Wednesday, January 26, 2022

The Decline Of Western Civilization: Part 2

Now we're talking.




It almost kind of breaks my heart the film and director could only do metal bands in the Los Angeles part of the world cause man, heavy metal is global and it really started reaching to so many countries and was an institution by the time this documentary was filmed between 1986 and 1988. Same style as before but with more of an emphasis on band interviews I found, but seeing so many bands I'm familiar with was a real treat. I feel the lens is more showcasing the attitude and perseverance of more up and coming bands, the film spends a lot of time talking to them, what made them get into rock and roll, their experiences and thoughts on the music, what might possibly happen if they don't make it big, and I found it super entertaining and even compelling. Once again, very candid and honest from all the bands regardless if they're talking to Ozzy or Lizzy Borden, albeit it's very lighthearted and it does make you laugh. I feel that's almost a requirement for rock stars is to have a good sense of humor, because the whole thing of being a rockstar is kind of this power fantasy and you can't let it get to your head man. I do somewhat wish they talked to fans of heavy metal music as they did in Part 1, that's a plethora of material to use for a documentary all by itself but at the same time you kind of get the best of both worlds when you see these super young bands voice their passion and love for metal and will die trying to make it to the top. It's damn near inspirational, to where I caught myself thinking a few times "I could be in a band, I could perform, we got this man! We got this by the ass!" it gets you fired up and thinking you could achieve anything. People think oh heavy metal, it's very loud and mean and satanic and blah blah blah, honest to God there are some mighty nice folks who dig heavy metal and the performers themselves are real personable and appreciative of the fans. I can hear these guys tell stories and share their thoughts and feelings on music all bloody day, it just does that good a job immersing you in this community. Yes, you are gonna be hearing a bunch of very young men pressing hard on the topic of sex, I will not blame them. They are hormone fueled, late teens to early 20s guys who want to rock on, in the 80s, I will cut them some slack. And that brings me to a giant point that I appreciate so much about this, is it shows both sides of the coin, you see guys say hell yeah to sex and you see women all game for a bit of hey hey, you see some rockstars talk about being alcoholics and doing drugs and you see some who want no part of drugs and just want to do music, it's such a simple thing to show multiple facets of the same topic but I like they included that. I wasn't a headbanger or a metal head until about 2 years ago, and I know I still got tons more to learn and explore from the different styles, and I'm very happy I started listening in the first place. Again, not really expecting this film to convert people or make them more devoted to heavy metal music, it's just another portal of time to observe and get some entertainment out of it. 4 stars, 9.5/10! And Part 3 is coming your way tomorrow.

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