Genre:
Documentary
Directed
by: Penelope Spheeris
Cast:
Ozzy Osbourne, Lemmy, Paul Stanley, Alice Cooper, Chris Holmes
Time:
93 minutes
The second installment in the Decline of
Western Civilization trilogy covers the Los Angeles heavy metal music scene of
the late 1980’s. We hear comments from such artists as Lemmy, Ozzy Osbourne,
Paul Stanley, Alice Cooper, Gene Simmons, Steven Tyler, Joe Perry and the
members of Poison. There are also multiple musical performances by the
following bands: Lizzy Borden, Faster Pussycat, Seduce, London, Odin and
Megadeth.
Two interviews stand out from the others in
this documentary. First, there is the well-known interview a drunken Chris
Holmes gave sitting in his pool, fully decked in leather, drinking vodka and
coming off as bitter and sad, all the while his mother watched from the side of
the pool. It has since been said that it was pool water and not vodka he poured
all over his face. The second one is Paul Stanley, from Kiss, being interviewed
while lying on a bed surrounded by groupies.
While part 1 of the trilogy felt really raw
and honest, this one felt a little more staged. Spheeris even admitted to
staging some stuff with Holmes and Ozzy, amongst others. The tone is also a bit
different in the second film. You cannot help feeling sad for all those
aspiring metal artists who had no backup plan then and haven’t made it today.
At least, it is good to see that Chris Holmes cleaned up his act and got sober.
In spite of its flaws, this documentary is a
must-see. There are some really funny parts and some sad ones, but it is a
compelling look at a musical genre I love.
Rating:
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