When I finally watched The Decline Of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years (1988), I understood clearly why director Penelope Spheeris was hired for Wayne’s World, and to understand even the head-banging culture that Wayne’s World was parodying. This was a decade where pop music was defined by metal’s popularity, from glam rock to thrash, apparently from what I’ve read becoming all encompassing across MTV and commercial radio channels. Here, the great decision by Spheeris as a documentary film-maker is to split focus between interviews with the legends of heavy metal rock – your Ozzy Osbournes, your Lemmys, your Alice Coopers, etc – and with those who intend to make it – of the multiple metal bands who are filmed performing live, Megadeth was the only name I recognised and they are held back until the very end, a clear message about the future of the genre through their focused musicianship and disregard for the image and the lifestyle associated with metal. Before that point, it’s a collection of excited fans, wannabe bands and encircling managers, everyone grabbing at the heels of a gold rush, Spinal Tap for real in the articulation of wannabe rock star egos ultimately hamstrung by lousy reality; for example, the lead singer of a band called London asking the audience to look more excited because they’re being filmed for the documentary. With its high visual quality due to its recent remastering, Spheeris and her collaborators have made sure that this is an eye-catching and colourful film, beautifully composed and framed, capturing the garish and crass nature of the scene. From what I gather, Spheeris allowed the bigger stars to co-design or set the table for their interviews, all of which is vividly memorable and telling, divided between the more charismatic and cooler artists (Ozzy cooking breakfast in a kitchen, Lemmy backlit by LA at night) and those who intentionally come off as complete sleazebags (Paul and Gene from KISS). Though nothing can top the hectic mise en scene of the film’s infamous scene, Chris Holmes of W.A.S.P completely sozzled in a swimming pool while his mother sits nearby with a stern expression on her face; truly chaotic, hilarious and despairing in equal measures. A parade of pomposity with unbridled sexism and misogyny of the era and the genre, which is only palatable through the complete ridiculousness and trashiness of it all. This is one of the funniest music documentaries of all time and initiates the on-coming death knell of metal’s hold over pop culture at that time. Available to stream on Tubi. Recommended.
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