The Decline of Western Civilization, Part II: The Metal Years by Penelope Spheeris (1988)
Several years after chronicling L.A.‘s riotous punk scene in the early ’80s, Penelope Spheeris returned to cover another controversial scene: heavy metal, in all of its glammed out glory. As with the first Decline of Western Civilization film, she interviews a wide array of artists (e.g., Alice Cooper, Faster Pussycat, Kiss, Megadeth, Ozzy Osbourne, Poison) and their fans, all of whom swear their allegiance to metal. Not surprisingly, the documentary focuses heavily on the scene’s decadence and debauchery. Sometimes the debauchery is almost ridiculous, like when Paul Stanley is interviewed while lying on a bed surrounded by scantily clad girls. Other times, it’s just sad. In the film’s most disturbing moment, W.A.S.P. guitarist Chris Holmes proudly discusses his groupie escapades and alcoholism, even pouring bottles of vodka all over himself, as his mother(!) looks on with a pained expression. Spheeris also captures the scene’s sky-high confidence (some might say arrogance), interviewing unsigned acts and wannabe rock stars who are absolutely convinced they’ll be the next Rolling Stones or Led Zeppelin. It’s humorous now, of course, given that so many of those bands, with names like Odin and Seduce, ultimately went nowhere. But as in the previous film, there’s also a certain desperation in their defiance that’s bittersweet and haunting.
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