Rating: NR
Genre:
Music
Release Date: 10/27/2009
Dubbed: English
Sound: DD2
Run Time: 130 min
Distributor/Studio: Factory 25 LLC
While it never achieved the legendary status of New York's
CBGB or London's
King's Road, Chicago's punk scene produced such influential bands as
Naked Raygun and
Big Black and iconic clubs like
La Mere Vipere and
O'Banion's. This documentary from filmmakers
Joe Losurdo and
Christina Tillman pays tribute to Windy City punk through interviews with musicians and scenesters as well as rare performance footage from the likes of
The Effigies,
Strike Under, and
Articles of Faith.
~ All Movie Guide
The title to
Joe Losurdo and
Christina Tillman's
documentary on the early days of Chicago's
punk rock scene is certainly apt -- as the filmmakers make clear, at first hardly
anyone was there, and
You Weren't There vividly portrays a community of misfit music fans who were determined to make a home for rebellious music despite uncomprehending club owners, angry and thick-headed classic rock fans, an initial dearth of worthwhile local acts and a police force that was openly hostile towards kids with funny haircuts. Without making a major issue of it,
Losurdo and
Tillman point out that
punk in Chicago first found a home in gay bars, where some patrons welcomed the new clientele (the presence of young men in leather jackets didn't hurt) and others were just as appalled as the cops, who weren't sure if who they hated more, gays or punks. While there's precious little footage of early gigs and club nights at venues like La Mere Vipere and Oz, the filmmakers manage to give a powerful sense of the anything-goes atmosphere of the scene though photos and interviews, and the film really picks up speed when bands like
Silver Abuse,
Naked Raygun and
the Effigies begin giving the Chicago scene a distinctive sound and attitude -- muscular, smart but unpretentious, and unashamed of its working-class roots. (Though the little-documented
Tutu and the Pirates look like a lot of fun, they're a long way from what anyone would now consider
punk rock, Chicago-style or otherwise.) The film contains a healthy portion of rare live footage of most of the major bands in action (once again, thank the fates that early punks were obsessive about documenting their scene), but the interviews with former band members, disc jockeys, promoters, artists and fans turn out to be just as entertaining, not only laying out the story of how bands came together and clubs came and went but giving a sense of the ideals and rivalries that were often argued about in public. (
Vic Bondi of
Articles of Faith narrowly wins the Biggest Loudmouth award here, despite stiff competition from
John Kezdy of
the Effigies, while
Mike O'Connell of
Rights Of The Accused is the funniest of several very funny guys featured in the movie.)
You Weren't There assumes a certain knowledge of
punk rock's early days on behalf of its audience going in, but if you have any interest in what was happening in the
rock & roll underground in the late 1970s, particularly in the Midwest, this film will doubtless pass along a few stories you didn't know before, and it's consistently smart and entertaining stuff that moves a lot faster than its 130 minute running time would lead you to expect.
~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
;)
