''The Decline of Western Civilization'' is a 1981 American documentary filmed through 1979 and 1980. The movie is about the Los Angeles punk rock scene and was directed by

Penelope Spheeris Penelope Spheeris (born December 2, 1945 or 1946; sources differ) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. She has directed both documentary and scripted films. Her best-known works include the trilogy titled '' The Decline of ...

. In 1981, the LAPD

Chief of Police Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the b ...

Daryl Gates Daryl Gates (born Darrel Francis Gates; August 30, 1926 – April 16, 2010) was the Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) from 1978 to 1992. His length of tenure in this position was second only to that of William H. Parker. As Chief ...

wrote a letter demanding the film not be shown again in the city. The film's title is possibly a reference to music critic

Lester Bangs Leslie Conway "Lester" Bangs (December 14, 1948 – April 30, 1982) was an American music journalist, critic, author, and musician. He wrote for ''Creem'' and ''Rolling Stone'' magazines, and was known for his leading influence in rock music c ...

' 1970 two-part review of

the Stooges The Stooges, originally billed as the Psychedelic Stooges, also known as Iggy and the Stooges, was an American rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1967 by singer Iggy Pop, guitarist Ron Asheton, drummer Scott Asheton, and bassist Dave ...

' album ''

Fun House A funhouse or fun house is an amusement facility found on amusement park and funfair midways and is where patrons encounter and interact with various devices designed to surprise, challenge, and amuse them. Unlike thrill rides or dark rides, fu ...

'', for ''

Creem ''Creem'' (often stylized in all caps) is a monthly American music magazine, based in Detroit, whose main print run lasted from 1969 to 1989. It was first published in March 1969 by Barry Kramer and founding editor Tony Reay. Influential criti ...

'' magazine, where Bangs quotes a friend who had said the popularity of the Stooges signaled "the decline of Western civilization". Another possibility is that the title refers to

Darby Crash Jan Paul Beahm (better known by his stage name Darby Crash, formerly Bobby Pyn; September 26, 1958 – December 7, 1980) was an American punk rock vocalist who, along with longtime friend Pat Smear (born Georg Ruthenberg), co-founded the punk ro ...

's reading of

Oswald Spengler Oswald Arnold Gottfried Spengler (; 29 May 1880 – 8 May 1936) was a German historian and philosopher of history whose interests included mathematics, science, and art, as well as their relation to his organic theory of history. He is best kno ...

's ''Der Untergang des Abendlandes'' (''

The Decline of the West ''The Decline of the West'' (german: Der Untergang des Abendlandes; more literally, ''The Downfall of the Occident''), is a two-volume work by Oswald Spengler. The first volume, subtitled ''Form and Actuality'', was published in the summer of 19 ...

''). In '' We Got the Neutron Bomb'', an oral history of the L.A. punk rock scene collected by

Marc Spitz Marc Spitz (October 2, 1969 – February 4, 2017) was an American music journalist, author and playwright. Spitz's writings on rock and roll and popular culture appeared in ''Spin'' (where he was a Senior Writer) as well as ''The New York Times' ...

, Claude Bessy aka: Kickboy, claims that he came up with the title. The film is the opening act of a trilogy by Spheeris, depicting music scenes in Los Angeles during the late 20th century. The second film, '' The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years'' (1988), covers the Los Angeles heavy metal scene of 1987–1988. The third film, ''

The Decline of Western Civilization III ''The Decline of Western Civilization III'' is a 1998 documentary film, directed by Penelope Spheeris, that chronicles the gutter punk lifestyle of homeless teenagers. It is the third film of a trilogy by Spheeris depicting life in Los Angeles at ...

'' (1998), chronicles the

gutter punk A gutter punk is a homeless or transient individual who displays a variety of specific lifestyle traits and characteristics that often, but not always, are associated with the punk subculture. Attributes may include unkempt dreadlocks, nose rings ...

lifestyle of homeless teenagers in the late 1990s. In 2016, ''The Decline of Western Civilization'' was selected by the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

for preservation in the United States

National Film Registry The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation, each selected for its historical, cultural and aesthetic contributions since the NFPB’s inception i ...

