The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years (1988) on Netflix
R19881h 33mDocumentaryMusic
In late-1980s Los Angeles, unsigned club bands on the Sunset Strip are convinced that worldwide stardom is close. Meanwhile, established metal stars look back on the scene they helped pioneer.
- Netflix4.1/5
- IMDb7.2/104,956 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes91%
Trailer
Plot summary
A follow-up to a 1981 documentary about hardcore punk, this one turns to the Los Angeles heavy metal scene, shot between August 1987 and February 1988. Concert footage is mixed with interviews: established performers who helped pioneer the sound, headliners of the day, and unsigned bands playing the Sunset Strip clubs. The definition of metal is broad, taking in glam metal, 1970s rockers and heavier acts alike. Struggling musicians speak with certainty that worldwide stardom is close, and several say they have no other plan. Makeup and hairstyles come up as a way to attract women rather than as self-expression, and some artists distance themselves from that look. Club owners describe their venues and the crowds that fill them, and a probation officer discusses heavy metal's effect on children.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years (1988)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Director Penelope Spheeris admitted in a 1999 interview that the scene of Ozzy Osbourne spilling orange juice was faked and that the kitchen was not Osbourne's; a more complete version of the interview, without the spill, was included as a DVD bonus feature.
- According to the box set commentary, Paul Stanley's interview in bed with women was staged, and the first women they found were not sexy enough for him, so they went looking for women from the Playboy Mansion.
- Guns N' Roses were originally going to be featured in the film, but were replaced at the last minute by Seduce, who had recently been signed to a record label owned by one of the film's production companies.
- It has been claimed, most notably in the VH1 series Heavy: The Story of Metal, that the film was partly responsible for the death of glam metal and the rise of thrash metal and grunge, because fans were disgusted by its scenes of excess.
- Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler mumbles the chorus of the band's 1987 song "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)" during his interview; the song was written after they mistook a member of Mötley Crüe for a woman.
- Director Penelope Spheeris said Christina Applegate modeled the dumb blonde persona of her Married... with Children character Kelly after an exotic dancer in the film named Cindy.
- Before the Aerosmith interview, Spheeris said people came into the filming room and started searching it for drugs, believing that Tyler and Perry might have hidden drugs in places such as the sofa cushions.
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