Punk: Attitude
(Capital Entertainment)
Originally aired on IFC, Don Letts’ fast-paced documentary on the history of punk rock gives as thorough an overview as 120 minutes allows, the now-familiar arc from the MC5 and the Velvets up through Nirvana and Blink-182. The bonus disc contains even more interview footage. The Pistols, Ramones, and Buzzcocks perform alongside lesser-knowns like London’s Slits, L.A.’s Screamers, and NYC’s James Chance & the Contortions. Sadly, it’s all in fleeting 30-second cutaways. Fans are left salivating for more music, but maybe that’s the point.
This article appears in December 23 • 2005.
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Greg Beets was born in Lubbock on the day Richard Nixon was elected president. He has covered music for the Chronicle since 1992, writing about everyone from Roky Erickson to Yanni. Beets has also written for Billboard,Uncut, Blurt, Elmore, and Pop Culture Press. Before his digestive tract cried uncle, he co-published Hey! Hey! Buffet!, an award-winning fanzine about all-you-can-eat buffets.
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