, being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

Plot

Featuring concert footage of Los Angeles punk bands and interviews both with band members, the publishers of ''

Slash Slash may refer to: * Slash (punctuation), the "/" character Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Slash (Marvel Comics) * Slash (''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'') Music * Harry Slash & The Slashtones, an American rock band * Nash ...

fanzine A fanzine (blend word, blend of ''fan (person), fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''-zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by fan (person), enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) ...

, and with the punks who made up their audience, the film offers a look into a

subculture A subculture is a group of people within a culture that differentiates itself from the parent culture to which it belongs, often maintaining some of its founding principles. Subcultures develop their own norms and values regarding cultural, poli ...

that was largely ignored by the rock music press of the time. The promotional poster for ''The Decline'' (and the record cover of the soundtrack album) featured a close-up frame of Germs singer

supine In grammar, a supine is a form of verbal noun used in some languages. The term is most often used for Latin, where it is one of the four principal parts of a verb. The word refers to a position of lying on one's back (as opposed to 'prone', lyi ...

on stage with his eyes closed. Crash died from a heroin-induced suicide shortly before the film was released (the poster was designed before his death). Bands included are Black Flag, Germs, X, Alice Bag Band, the

Circle Jerks Circle Jerks (stylized as Ciʀcle JƎʀᴋs) are an American hardcore punk band, formed in 1979 in Los Angeles, California. The group was founded by former Black Flag vocalist Keith Morris and Redd Kross guitarist Greg Hetson. To date, Circle ...

Catholic Discipline Catholic Discipline was an American punk rock (first-generation new wave) band, formed in 1979 in San Francisco, California, by '' Slash Fanzine'' editor Claude Bessy. The initial line-up of the band featured Bessy on vocals, Phranc on guitar, R ...

, and

Fear Fear is an intensely unpleasant emotion in response to perceiving or recognizing a danger or threat. Fear causes physiological changes that may produce behavioral reactions such as mounting an aggressive response or fleeing the threat. Fear ...

. The Germs' performance was replicated in the 2007 Darby Crash biopic '' What We Do Is Secret''.

Performances

* Alice Bag Band ** "Gluttony" ** "Prowlers in the Night" * Black Flag ** "Depression" ** "Revenge" ** "White Minority" *

** "Back Against the Wall" ** "Beverly Hills" ** "I Just Want Some Skank" ** "Red Tape" ** "Wasted" *

** "Barbee Doll Lust" ** "Underground Babylon" *

** "Beef Bologna" ** "I Don't Care About You" ** "

I Love Livin' in the City "I Love Livin' in the City" is the first single by the punk rock band Fear. It was originally released in 1978 on the Los Angeles-based Criminal Records. Background "I Love Livin' in the City" was re-recorded twice: once during the group's unre ...

" ** "Let's Have a War" ** "Fear Anthem" * Germs ** "Manimal" ** "Shutdown" * X ** "Beyond and Back" ** "Johnny Hit and Run Paulene" ** "Nausea" ** "Unheard Music" ** "We're Desperate"

Soundtrack

The soundtrack was released in December 1980 by

Slash Records Slash Records was an American record label originally specializing in local punk rock bands, active from 1978 to 2000. It was notable as one of the first and most successful independent record labels in alternative rock, alternative music, befor ...

on LP. In the late 1990s it was released on CD as well. Germs singer

appears on the soundtrack album cover. He died shortly before the film was released, though the promotional images for the film and album release had been designed before his death.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Decline of Western Civilization I, The 1981 films American documentary films Films directed by Penelope Spheeris Documentary films about punk music and musicians Punk films 1981 soundtrack albums Slash Records soundtracks 1981 documentary films Documentary films about Los Angeles Music of Los Angeles United States National Film Registry films Documentary film soundtracks 1981 directorial debut films X (American band) 1980s English-language films 1980s American films