Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll: The Decline of Western Civilization, Part 2

With The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years (1988), directed by Penelope Spheeris, the viewer is treated to an effective sampling of big-haired 80s-style rockers ranging from older veterans like Ozzie Osbourne, Alice Cooper, and Aerosmith to hope-to-be-great younger members of bands like London, Odin, Seduce, and W.A.S.P.

Set in L.A., telling performances are interspersed with candid interviews, resulting in a better understanding of the subculture.

Why did/do most of these people perform as rock stars? Most admit they don’t know how to do anything else, nor are they in a hurry to find alternatives. Ozzy Osbourne admits in one scene while cooking up bacon and mis-pouring juice: “If I wasn’t into Rock and Roll, I’d probably be in prison.” Ozzy, in fact, is not only open, but surprisingly coherent and pragmatic in his ruminations. Plus he can cook breakfast.

Spheeris pitches excellent questions, which helps these rockers, many of them dazed from constant touring and stress. Why else did/do the male rockers want to be rock stars, many of them loosely based on Led Zeppelin? Answer: money, women, booze, drugs, and popularity. And they like the music. The older guys admit to alcohol and drug abuse and their efforts to clean up and soldier on. The younger ones, slightly jaded by their lack of instant superstar status, still pine for the big time.

One of the more pitiable interviews transpires at the poolside of Chris Holmes’ mother, with Holmes (of W.A.S.P.), guzzling large amounts of Smirnoff while trying to avoid tougher question like, “Why do you drink?” Holmes’ mother never says a word, nor does she have to – you can see the pain and helplessness in her eyes.

In another scene, the members of Odin are hanging around with groupies and friends in a large hot tub guzzling cans of Bud; on one hand, they still believe they can become hugely successful, and on the other, realize that they are fast becoming burnouts.

Who would like this movie? Anyone interested in heavy metal, 80s music, pop stardom, and the lives and fans of amped-up rockers will probably find it both entertaining and insightful.

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