Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years

Oct 24, 2015

(Penelope Spheeris, 1988, United States, 93 min)

Sponsored by the Neumos Group!

“If you've ever wondered why grunge/alt-rock wiped hair metal off the face of the planet in 1991, this is the place to start.  Decline pt. 2 is my favorite music documentary of all time and I am always envious of anyone seeing it for the first time.” -Ben Gibbard

In this follow-up to the 1981 punk rock documentary The Decline of Western Civilization, filmmaker Penelope Spheeris dissects the world of heavy metal. Through live performance footage and interviews that feature popular hard rock musicians, Spheeris examines the metal genre and the opulent Los Angeles music scene of the late 1980s; highlights include Ozzy Osbourne discussing the tedium of sobriety over breakfast and Aerosmith's Steven Tyler claiming to have spent a small fortune on drugs.

See The Decline of Western Civilization Part I at SIFF Film Center on Oct 22 and Part III on Oct 26

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