Green Day have expanded their domains to various art scenes, a Broadway play, politics, and obviously music and its videos. Now the California pop-punk band are adding documentaries to their list, as the trailer of “Turn it Around: The Story of East Bay Punk” has been released. The documentary will focus, as the title says, in the history of the East Bay punk scene of California.
It shows more than just bands and mohawks. The documentary focuses as well in the social evolution that the artists, scene and even audience represented for punk and rock music. As it not only help define an era and particular phase of its sound. But something that will also reverberate around the world.
Punk rockumentary
The documentary takes a closer and detailed look to the punk scene of California during the 70’s, and 80’s mainly. A generation that Green Day belongs, despite having their big breakthrough in the 90’s. Since the band has been playing together since they were 16. Also, because the scene and the bands played a key influence role on them. Still, the documentary will treat the last decade of the last century. So the documentary is a beautiful tribute to all of it. As it also counts with the facts, reflections, and tales from its own protagonists.
The film will be focusing on the “Northern California’s pivotal role in the evolution of punk rock – the loud, intense and anti-authoritarian philosophy of music and politics that arose in the late 1970s“. Another aspect to considerate is that the sound and lyrical themes were different from the Northen-West, mainly Boston, NY and Washington, punk scene. That had a more political, hardcore, straight edge and gloomy view, in counterposition to the Californian scene, that had a more “upbeat and relaxed” sense. Still without losing its denunciation speech. All of this caused that in the 80’s a rivalry between both scenes, with compilation albums like “This Is Boston, Not L.A.” that had responses and follow ups. Hopefully, and probably, these aspects will be some of the treated and highlighted by the “rockumentary”.
California sun
Something that the documentary will surely focus, and that is stated on the trailer and official page will be the change of the scene. Not only talking about pioneer bands like Dead Kennedys, Flipper, Neurosis, Avengers, Fang, Bikini Kill, and many others. But about the social and phenomenon that it meant. As ti will also take a look on the Maximum Rocknroll fanzine, that “helped take the punk underground global”. But mostly the evolution of the sound and the scene. Since the California punk scene took a horrible point where it was more about violence, racism and excessive use of drugs. Part of what generated the response to the lifestyle by the northern scenes.
The documentary talks about how the “East Bay responded by creating a fun and inclusive style of punk that also carried on the region’s tradition of radical thought. Banding together around Berkeley’s all- volunteer 924 Gilman Club“. Besides of how this helped change the punk movement into something more positive.
Mohawks, tats, and piercings
The documentary will count with many big hardcore names of the movements, not only in front but also behind the camera. As it will be narrated by the godfather of the movement, Iggy Pop. Also, besides featuring in the interviews, Green Day will work as executive producers, along with their manager Pat Magnarella. The documentary is directed, produced and co-written, in collaboration with Anthony Marchitiello, by Corbett Redford. The guys got over 500 hours of Clocking in at 158 minutes, this extensive documentary features archive footage and photos
The guys got over 150 interviews of key figures of the scene, along with 500 hours footage of it. Still, they were able to narrow it down to a 158 minutes film. Also, they got this extensive documentary features archive footage, flyers, posters and photos to add some historical awesomeness to it. That, along with the incredible animations that have a very cool, aggressive, irreverent and punk aesthetic. As director Redford said regarding the hard work the team did. “We were led down hundreds of paths to excavate and preserve countless legendary stories and archives. At the end of our 3 years of production”.
Punk philosophy
For Redford, the film and the punk movement are something beautiful that has to be praised and preserved. Since it allows people to explore themselves and give them an attitude towards life. “I believe our film’s ultimate focus is the human need we all have to find a place to belong — a place we feel safe to truly be ourselves (…) Outsiders of all stripes need a place to come together under the dark clouds of an often-oppressive world. This was the case then. This is still the case now. I hope the story of East Bay Punk can be another example of how things can be… in a world that continues to tell us most of the time only how things cannot be“.
Something that gets backed up by Iggy Pop as he starts to narrate us the trailer, and most probably the film. “For those who live it Punk Rock is something more, it’s a conversation with society”. Also, this isn’t the first recent rockumentary in which Californian punk is the main focus. Since a previous one called “One Nine Nine Four,” focused mostly on the beginning of the pop-punk revolution of the 90’s and was narrated by Tony Hawk.
Source: rocksountv.com