I love punk rock. I love watching old footage from early punk rock shows. I love hearing stories about the glory days, to a point. You Weren’t There a documentary about Chicago’s punk scene from 1977-1984 is a bloated history lesson told by aging punk rockers, comfortably seated in their rather posh homes reminiscing on the good-old-days.
The Chicago scene really never did get the attention that London, L.A., New York or even Washington D.C. received, but still it spawned many important and interesting acts. Bands like Naked Raygun, Strike Under and the Effigies are featured in wonderful archival material, but when this material is contrasted with the modern-day interviews a huge disconnect occurs.
The spirit of punk rock has fallen to the way side. The politics and anger that got so many of these musicians to form bands has been lost and they are left with nothing but memories. As much as it could sound like I’m faulting the band members from selling out, I’m more upset with the filmmakers for not doing a better job in staging their interviews. If you want to record these geezers in their rather un-punk rock environs to make a point that is fine, but make that point. Ask them if they’ve traded in their ideals or at the bare minimum take the time to hide your mic cords. Contrary to what some might think sloppy production values are not punk rock. Your work needs some sort of message.
And now, a taste of the Effigies:
I very much agree with you, the meaning and spirit of punk HAS been lost by many of the early participants. The film over glorifies the scene of the past and undervalues the efforts of the current participants. Not to mention that it is not historically accurate in that the role of the club La Mere is vastly overrated — the club was only in existence for around 9 months and after it was gone, many of the participants dropped out. The music scene that ultimately went on to become the full-fledged music genre that we know today arose from the O’Banion’s and OZ scenes, and yet the La Mere scene constitutes at least half of the film. I know this because I was a participant of the early scene and also a participant of the current scene. I find it very disturbing that younger punks may actually come to take this over-glorified version of our history as how it actually was. I find it disturbing that the current scene is discarded as nonexistent, rather than as evolved in response to the evolution of it’s times.
Remembering the fine spirit of punk rock — since I am not satisfied with what currently exists, I have taken it upon myself to DIY — I have written my own book to relate my own experiences and to articulate that punk is not dead. I personally have witnessed punk evolve and change into varying forms, both positive and negative. Punk lives, grows and changes because it is not anchored to any particular people, places or clubs — it is an IDEA. You can’t kill an idea unless you can kill off every last person who holds it. If you’re interested in another perspective, please check out my own book — “Confessions Of A Chicago Punk Bystander” available on LuLu.com:
Confessions Of A Chicago Punk Bystander
http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/confessions-of-a-chicago-punk-bystander/13586130
Please note, there’s no glorification of a scene in this book. It’s more about the concept of the day-to-day life of BEING a punk in those days and these days, warts and all. Thanks for your efforts, and best wishes to you!