The Decline of Western Civilization II
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The Decline of Western Civilization II: The Metal Years is a rockumentary film directed by Penelope Spheeris about the Los Angeles Heavy Metal scene of 1988.
Featuring footage and interviews of legendary metal bands such as Ozzy Osbourne, Aerosmith, W.A.S.P. and Motörhead.
Tagline: It's more than music...it's a way of life.
Plot
The documentary follows the heavy metal scene in Los Angeles, with particular emphasis on the Glam sub-genre. Spheeris explores the more famous musicians, Alice Cooper, Aerosmith, Ozzy Osbourne and Kiss, and then explores unknown bands such as Odin and Seduce. The film also features early interviews with members of Poison, Tuff, Vixen, and more. Serious issues such as drug usage, alcohol abuse and censorship are tackled as well as vanity issues like celebrity and sales.A few notable moments are when Chris Holmes of W.A.S.P. is interviewed in a swimming pool beside his mother while clearly intoxicated. Another is when the unsigned band Odin talks about being more famous than The Doors and expects to become millionaires. Paul Stanley (Kiss) is interviewed in a bed covered from head to toe with girls, while Steven Tyler (Aerosmith) talks about spending millions of dollars on drugs. As Ozzy Osbourne cooks eggs in a kitchen, Spheeris interviews him about sobriety, in which Ozzy replies "it fucking sucks." Lastly, Spheeris takes her cameras to Sunset Strip to film an average night of 1980s Los Angeles.
The now out-of-print soundtrack was released on Capitol/I.R.S Records, and includes tracks from Armored Saint, Faster Pussycat, Lizzy Borden, Metal Church, Rigor Mortis, Megadeth, Motorhead, and Alice Cooper w/ Axl Rose, Slash, and Izzy.
Musical Performances
- Lizzy Borden "Born to be Wild"
- Megadeth "In My Darkest Hour"
- Faster Pussycat "Bathroom Wall", "Cathouse"
- Seduce "Crash Landing", "Colleen"
- London "Russian Winter"
Trivia
- Dave Mustaine of Megadeth is featured on the VHS/Laserdisc and movie poster.
See also
External links
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