How The West Destroys Its Own Potential
The Decline of Heavy Metal gives you a glimpse into the self destructive behavior of American culture
When Penelope Spheeris released a series called The Decline Of Western Civilization, the title could not be more accurate. On the surface, she was the typical Los Angeles refugee stumbling onto its weird scenes with bewilderment. It’s a similar origin story to that of Gun N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose. Before the red bandana and strange voice defined his reputation, he was William Bruce Rose Jr. from Lafayette, Indiana. A peckerwood type with little to no experience in the big cities.
Speaking of that, there is another dialogue escalating on Twitter right about now about the urban vs. rural dynamic. That deserves its own article, which will probably be done by someone more articulate than myself.
When Billy arrived in Los Angeles, it was a jarring first impression. So much so, he dedicated a forgotten anthem that was sent to the memory hole where all right wing songs go to die. One In A Million was the track that cost the band some serious scrutiny from notable names of the late 80’s. What made his testimony so controversial? The lyrics were as honest as he could be and it solidified his shift from the Indiana native to the infamous Axl Rose persona. Vernon Reid of the underrated act known as Living Color made this concern a public matter when he called the GnR singer out on stage. Not even a supporting gig with Rolling Stones could save him from his own words. His response? “You want to call me racist? Shove your head up your fucking ass.”
This was the standard for rock and metal. This was the standard for Western Civilization and the climate that produced half blues/half punk bands like GnR. Their roots can be traced back to Joe Perry’s tone on Aerosmith’s Rocks to the belligerent proto-punk of Iggy and The Stooges. In other words, GnR accumulated all its influences and created the ultimate synthesis ripe for mainstream appeal. It wasn’t a confusing blender that ditched old trends while embracing new ones like Siouxsie and The Banshees on their Hyena record. It also wasn’t a retro paint job that scoops up the past and ditches it one album later like Greta Van Fleet, although GnR would go on to do something similar.
If we’re talking about 1987-1989, Axl Rose defined the identity of rock and himself on the Sunset Strip with an uncompromising attitude that was pure Americana.
Back to Ms. Spheeris.
When she was documenting the state of L.A. during this period, she was experiencing the dying days of The Strip. Whether it’s the polarizing punk scene that had Van Halen running in the opposite direction or the hair metal craze, this was an era that had plenty of success and that’s not what is depicted on screen.
The standards that forged the discipline of America’s best bands, starving and desperate for money, were becoming a liability for the L.A. punks. In Decline Part 1, the scene was barely holding itself up being caught between the homeless conditions and a lack of commercial viability. Ironically, these bands are on a better trajectory than their metal counterparts. Albeit, there is a time gap that changes the context of both genres. If Spheeris had covered punk and metal at the same time, you would notice both are reaching their goals of musical and commercial success. Punk may be on a decline in terms of the latter yet arguably not the former. The punks may lack in technical skill on camera, yet they win the hearts and minds of their constituents by having positive coverage. The dire straits that bands members encounter in the film can be chalked up to the DIY attitude of the L.A. lifestyle.
Decline Part 2 does not offer that luxury. It does take place in the late 80s, contrasting with its predecessor. The state of metal in 1988 is depicted as an embarrassing fall from grace. Those who attended shows during that time are aware that there was no shortage of musical creativity during this era. However, there was another threat rearing its ugly head at the seemingly indestructible genre. The bad influences were corrupting aspects of the once great musicians. Whereas Metallica swore off cocaine in order to dodge the nightmare that consumed Black Sabbath, Megadeth indulged. Gar Samuelson was an infamous user, like Steven Adler of GnR, and that’s why Chuck Behler plays on So Far So Good So What and not him. Gar was a jazz musician prior to metal and one of the vices that came with it was heroin. Mustaine knowingly took this risk as a trade-off, meanwhile it was his former bandmates that outsmarted him at this time. H was a net negative for the genre. It’s telling that metal seems determined to take the worst aspects of jazz and inherit them all. The drug abuse, the frantic behavior, and the lack of commercial appeal were all key ingredients according to the early pioneers of thrash. These were crutches that kept audiences at arms length and defined the new identity for metal. Two-bit losers who like fast music, because they’re autistic. The majority of people who give this genre the time of the day are far and few. That shouldn’t be a surprise considering technicality isn’t a requirement for mainstream success. It does say something about why metal is destined to stay in the underground world, where it currently presides. There is not a lack of talent in 21st century metal, there is a lack of perspective and optics that keeps would-be fans at a distance.
It is fitting that would go on to be a mainstream director depicting the worst aspects of rock and metal culture and amplifying its negative image. This was not a distortion. It was an honest look at what the genre became. Some cut their hair and embraced the mainstream like Kirk Hammett, while others like Philip Anselmo shaved it clean off and dove into the “Fucking Hostile” side of the spectrum. That was the fate of metal by the 90s and American culture more broadly. It was either reduced to a corporate cliché or accelerated into a new extreme synthesis.
“Funny, but it's still rock and roll to me.”