Another State of Mind

If you have any love for punk rock you need to see this movie. If you call yourself straight-edge you need to see this movie. Watch how life on the road cab destroy friendships and how good intentions go away when people are faced with harsh realities of life in a bus on the road. My favorite part is actually seeing the creation process of the social distortion song "another state of mind". At one point during a minor threat show ians mike goes out and the crowd doesn't seem to care and sings in unison for him. Very powerful show scenes. If you can track down a copy of this kick ass picture buy it, hold on to it and share it.

they use to play this movie in the mid to late 80s on night flights on USA network. living in a small rural community in western pennsylvania seeing this film and renting suburbia is what taught the local scene how to be punks. for so reason i don't remember any of us actually having access to decline at the time

we had no access to live bands until we made our own venues(briefly) in the early 90s, we had no connections to scenes in the near by towns and cities until we knew there was something our there to connect to. this movie more than anything else got us started, showed us what was possible(or maybe impossible), its a ten for that alone. it was eye opening, we watched this film and suddenly the world was full of possibilities that hadn't existed before(as well as hairstyles).

You need to get the 20th anniversary edition and watch it with the commentary it is a lot better than the regular versison

I've basically watched this movie about once a year for the last 8 years or so. (Although calling it a "movie" isn't really correct...it's a documentary)

It follows around Social Distortion and Youth Brigade on tour..basically. That's the best way to put it. And at times it cuts off and shows us these kids who go to punk rock shows, and live in the street, all that stuff...that stuff gets sort of boring, but everything with the bands is funny or just good to watch.

Oh yeah, and we see some of Minor Threat in this movie, when they stay at their place...

Just check it out.

Along with "Decline of Western Civilization," and (now) "American Hardcore," this is crucial viewing about early US DIY punk. What's weird is that neither Social Distortion's nor Youth Brigade's music has aged very well (Social Distortion being better known for their 1990s roots-punk), and Minor Threat, who are barely in the film, have become the definitive band of this scene. Nonetheless, the live footage of Social Distortion is interesting, because Mike Ness is so corny, and how inept the rest of the band is--he is just begging to be surrounded by ringers. Youth Brigade come across a bit better, slightly more tough, definitely more dedicated and principled: more suburban, but also less self-absorbed. The direction and production is not much to speak of, and the film is not edited for drama the way it would be now, rather telling a very simple story of things falling apart on tour. There are a dozen or so classic moments, the music is OK, and you get to see Mike Ness "get out and push" a bus.