Punk: Attitude - A film by Don Letts Review
by Travis Becker

Attempts to encapsulate the vastness of Punk Rock (capitalized throughout this piece, because let's face it, it's a proper noun) throughout its now lengthy history have all fallen well short of the mark. Is it a musical genre or a cultural movement? A hairstyle or the very essence of DIY? Don Letts, original punk biographer, DJ and musician, in his film, Punk: Attitude sums it up just perfectly with that film's very title. Punk is an attitude and, as he puts it himself, "part of an ongoing movement of counterculture." After airing on the Independent Film Channel as part of "Punk Month", Letts' film claws its way, gasping for air, out of a packed house at CBGB's or the Roxy and onto DVD for home consumption. Featuring interviews and performances from most everyone who has meant anything to Punk Rock and spanning the history of the movement from its seeds in Detroit and New York to its germination in London and on to the gradual and now complete acceptance (of the music and style at least) in modern culture. When the final chord had sputtered out of the last obliterated amp and even the stiffest liberty spike has drooped, there may not be a better distillation of Punk Rock committed to film. From the savvy Punk vet to the eleven year old sitting at home on a pile of Blink 182 CD's, everyone can learn a little something about the music that defined the rebellion of so many.

Unfortunately, one of the first things that struck me was how old everyone looked. With the exception of Jello Biafra and Henry Rollins, most of the old punkers looked as if the lifestyle they led as teenagers and twenty-somethings had finally caught up with them. I guess Hank was right about clean living, especially seeing the sad state of icons like Mick Jones from the Clash and David Johannsen of New York Dolls fame. Then, the sad truth hit home when I found myself asking, where are the interviews with the Ramones? Tommy's there, and he's the only original left. And Joe Strummer, surely he would have something to say on the subject? Too many have left too soon, which is why now represents the perfect time for Don Letts to have made this movie. Any longer and the people who were there to write the story would no longer be around to tell it. The insight and reflection of those who were there is invaluable. All of that being said, Letts does an excellent job telling the story of the music that he helped to shape and which moved him so much. 

Looking back to his 1978 epic, The Punk Rock Movie, that film presented the visceral powder-keg that Punk was at the time. With thirty years behind it, the Punk of his new film isn't so much kinder and gentler, but adding perspective and distance to it makes the music and the attitudes behind it feel even more powerful. Punk Rock did as much to shape the world as did the movers and shakers of the sixties flower power peak. 

When I first watched the film on IFC, I enjoyed the film, but felt the end came too soon. The constraints of film are such that the average audience member's attention span, even for something in which they are interested, is limited at best. Fortunately, with the wonderful DVD medium this can be largely corrected. Punk: Attitude does and admirable job covering what it covers, shifting between well known influential bands like the Clash and Sex Pistols to lesser known bands and personalities. Perhaps most satisfying was the time spent on the roots of punk, detailing the importance and accomplishments of bands like the MC5 and the New York Dolls who often take a backseat the more volatile Stooges. Let's not forget the Dead Boys, though! 

The film accelerates towards the end, however. While the first ten years or so of Punk are laid bare, the last twenty only get about a half an hour. I wanted to know more about the scenes in LA and Washington DC and even the more remote outposts of Punkdom that spawned bands like Husker Du. And where are the Misfits?! Thankfully, the DVDs are chocked full of extras that fill in most of the gaps left in the film. There are great short films on the second disc about US Post Punk and LA Punk and a nice little feature on the US vs UK that has some hilarious stories packed in there. Even fanzines get a featurette, and as a neat little addition the set comes with a booklet reproduction of "Sniffin Glue". 

Don Letts proves with Punk: Attitude that Punk was more than a moment in time, it's a tradition that continues even today. In fact, it's the anti-Tradition. Punk Rock was what made me want to experience the world and then punch it right in the mouth while giving it the finger and keying its parents' car. While "Punk Rock" may have become more of an adjective than a style of music, its attitude will live on as long as there are people out there who want to things, just because other people tell them they can't. Whether it's railing against the government and social injustice like the sainted Joe Strummer, or the fact that your family is crazy and you like to sniff glue like the Ramones, Punk Rock gives you an excuse and a venue for those concerns and the Punk: Attitude DVD is the primer you need to get started or the not so friendly reminder you need to wake up. A little real Punk revolution is just what this country needs right about now, and to quote the filmmaker once again, ".after all, if it happened before, it can happen again." 

Punk: Attitude - A film by Don Letts

Label:Capital Entertainment
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