This sucks. It goes from sex pistols to more sex pistols to more sex pistols to nirvana and then back to the sex pistols again. Typical mainstream-point-of-view series. They use the same footage over and over again and never really dive into what punk meant and still means. Skip this, it is not worth the watch. If you have to, then just watch episode 1-3, then you have seen them all. They completely skip the entire underground era (79-86) in both the US and the UK, only briefly mentioning bands like exploited, germs, circle jerks or even the ramones! I honestly do not understand who came up with the idea to spend time, money and effort on 15 minutes of good footage, only to edit into some crappy 10+ episode series. Say away! The punk rock movement has been documented so much better than this...
4 Reviews
In Agreement
NailsNathan10 May 2007
Warning: Spoilers
I completely agree with the previous comment. Not only does every part of the documentary contain useless negative arrogance from John Lydon spouting off about everything that is not- Pistols, it seems to take every backstabbing remark anyone in the punk movement ever made about each other and bring it to the forefront. Watching this documentary, one would think that unless you were a Sex Pistol or part of the initial British upsurge, you just aren't punk, and nothing else matters. On the positive side, I would say that one gets to see a lot of vintage clips of great bands wedged somehow between seeing the same clips of the Sex Pistols over and over. If one wants to see a much better documentary, I would recommend American Hardcore because it has great interviews and footage and isn't so negative.
Worst Punk Documentary Ever
dan_a_ner18 June 2007
Warning: Spoilers
I just finished watching Parts 1-4 of this abomination, and I will not be watching 5-6. Why? This is bar-none the worst documentary ever made on Punk. It is bad on so many levels, but let me point out a few glaring ones:
1) Punk was NOT invented by the British. Yes, I know this is a British documentary, but this is prevaricated, revisionism. Punk was created in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, NYC, NY, USA. Bands like the New York Dolls, Television, Richard Hell and the Voidoids (who are given very minimal mention), and The Heartbreakers (who are, shamefully, given NO mention!) were the seeds that germinated into Punk Rock (a term created by Legs McNeil, who started the fanzine named "Punk" before the Sex Pistols were a glint in Malcolm McLaren's eye). In fact, it was The Ramones who brought Punk to London. It is an American import, folks, and you are foolish to think otherwise.
2) They should've just called this documentary, "The Sex Pistols Were The Greatest Band Ever". The amount of exposure they give to a band that was only around for 2 years and embarrassingly imploded is appalling. Fact: The Sex Pistols, while helping to kick-start the Punk Movement, simultaneously set it back. Johnny Lydon's manipulation of the band (and especially Sid, who was at the end, a dope-fiend) had a deleterious effect on the band and the scene. And, they are overrated. Let's face it - The Buzzcocks were FAR better than The Pistols would ever hope to be.
3) Malcolm McLaren did NOT fail in his stint to manage the New York Dolls simply because they were junkies. First off, they weren't ALL junkies. David Johansen and Syl Sylvain certainly weren't. Fact: The reason why Malcolm McLaren failed (miserably) to manage the Dolls is because he had them put on red leather outfits and had them play in front of the Soviet "hammer-and-sickle" flag. The Dolls were not political - they were a fun band. It was McLaren's naivety that ruined the Dolls.
4) Johnny Lydon (aka, Johnny Rotten) was, is, and likely will continue to be, the biggest asshole in all of music...and they interview him CONSTANTLY. Not 40 seconds goes by without a heinous, back-stabbing comment by this jerk. Lydon was absolutely HATED by everyone on the New York scene because of his arrogance and his unbridled righteousness. Even in his 50s, he is shown in this documentary to be just as bitter and full of self-hatred as ever. He puts down everyone and everything. And what has done since the Pistols? PLI? What a joke that horrible band was.
To sum it up, I wouldn't recommend this tripe to anyone. It is unabashedly bias against America and factually inaccurate. I will not watch any more. As the time line progresses to the '80s, I can only imagine that the producers lavish all of their attention on Stiff Little Fingers and The Clash (great bands, of course), while completely ignoring such great American bands as the Dead Kennedys and Black Flag. I may be wrong about this, but I sure won't torture myself to find out.
1) Punk was NOT invented by the British. Yes, I know this is a British documentary, but this is prevaricated, revisionism. Punk was created in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, NYC, NY, USA. Bands like the New York Dolls, Television, Richard Hell and the Voidoids (who are given very minimal mention), and The Heartbreakers (who are, shamefully, given NO mention!) were the seeds that germinated into Punk Rock (a term created by Legs McNeil, who started the fanzine named "Punk" before the Sex Pistols were a glint in Malcolm McLaren's eye). In fact, it was The Ramones who brought Punk to London. It is an American import, folks, and you are foolish to think otherwise.
2) They should've just called this documentary, "The Sex Pistols Were The Greatest Band Ever". The amount of exposure they give to a band that was only around for 2 years and embarrassingly imploded is appalling. Fact: The Sex Pistols, while helping to kick-start the Punk Movement, simultaneously set it back. Johnny Lydon's manipulation of the band (and especially Sid, who was at the end, a dope-fiend) had a deleterious effect on the band and the scene. And, they are overrated. Let's face it - The Buzzcocks were FAR better than The Pistols would ever hope to be.
