Punk Rock Vegan Movie

Punk rock vegan movie shows the history of some of the vegan punk rock bands and their challenges of trying to find appealing food in the 80s. It seems that they managed to eat whole food plant based foods, except the ones who ate white bread. I don't really get the point of making it seem like it was a hard thing to do or stating it like they sacrificed something, but I suppose the ones who would listen to this music like the air of feeling cool and having a feeling of a cool story behind everything they do.

The concept of straight edge is really cool- no alcohol, no drugs. Combined with veganism it's even cooler. It is amazing that a subculture with so much controversial activism, political ideas actually had so many wholesome and liberating messages- the yin yang of trying to get a peaceful message out there is that sometimes you have to be loud about it. It is great that these people found a place for themselves in the entertainment industry which can lead to a big impact for the animals. Fans of these bands seem to have gone vegan simply because these bands made it seem very cool.

Lots of these stars or at least the ones in the movie are quite aged now so it is not the most exciting or punk movie anymore, but the older audiences might like the nostalgia of it and it is a nice pat on the back to all the vegans who support or are part of the punk rock scene. It would have been cool to see newer voices of the scene if there are any, there was one singer who started out an activist in the movie who was young. The cold cave people also seemed young, but there wasn't much focus on them and their voices.

Other than that this must have been a passion project and not that serious on getting the most quality footage or anything and that is commendable. This was made to be consumed completely for free. There isn't much to complain about and it focuses on the ethics at the end. Think for yourself and make the choices that make you live your most fulfilling life regardless of what the outside thinks.

It's fantastic that Moby highlighted the connection between punk and the animal rights/animal liberation movement, as well as ethical veganism. However, for those with some knowledge in these areas, the document won't provide much new information. I didn't discover any new bands since I was already familiar with most of the ones featured, mainly because they are well-known bands. I appreciate the fact that Moby progressed from punk to hardcore to metal, as these themes are gaining popularity within the metal genre. Conversely, I have noticed a gradual decline in punk bands openly promoting animal and environmental protection in their lyrics, or actively participating in such activities. I find it disheartening that many vegans today, who overly prioritize human interests, dismiss animal rights while still opposing animal suffering. They defend this viewpoint by equating rights with laws and argue that laws restrict human freedom (lol). Even some bands have ceased performing songs about ethical veganism, using the excuse that they no longer wish to preach to others and that personal choice should prevail. This is a lamentable situation, which makes me grateful that Moby released this documentary at the eleventh hour, as it may inspire some punks to maintain their old activist ways, thus contributing, albeit in a small way, to animal welfare and the environment.

Moby is a likeable music author who had his shining moments in popular music at the end of the 90s of the last century (the album "Play" from 1999). Unfortunately, he decided to stake his long-gone musical credibility on incompatible things, which simply do not stand, except that they are currently suitable for modern times, which have become fertile ground for all kinds of brainwashing, twisting of facts and replacement of theses.

The film is technically correct, from the material that I assume was available. It was published on YouTube, which is an intelligent move, because it is truly unbelievable that anyone would waste time and money watching something like this in commercial exploitation. Unfortunately, it is hardly worth watching even in the home version. It is irritating that nihilism in rock music from the second half of the 70s is linked to some kind of veganism, aside from whether, and to what extent, both initiatives were, or were not, correct views of the world. The music, as revolutionary as it was in that period, brought both positive and negative influences in the musical styles that followed. In any case, Punk movement was a consequence of the postmodernism of the second half of the twentieth century, and veganism and the so-called "animal rights" are terms more appropriate to the metamodernism that followed as a reaction to the mentioned period. So, by definition, really incompatible.

In addition to such a bad setting, in the movie it can also be seen a handful of infantile shots, when the author talks to an imaginary interlocutor, at the same level as the entire film, as well as provisional interviews with members of third-grade bands from the musical margins with whom Moby allegedly had common beginnings (which is far from being something positive, and which we didn't even have to find out). All in all, an hour and a half of wasted time, which everyone could use much better.

At this point I would add, although no one expects the depth of thought, e.g. A much better musician, Roger Waters, nor the level of his addressing to the UN the other day, at least we should not deal with attempts of falsifying of the history of the music scene from more than 40 years ago. Or perhaps that's exactly why we should?

If you happen to be interested in music, spend time listening (and/or watching) it in the original, you don't need bad interpretations of something that has been recorded on various sound carriers and on the Internet. If you happen to be a vegan and a fighter for animal rights, I don't know what you should do, but definitely don't waste your time watching this failed attempt to rewrite history, use it better for your activism, or something else that interests you.

Watch this if you want to understand why the staff at your local vegan restaurant or health food store are tattooed so heavily.

Moby interviews some of the punk and hardcore musicians who were first to be known as vegetarians on the scene (like Captain Sensible (The Damned), Steve Ignorant (Crass/Conflict) and HR (Bad Brains), were among the first to speak out in the mid to late eighties, like the Cro Mags, MDC, Youth of Today and Gorilla Biscuits, or took it to the next level by promoting veganism in the early nineties when it was largely unheard of, like Earth Crisis.

Speaking out for animals didn't win popularity contests in the eighties (in or outside the scene) and it definitely didn't make life easier for them on tour, but the message appealed to many active people in the scene, who stopped eating animals decades before it was cool.

One of the interviewees said that vegetarianism and veganism could spread in punk better than in any other scene because punks aren't scared to be different from the norm. I think this is true, just like Straightedge (a youth culture strictly abstaining from all drugs and alcohol) could only develop in the Hardcore scene, saying no to eating animals came much easier to Punks who never cared if they were seen as outcasts.

Fast forward to 2023 and be amazed how mainstream veg*anism is today, how common the label is in supermarkets and how widely available vegan options are almost everywhere in the world. Much of it has to do with the hardcore kids who got exposed to animal rights through punk and hardcore and started vegan restaurants, bakeries, food trucks, health food stores and other businesses, not just in the US, but all over Europe, Australia and Latin America as well.

Few of the people using vegan hashtags on Instagram or TikTok today have any idea who John Joseph, Ray Cappo or Karl Buechner are, and yet they have so much to thank them for. I know i do, over thirty years later and i still do not eat animals, long after being part of that scene, just like many of my friends from back in the day.

So glad Moby put this together, it's a great introduction to an aspect of the punk/hardcore scene that hasn't had much exposure, but deserves to be recognized for it's influence.