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Released By: Sony Music Entertainment
Released On: 10/24/2004
Director: Adam Small, Peter Stuart
Cast: Social Distortion, Youth Brigade, Chris Walter
The Film
“There's gonna be so many head games on that bus and so many people fighting over the last brew…†- Dennis Danell
Back in the summer of 1982, twenty years before you thought you were punk, the American Hardcore scene was in full swing. Fed by a creative energy and sense of unity not seen before, independent bands, labels, and promoters put out music for the disenfranchised youths of the Reagan administration.
At the forefront of this movement was the Better Youth Organization, run by Adam Stern of the L.A. Hardcore band Youth Brigade. The BYO helped to set up a network that ran from sea to shining sea, putting on hardcore shows and releasing some of the greatest compilation albums ever put on wax.
Another State of Mind, finally available on DVD, captures the raw energy of the Hardcore scene as Youth Brigade and Orange County favourites Social Distortion tour North America. Filmed over six weeks by independent filmmakers Peter Stuart and Adam Small, the documentary offers a window into the past, making use of live performance footage and interviews with the bands and the fans.
The film starts out with Youth Brigade front man Adam Stern describing the details of the tour. Interviews with the members of Social Distortion (featuring a very young and un-tattooed Mike Ness) show the excitement of a group of teenagers, out to see the world for the first time. A school bus is painstakingly converted into a tour bus with living quarters, and the bands hit the road.
As the film progresses, we are treated to some excellent live footage of both bands…through the interviews, however, it's apparent that this close-knit “scene†is becoming unraveled. As the bands are ripped off for payment show after show and the reserve funds get smaller (not to mention numerous bus breakdowns), the backstabbing starts and participants start dropping off of the tour. It's particularly amusing to witness one overtly complaining roadie whine incessantly about the conditions, and the reactions in the commentaries are hilarious.
Full of drinking, smoking, swearing, sweating, and a heaping help of punk rock attitude, Another State of Mind takes the viewer across the country from Chicago to Montreal to Washington, and plays out like a how NOT to run a tour manual. However, the tension and amusement, and some great concert footage from Youth Brigade, Social Distortion, and Minor Threat make it a damn good time nonetheless.
Video/Audio/Extras:
The fullframe video is low budget, and it shouldn't be any other way. The image is clear at all times though, even for a nifty Minor Threat jam session in the darkened basement of the legendary Dischord house.
Following in the tradition of the low budget video, the audio is no great shakes either. However, dialogue is consistently audible, and the live footage sound is decent and contributes to the energy and atmosphere of the film.
The extras on this disc are limited to 3 separate commentaries. The disc scores high on the supplements level though, because of the sheer entertainment value of listening to them.
First up is a commentary with Mike Ness, moderated by Vandals member Joe Escalante. Ness' commentary is moderately interesting, but anyone tired of his “Back when punk rock was DANGEROUS†mantra will find it mildly grating. (Note to Mike: Social Distortion merchandise in Hot Topic is NOT punk rock.) There are some interesting anecdotes however; including a story about Mike getting stomped by the Agnostic Front camp in NYC, and Joe Escalante keeps things moving along by prompting him for information.
Next, the members of Youth Brigade provide the real gem of the commentaries. The mission of this commentary track seems to be to rip into everyone involved with a brutally sarcastic wit. The track may ruin the film for some viewers though, as they point out how much of the footage was seemingly faked…that some of the concert performances feature Bad Religion playing while a track by Social Distortion plays overtop, and that it is in fact the Circle Jerks on stage while the Youth Brigade song, “Violence†plays. There are references to shots from some cities actually coming from other cities, and Stern infers he was pocketing the money from the shows to keep himself well fed, and Mike Ness intoxicated. Aside from that, the biggest bomb is that the song, “Another State of Mindâ€, purported to be written during the tour, was actually finished months before filming started.
Rounding out the commentaries is one from the filmmakers, Peter Stuart and Adam Small. Full of technical details about the filming, they also make no effort to hide the fact that some of the footage is misrepresented, but their comments on the experience are interesting. Worth noting is that they claim to have shot a huge wealth of film from various shows and on the tour…one can hope that a Monster Deluxe Super Edition of the film is released sometime in the future.
The Final Word:
Despite it's inaccuracies, Another State Of Mind remains one of the definitive looks at a long-gone era. With footage of the punk scene in the early 1980's virtually non-existent, it belongs in every hardcore fan's collection.
Attached Files
True story.
Alison, if you haven't watched it with the Sterns commentary, you're missing out. They are fucking hilarious from start to finish.