3) Malcolm McLaren did NOT fail in his stint to manage the New York Dolls simply because they were junkies. First off, they weren't ALL junkies. David Johansen and Syl Sylvain certainly weren't. Fact: The reason why Malcolm McLaren failed (miserably) to manage the Dolls is because he had them put on red leather outfits and had them play in front of the Soviet "hammer-and-sickle" flag. The Dolls were not political - they were a fun band. It was McLaren's naivety that ruined the Dolls.
4) Johnny Lydon (aka, Johnny Rotten) was, is, and likely will continue to be, the biggest asshole in all of music...and they interview him CONSTANTLY. Not 40 seconds goes by without a heinous, back-stabbing comment by this jerk. Lydon was absolutely HATED by everyone on the New York scene because of his arrogance and his unbridled righteousness. Even in his 50s, he is shown in this documentary to be just as bitter and full of self-hatred as ever. He puts down everyone and everything. And what has done since the Pistols? PLI? What a joke that horrible band was.
To sum it up, I wouldn't recommend this tripe to anyone. It is unabashedly bias against America and factually inaccurate. I will not watch any more. As the time line progresses to the '80s, I can only imagine that the producers lavish all of their attention on Stiff Little Fingers and The Clash (great bands, of course), while completely ignoring such great American bands as the Dead Kennedys and Black Flag. I may be wrong about this, but I sure won't torture myself to find out.
Fantastic documentary on punk.
allan_noble22 October 2007
This documentary is broken up into 10 episodes, with a total of over 4 hours of playtime. Whilst it might be considered as excessively long for some, for the true fan of punk it is great value. The main focus is on the early British scene of the mid to late 1970s. The Sex Pistols, The Clash, and the Buzzcocks, and the many other bands of the time and the developments surrounding them, are well-covered.
'The Punk Years' is also good in tracing the pre-punk music history, including David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Patti Smith, etc. Another strength is that the punk scene is covered in a sub-cultural sense, which is placed in the context of mainstream culture, but also goes further than just music. Fashion, values, 'Zines' the DIY ethic, and so forth, are all explored.
'Second wave' punk, as well as post-punk developments, are all covered, up until Bad Religion, The Offspring, and Nirvana. Even bands like Atari Teenage Riot are mentioned. The disappointments, for me, are that whilst these post-'first wave' British acts are given mention, the overall focus seems to be on what punk 'was' in the early years as compared to what it became subsequently.
John Lydon of The Sex Pistols/PIL is given a large say in 'The Punk Years', and he is continually referred back to with every new point covered. Yet, whilst one can't help but admire his true punk attitude and longevity, overall his comments inject a bias into the commentary that displaces the value of how punk has evolved over the years.
Thus, bands such as the Dead Kennedys, Black Flag, Minor Threat, the Bad Brains, etc, are all only given cursory mention, when one could argue that the shift in punk moved from Britain back to the US in the early to mid 1980s, spawning a new focus. These founders of 'hardcore' punk should have been given at least as much attention as the British bands of the 'first wave'.
Moreover, 'third wave' So-Cal bands such as those on the Epitaph and Fat Wreck Chords labels are conceived in the documentary as a move basically towards the mainstream. But was The Offspring anymore mainstream than The Sex Pistols? Given the shape of the mainstream culture in both periods it is hard to argue that The Sex Pistols weren't as mainstream as The Offspring.
Certainly these 'skate-punk' bands should have been given more mention. That's not to say that, however, 'The Punk Years' isn't a fantastic effort, and a pleasure to watch. It does catch the true spirit of the punk attitude, and I would definitely recommend it.
'The Punk Years' is also good in tracing the pre-punk music history, including David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Patti Smith, etc. Another strength is that the punk scene is covered in a sub-cultural sense, which is placed in the context of mainstream culture, but also goes further than just music. Fashion, values, 'Zines' the DIY ethic, and so forth, are all explored.
'Second wave' punk, as well as post-punk developments, are all covered, up until Bad Religion, The Offspring, and Nirvana. Even bands like Atari Teenage Riot are mentioned. The disappointments, for me, are that whilst these post-'first wave' British acts are given mention, the overall focus seems to be on what punk 'was' in the early years as compared to what it became subsequently.
John Lydon of The Sex Pistols/PIL is given a large say in 'The Punk Years', and he is continually referred back to with every new point covered. Yet, whilst one can't help but admire his true punk attitude and longevity, overall his comments inject a bias into the commentary that displaces the value of how punk has evolved over the years.
Thus, bands such as the Dead Kennedys, Black Flag, Minor Threat, the Bad Brains, etc, are all only given cursory mention, when one could argue that the shift in punk moved from Britain back to the US in the early to mid 1980s, spawning a new focus. These founders of 'hardcore' punk should have been given at least as much attention as the British bands of the 'first wave'.
Moreover, 'third wave' So-Cal bands such as those on the Epitaph and Fat Wreck Chords labels are conceived in the documentary as a move basically towards the mainstream. But was The Offspring anymore mainstream than The Sex Pistols? Given the shape of the mainstream culture in both periods it is hard to argue that The Sex Pistols weren't as mainstream as The Offspring.
Certainly these 'skate-punk' bands should have been given more mention. That's not to say that, however, 'The Punk Years' isn't a fantastic effort, and a pleasure to watch. It does catch the true spirit of the punk attitude, and I would definitely recommend it.
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