't trying to be funny. Ozzy Osbourne is a gas. Every nobody interviewed was sure they'd be the next Steve Tyler. These dudes look like ladies.

Full disclosure time: this viewer is a metalhead, and has been for over 30 years, since discovering bands like Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. Yet somehow catching this documentary, itself almost 30 years old now, eluded him. A follow up to director Penelope Spheeris' earlier definitive punk rock documentary, its focus on the men (and women) who make hard rock and heavy metal is certainly a natural progression, since so many parental and authority figures abominated these genres as well.

The film mostly consists of sit down interviews with some of the reigning kings of the genre and the confident (you could easily call them overconfident) up and comers of the era sharing their thoughts. Not surprisingly, it's the veterans like Lemmy, of Motorhead, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of KISS, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, and Ozzy Osbourne, that tend to offer the most interesting observations and anecdotes. There is one interview, however, with W.A.S.P. guitarist Chris Holmes, filmed as he lounges in a swimming pool while his mother (!) looks on. It goes from amusing to disconcerting in a hurry.

The notion of "Sex, Drugs and Rock 'n' Roll" is very much on the minds of various interviewees here. Viewers should be prepared for some pretty frank dialogue. One thing that sobers you up quickly is seeing how many of the young turks proclaim that their lives would have no more meaning if they couldn't play their music. Obviously, the aspirations of groups like London, Odin, and Seduce for super stardom didn't pan out, and as Poison front man Bret Michaels points out, it is important to stand out from the pack in some over crowded genres.

The sequences with Bill Gazzari, the so-called "Godfather of Rock 'n' Roll", only serve to add a titillation factor (not that some people will complain about that, mind you), and interviews with an anti-metal authority figure will likely get some viewers hopping mad.

I found it interesting that Megadeth, one of my favorite acts from this era, are saved for near the end, given that they're one act that's portrayed as actually caring more about the music than fame and lifestyle.

Overall, decent entertainment with a variable soundtrack (some of the new music is okay, some of it not so good).

Seven out of 10.

As a former metal groupie (the horror!), when I saw this depiction of the lonely lives and substance-riddled minds of my heroes, it actually inspired me to go to college! It is a poignant, wistful, sad, and insightful look at a genre of music that instilled fear in the hearts of parents(well, at least in mine), and a venue for teens to unleash their anger toward a misunderstanding world.

The best kind of musical documentary is always done best through the eyes of a true fan, and Penelope Spheeris is no exception. While to the casual viewer the film may seem shallow and all fluff (which is how the LA metal was widely portrayed), if one looks past the hair, excess, bravado, t & a, and flowing alcohol,it is easy to uncover the painfully lonely, opportunistic, naiveté' of the struggling bands, and even some of those who "made it." The scene with Chris Holmes guzzling vodka in his pool was simply heartbreaking...and the expressions on his mother's face were fully able to convey her harsh reality. Some of the "classic" performers... Aerosmith, Ozzy, and Lemmy were able to reflect on the business with some learned wisdom, while Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons attempted to convey a fantasy life that appeared way too scripted and laughable (I'm still a huge KISS fan, though). One interesting element in viewing the film almost 20 years later, is how some of the bands downplayed or sidestepped the issue of drug use (note the expressions on their faces when substances are discussed), then appear on "Behind the Music" years later to reveal their debilitating addictions.

Having been involved peripherally in the scene for a few years, I can say that Spheeris' portrayal was 100% accurate based on what I witnessed. I would've liked to have seen the inclusion of other important bands of the LA scene (Motley Crue, Skid Row, etc), and a separate documentary highlighting British metal (Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest)would've been fantastic.

It was a fun, irreverent, and exciting time! I can look back at it and laugh since I emerged relatively unscathed... although I am somewhat embarrassed by the extraordinary heights of my hair and the plunging depths of my blouses in "86.

Decline of Western Civilization Part 2, The (1988)

**** (out of 4)

I had seen the Aerosmith and Alice Cooper clips of this documentary via a bootleg but never got around to watching the film until IFC showed it the other night and I'm certainly disappointed that I waited so long because Penelope Spheeris' film is one of the best out there of its type and ranks highly among the best documentaries to be made about rock 'n roll. Members of Aerosmith, Kiss, Poison, Alice Cooper himself, Ozzy and various no-name bands are interviewed. The legends interviewed here give the same old stories, which are still interesting but the great thing comes from all the interviews with those broke souls trying to make a name for themselves. Spheeris asks all the right questions from what happens if they don't make it and even asks some groupies if they're worried about AIDS. The film goes into great detail about various subjects and there's such a wide range of musicians that the film never gets boring. I'd love to see an update on the people involved here and see what their feelings are since none of them (to my knowledge) became famous. Also, in case anyone is interesting, during the Alice Cooper interview he's asked about people ripping him off and he mentions he'd like to hang one group but they bleed out the group. That group mentioned is W.A.S.P.