The Decline of Western Civilization (1981)

A look into the Los Angeles punk rock scene, that was largely ignored by the rock music press of the time.

Director:

Penelope Spheeris

Stars:

Alice Bag Band, Black Flag, Catholic Discipline

1 win.

Cast

Credited cast:
Alice Bag Band	...	Themselves
Black Flag	...	Themselves
Catholic Discipline	...	Themselves
Circle Jerks	...	Themselves
Fear	...	Themselves
The Germs	...	Themselves (as Germs)
X	...	Themselves
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Alice Bag	...	Self - Alice Bag Band (Vocals)
Claude Bessy	...	Self - Catholic Discipline (Vocals)
Bob Biggs	...	Self - Publisher - Slash Magazine (as Robert Biggs)
Don Bolles	...	Self - Germs (Drums)
D.J. Bonebrake	...	Self - X (Drums)
Rick Brodey	...	Self - Catholic Discipline (Bass) (as Rick Jaffe)
Dinah Cancer	...	Self - Light Bulb Kid (as Mary)
Exene Cervenka	...	Self - X (Vocals) (as Exene)

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

national film registry | beer | self destructiveness | cult favorite | drug | 

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Taglines:

The Spirit of American Punk Rock.

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Genres:

Documentary | History | Music

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Did You Know?

Trivia

After the film was screened in Los Angeles, punk music fans got into so many fights and caused so much trouble that then-L.A. Police Chief Daryl Gates wrote the filmmakers a letter asking them not to screen the film again.

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Quotes

The Circle Jerks member: And at the bottom it says "Thank you." And you can tell 'em to fuck off.

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Connections

Referenced in Totally F***ed Up (1993)

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Soundtracks

White Minority
Performed by Black Flag

User Reviews

As Good As It Gets

When it comes to films on the L.A. hardcore scene of the late 70s/early 80s this is as good as it gets! It's very rare that cameras are around during the genesis of a music movement, and I will be forever grateful that Ms Sheeris was there to capture the beginnings of the LA hardcore scene that was growing out of the ideals and influences of the dying New York & London punk scenes. I was living on the East Coast at the time this film came out, and back then the only way to see some of these bands, without going to L.A., was to see this film. It was a rare event when one of these bands would pile into a van and head east on a tour, so to fulfill our love for the L.A. hardcore scene my friends and I would go see this film every few weeks. This is a great document of that time in music history. For people who liked this era of punk/hardcore music, here's a few other very similar documentary films you might want to check out...

THE BLANK GENERATION - (70s New York punk - Johnny Thunders, Richard Hell, Ramones, Television, Patti Smith, etc...)

THE PUNK ROCK MOVIE - (70s British punk - Sex Pistols, The Clash, X-Ray Spex, Eater, etc...)

PUNK IN LONDON - (70s British punk - The Clash, The Adverts, The Lurkers, Subway Sect, etc...)

D.O.A. - (70s American & British punk - Dead Boys, Generation X, Sham 69, Iggy Pop, etc... *contains a priceless interview with Sid & Nancy*)

UK/DK - (80s British hardcore - The Addicts, The Exploited, The Business, UK Subs, etc...)

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1983 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Upadek zachodniej cywilizacji

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$100,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Spheeris Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1