Shout! Factory
Long before Wayne’s World, director Penelope Spheeris crashed the movie industry with her subculture documentary, The Decline of Western Civilization (1980). Her subject: Los Angeles’ nascent hardcore punk scene whose musicians scoffed at rock stars and whose audience members often expressed themselves through violent slam dancing. The mosh pit was born.
The Decline of Western Civilization, its sequels and a bonus disc have been released in a box set (in DVD and Blu-ray formats) called “The Decline of Western Civilization Collection.” The original film has survived as a vital document of its time and place with footage of X, Black Flag, The Germs, Circle Jerks and the less remembered Alice Bag Band and Catholic Discipline. X was already displaying the depth and proficiency that would lead it out of the pack and into a future beyond hardcore. The most striking images are of the crowds with Spheeris’ camera inside and up close.
The “Collection” also includes The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: TheMetal Years (1988), which focuses on the wave of aggressive metal led by Megadeth and Faster Pussycat. The seldom seen Part III is a documentary on homeless youth, plagued by alienation and addiction. It appears here for the first time in any home video format.
