When the punk music scene began I was never a huge fan. It
was only after time that I began to enjoy the music, at least some of it, and
to appreciate what the genre was trying to accomplish. There was one thing
about it that I noticed and that was the fact that it was only a major musical
genre if you lived on either coast. Certainly there were band across the US
that took to the style but the only areas where it was of major influence were
New York, LA and England. Did it influence bands after? Perhaps but more so
because of the press than because of actually seeing the bands perform.
That being said D.O.A. is a documentary about one of the
biggest bands of the genre, the Sex Pistols, and there short tour of the US in
1978 that ended with the band breaking up. At least that’s what’s at the center
of the film. In addition to that it takes a look at the entire punk rock scene.
Interviews with various punks at the time as well as those who just didn’t
think much of the scene are mingled in with performances by other top bands as
well.
Among those bands are The Dead Boys, Generation X (with
Billy Idol), The Rich Kids, the X-Ray Spex, and Sham 69. All feature that hard
edged, fast played, guitar driven sound that is synonymous with punk rock as
well as lyrics that display an anger towards the world. The fact that so few of
these bands have found their way to film, video or discs makes this film one
that punk rock fans will want to pick up.
While the movie is supposed to be about that ill-fated tour
it jumped around far too much for me to enjoy. One moment we’re watching the
band get ready to tour, then they’re performing, then we move on to a different
band, then the interviews and then somewhere else. There is no cohesive
timeframe being followed here. The film is more Cinéma vérité than straight documentary and that adds to
the confusion for more mainstream viewers. It’s an observation rather than an
attempt to tell the story of what happened.
One of the most notable things included in the film is an
interview with Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen in bed together. That piece has
been used in numerous films about the couple. Its inclusion here, even though
it took place after the band broke up, gives an insight into the band and the
issues that drove them apart while at the same time not making note of the
influence of Spungen towards that end. Interviews with the leader of the band
Johnny Rotten aka John Lydon are nowhere to be seen here, perhaps because he
wasn’t interested.
Fans of punk music will want to make sure that they include
this disc in their collection. The amount of live performance footage by some
of the biggest names in the genre makes that worth it in itself. But there is
more for those fans to enjoy as well. Included in the extras are a 12 page
booklet with liner notes written by John Holmstrom the founding editor of PUNK
Magazine, “Dead On Arrival: The Punk Documentary That Almost Never Was” a
feature length documentary about the making of the film, reversible artwork for
the sleeve, a 2 sides poster, the original theatrical trailer, a limited
edition retro “Video Store Style” slipcover for the first pressing of the disc
and a rare Sex Pistols photo gallery.
If you love punk music then you’ll want to pick it up. If
it’s not your thing you might find the film a curiosity at best. Of note is
that this is the first film as part of MVD’s Rewind Collection, a series of
films from the golden days of video stores with more to follow. It’s nice to
see some recognition for those films as well as the businesses that were there
in the past offering more than just mainstream movies for fans on their
shelves. Here’s looking forward to the next release.
Click here to order.
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