My Cultural Diet

The first Decline of Western Civilization film focused on L.A.‘s burgeoning punk scene circa 1979 – 1980 and specifically, bands like Black Flag, the Circle Jerks, Germs, and X. Nearly two decades later, Penelope Spheeris returned to L.A.‘s punk scene for the third Decline film. Although she interviews several bands (e.g., Final Conflict, Litmus Green, Naked Aggression), her primary focus is the city’s gutter punks: homeless kids who’ve fallen through the cracks and found a sense of identity and community in punk rock. The third Decline film is considerably more sobering than its predecessors, as punks with names like Why-Me?, Eyeball, Squid, and Spoon list their complaints and grievances with mid-to-late ’90s American society. Their criticisms aren’t necessarily wrong, but they can also come across as naïve and juvenile, particularly when the punks in question gleefully indulge in drugs, alcohol, and other nihilistic and self-destructive behavior. But even then, the film remains heartbreaking as the punks reveal the abuse, neglect, and rejection that drove them to the streets and express precious little hope for their future.

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