RAGE!
20 Years Of Punk West Coast Style Movie Premier
June 7th at The Laemmle Sunset 5 Theatre, Hollywood CA
Review By: Scott Harding 
Photos by:  Scott Wulfesteig

     These days, the punk scene is very different that it was before. Today the shows are not packed with people who eat sleep and live the punk life style. Instead there are likely to be a mixture of these people with the same people you might also find at a Blink 182 or another “radio friendly” show.  That’s because back in the late 70’s and early 80’s punk was new and it had not yet branched out to the very different styles of punk and not so punk that are available today. Because of this branching out, some of the meaning of punk and what it takes to be considered punk has been lost. I can’t begin to tell you how many arguments I have heard in my life on what and what not punk is. Is it a fashion? Is it a statement? Is it a way of life? Everyone seems to have an explanation of what they think it is. Well to get the straight answers you can do one of two things. You can either invent a time machine and race back to when punk was first be available to the listening ear and cruise down to Los Angeles and Orange County to see the scene your self. 

     Or you can go see “Rage 20 Years Of Punk West Coast Style” and hear it straight from the pioneers of punk themselves! Knowing that “Rage” documentary that explored the punk scene through the eyes if people that started it and it included interviews with Keith Morris, Jack Grisham,  Jello Biafra, Duane Peters, Gitane Demone, and Don Bolles, the choice for me  simple. I wanted to see the flick!

The date was June 7th and the location was Laemmle’s Sunset 5 Theatre and I found myself outside the theatre chatting with Michael Bishop and Scott Jacoby, the creators of “Rage”. They were telling me how excited they were because they have had a few screenings before this one and they did very well and the word was spreading all over about the movie. Not only that but tonight’s show was to break a record. Apparently this was going to be the first screening of any movie in a theatre that was viewed by DVD technology. That’s pretty damn cool because this could mean a new and cost effective trend in movie viewing in theatres across the world. It was still a bit early but there was already a line of people waiting to get in. Most of the people were all punked out but I also noticed a good amount of every day people. And as I looked around I saw that Keith Morris, Gitane Demone, and Don Bolles were also there chatting amongst fans and friends. It was a great atmosphere of people!


Keith Morris and the creators of RAGE
(click for close look)

When the doors opened and we all charged in. I grabbed a popcorn and a soda and headed to the theatre. When I got in that’s when I realized just how many people were there. The whole theatre was packed! In fact it was pretty much sold out! There must have been near 300 people! I finally found a seat in the first row. Not the best seat in the house but it did just fine. And then it started. With a great intro of flashing pictures, animations and gig footage accompanied by choice punk music with a mix of classical. And then it kicked in to high gear with interviews of some great punk legends! Here is just a sample of what some had to say:


Laemmle Sunset 5
(click for close look)

 Jack Grisham from TSOL was very entertaining during his interview. Talking about how back in the day being punk was more than just a weekend trip. It was all or nothing! He was very honest about how he lived then. Breaking shit, getting laid, steeling and playing loud punk was pretty much a given in a day in the life of Jack Grisham. Punk was definitely a life style for him. He also talked about every time he went out for a night on the town it was all about pushing the envelope of fun. If he didn’t come home with a black eye then he knew he didn’t push that envelope as far as he should.

Jello Biafra, sporting a “D.A.R.E. to keep children out of church” t-shirt” talked about how scene in San Francisco a relevant part in the early punk scene. He spoke about how he did his part to help cure society from the disease called censorship. He also went on  about how he enjoys doing spoken word because he feels that the messages he wants to send can penetrate further in a person with spoken word than a minute and a half punk rock song.


(click for close look)

 Keith Morris gave his interview wearing a curly purple wig with a cowboy hat and some crazy looking glasses that made him look like Bruce Lee. Although very comical looking Keith brought up serious info about the people who attend punk shows and how the bands read them. And Duane Peters explained how punk made him want to get out and skate and referred to Gwen Stuffanie and a “Pile of Shit”, everyone in the audience showed their support for that comment with a loud cheer.

And this is only just a taste of what to expect when you see this documentary! Each person interviewed had nothing but informative and interesting things to say. And in-between the comments they shows some rare photos and live clips of shows that were taken during the birth and creation of the punk scene. Throughout the whole viewing people reacted to it verbally and emotionally.

After the film ended instead of leaving and going home, most people hung out side the theatre and talked about what they just saw. It was great! How many times have you seen that happen after a movie. So in conclusion if you haven’t gone out to see this movie yet do your self a favor and go now!

CLICK HERE FOR RAGE'S WEBSITE TO SEE WHERE YOU CAN SEE IT!

If you would like to purchase a copy of RAGE the click here to visit Music Video Distributors