Instant Entertainment: Punk Rock Docs Edition
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<p>Today we dip into punk rock documentaries, including one on the British scene in the late 70s, and two from very different time periods in the NY sceneâclick through to stream!</p>
Narrated by legendary British DJ John Peel, and based on music writer Peter Frameâs rock and roll family trees, this 1995 documentary on the NYC punk scene from the late 1970s focuses on all the big hitters of the era, and features vintage performances and interviews with members of The New York Dolls, Patti Smith, Blondie, The Ramones, Television, Talking Heads, Richard Hell, and Jayne County. You can watch the documentary (watch out for long black-haired David Byrne!) in full below:
Punk: Early Years is kind of like the British equivalent of Decline of Western Civilization, the seminal doc on the extreme LA punk scene circa 1980. The film concentrates on the edgier side of the punk explosion, skimming over well-known groups like the Sex Pistols and Clash in favor of performances and interview with the likes of the X-Ray Spex, The Adverts, the Slits, and bizarrely, Marc Bolan, aka T. Rex). You can watch it at Netflix Instant.
CBGBâPunk From The Bowery features 15 bandsâmodern-day macho punk acts, as well as a smattering of diehard holdoversâperforming at CBGBs in the years before it closed, well after the so-called heyday of the punk scene. The documentary features live performances by Agnostic Front, UK Subs, Cro-Mags, Kraut, the Vibrators and more. You can watch the whole thing below, or on Amazon Primeâthe doc also includes an impromptu tour of CBGB with owner Hilly Kristal.