I haven't seen this documentary for almost 20 years. Candid interviews and performances from some of the great (and not so great) Metal Gods of the 80's. Its amazing the way some of them lived and survived to talk about it. A Must See For All Metal Heads! Horns Up!
As funny as Spinal Tap only the wannabes in this are actually serious. The dude from "Wet Cherri" is particularly funny. A near impossible to find gem (only on VHS) that is well worth a look if you have a soft spot for 80's glam rock, the whole scene is so dated now that I find it fascinating!!
It really shows how retarded some of those LA glam bands were and how ridicoulous of a lifestyle some of them led. I really enjoyed seeing Megadeth in thier prime
For nearly a decade, it was a forgone conclusion that Kurt Cobain and Eddie Vedder had committed murder. Cobain had pulled the trigger, killing '80s glam metal, while Vedder broodingly stood look-out.
After time and some perspective, new theories emerged. Axl Rose became the prime suspect in the slaying, with Cobain and Vedder being charged with disposing of the body. While there is probably no single group or song that caused the demise of '80s glam metal, Axl, Eddie and Kurt most likely only put the nails in the coffin.
I caught part of The Decline of Western Civilization II: The Metal Years on television last weekend. I hadn't seen it since the early '90s when I watched it with some friends. Back then, we were not distanced enough from the "Metal Daze" to get the absurdity of Penelope Spheeris's brilliant documentary. We thought Paul Stanley answering questions on a bed full of scantily clad women stroking his body was cool. Not that it wouldn't be fun, we just didn't get the joke. We thought it was humorous, not sad, when an idiot responded that he wasn't afraid of getting AIDS because his uncle was a gynecologist or something stupid like that. The only musician interviewed in the entire film that wasn't a complete joke was Lemmy of Motorhead fame. He was perhaps the one person that wasn't a shill.
Glam metal in the 1980s was merely a successful attempt to sell a corporate version of metal to mainstream America. Glam metal wasn't really metal, it was an attempt by record companies to sell a musical cookie-cutter version of a pseudo-rebellious lifestyle to people who wanted to indulge in the 1980s. Poison, Warrant and Winger have nothing to do with Black Sabbath, Slayer and Pantera- I almost feel ill mentioning them in the same blog. As much as I like Kiss, I have to blame them for the rise of '80s glam metal. Destroyer is the prototype for Motley Crue's Theater of Pain and just about every other glam metal album after that.
I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I saw Motley Crue on the Theater of Pain tour. I was only 15, so don't hold it against me. Some highlights of the concert:
Having every fat-ass, Budweiser drinking hick in the state of Michigan push and elbow his way up to the stage.
My ex-girlfriend telling me that Vince Neil did her with a bottle of Jack Daniels. When, I questioned her about it, she said all the guys in the group took turns, then she decided that Mick Mars didn't (how convenient that the ugly one wasn't interested.)
Getting my hands into the pockets of a girl who I thought was hot?until she made out with a bouncer in order to get Vince Neil's scarf. The dude looked like a member of ZZ Top after a lobotomy. I should have known she was a skank when I put my hand down her pants, she said "Just don't steal the money in my pocket."
Glam metal wasn't killed by Cobain, Rose or Vedder. Glam metal killed itself with its overindulgent attitude and lack of substance. It was a not-so-heavy metal suicide. Let's hope the same will happen to glam metal's bastard child, emo.
One of my most preciously owned VHSes. This documentary will take you back to a better time when modern music didn?t suck. A time where guys wore more makeup than girls, a time where the lead singers? voices were as good live as they were on cassette tapes, a time where groupies were at their peak. I won?t go into much detail about which bands are featured in this righteous documentary however I will throw a few names at you: KISS, poison, cooper, and a very drunkenly awesome cameo from a fairly well-known guitarist if you?re into the genre. The Metal Years is the essence of 80s heavy metal trapped in plastic black rectangle that will probably one day be eaten by my ghetto VCR. This is something that each metal/rock collector should have resting on their dvd shelf if it's not already inside their dvd player.
I grew up with metal, and I have a real soft spot for this documentary...it's hilarious! It's EXACTLY like This Is Spinal Tap...but it's REAL!! THESE PEOPLE ARE ACTUALLY SERIOUS! Comedy genius!
Absolutely brilliant look at the best and worst of the 80's metal movement. Bonus points for Paul Stnaley pretending he's straight, Chris Holmes blitzed in his mom's pool, and every scene involving Odin. That's right...ODIN! ODIN! ODIN!
The best of times in the raging 80s was coming to a sad state of affairs. Penelope Spheeris captured some great footage of the stars of the day and those still dreaming about making it to the top. Great music sequences from groups like Megadeth and Faster Pussycat.
If your an old school metal fan like I am,than you will enjoy this movie.it features bands such as WASP,Megadeth,Motorhead.If you grew up during this time when this was out,it will bring back some memories. It did for me.
MCT:May 20, 2008
MCT:October 4, 2007
MCT:July 14, 2007
MCT:June 29, 2007
MCT:May 31, 2007
