Review of American Hardcore

I was a regular LA clubgoer starting in 1979, when I was 17 years old. I never got into the hardcore scene, preferring artier bands like Monitor, BPeople, Catholic Discipline, The Deadbeats, and The Weirdos, but I did see my fair share of the bands depicted in this film. For me, American Hardcore correctly identifies the first band to exemplify the style, The Middle Class, and accurately traces the developments that followed. The hardcore scene overwhelmingly comprised very young and alienated working class white kids, whilst the 'art punk' bands were a bit older, a bit wiser, and tended to live in LA or Hollywood (with a few folks out in the Valley for good measure). So I don't have any complaints about the film's sins of omission: The Germs were a great band, but certainly not hardcore; likewise the DKs, who were far too melodic for the style--heck, they even played sixties stuff like The Boy From New York City on occasion! For my money, American Hardcore very wisely keeps the focus narrow: there are a hundred films that could (and arguably should) be made about the American punk explosion, and trying to do it all in one would have done everyone a disservice.

For anyone who grew up with '70s punk, this is required viewing. Now, who amongst us has the wherewithal to produce The Nervous Gender Story, All About The Screamers, or Black Randy: He Slept In An Arcade?? The footage is out there...