Punk's Not Dead

Punk's Not Dead (2007)

Reviewer: Jeffrey M. Anderson
Rating (out of 5): ****

After several recent, failed attempts (like American Hardcore), filmmaker Susan Dynner finally turns in the punk music documentary we all deserve, and one that punks can finally relate to. Rather than dwelling on the history of punk and choosing a list of bands to highlight, in Punk's Not Dead Dynner packs in an astonishing amount of material; she covers the movement's history in the film's first 30 minutes (Nirvana comes in at the 20 minute mark). From there, she wrestles with very relevant questions like: why does all this matter? And, does it still matter? A lesser filmmaker would simply answer those questions, but Dynner lets the debate rage.

She goes to corporate-sponsored events like the "Warped" tour and lets the punks explain their rationale for playing punk on a corporate ticket. She also listens as certain bands try to define exactly what punk is and who fits into the category. Green Day gets away clean, but Sum 41, not so much. And, believe it or not, there's still some question about the Buzzcocks (apparently, they're too melodic). While at the same time, Bad Religion gets badass credit for turning in the first "melodic" punk album, Suffer (1988). Other, older punks proclaim that today's young-uns don't have the spirit and that the movement is indeed dead. (One fellow lackadaisically overturns a table, then moons the camera, stating, "that's punk.")

The general consensus is that, in the old days, punks banded together against the rest of the world, defending themselves against physical attacks. Now punks band together against the rest of the world just because they can. Sure, they have it easier, but isn't that what the earlier punks fought for? Indeed, the movie's tone is generally hopeful. Dynner finds that small punk movements flourish throughout the world, with friends getting together and playing basement shows, raising enough money only to pay the rent and put on more basement shows. She collects tapes from several different countries, featuring new bands with some of the coolest names you've ever heard.

As for the music, Dynner gives the big guns their due mention, then puts them aside, assuming that audiences have already heard of The Ramones, the Sex Pistols and the Clash, and that Bad Brains and the Minutemen have been extensively covered elsewhere. Only Black Flag gets a bit of a re-hash here, and that's mainly because former frontman Henry Rollins is such a great interview. Otherwise the movie has a soft spot for Bad Religion, The Adicts (the "clown band"), UK Subs, Stiff Little Fingers (whose song "Suspect Device" is still one of the greatest three-minute bursts ever recorded) and the Washington D.C. band Minor Threat, whose entire output is collected on one amazing CD. Happily, Punk's Not Dead is edited together with clips, photos and quotes like a ragged, homemade patchwork flag of defiance. If the movie has a drawback, it's that songs get cut short for the sake of continuing the argument, but perhaps that's material for yet another movie.

MVD's DVD comes with a whole bunch of snippets of extra footage, which the box claims runs "over 2 hours." Who has time to count?