You Weren't There - The History of Chicago Punk 1977-1984

Pitchfork surprises me with a blast from my past!



For one week only, Pitchfork is showing the Chicago punk documentary movie You Weren't There - The History of Chicago Punk (1977-1984) about the early days of the late 70s/early 80s Chicago punk scene. Great to see all these names and faces from my semi-wild youth from the Chicago punk and hardcore scene, including The Subverts, Articles of Faith, Naked Raygun, Wax Trax Records, The Effigies, Steve Albini and others.

From the DVD site:
"You Weren't There: A History Of Chicago Punk 1977-1984 looks back on the impact that the Punk movement had on the Windy City. Though overlooked in the annals of Rock history when compared to media-centric Los Angeles, New York, and London, Chicago served as an important early supporter of this burgeoning and controversial scene.

From what is now considered to be the first Punk dance club in America (La Mere Vipere), to proto-hardcore clubs (Oz, O'Banions), and All Ages DIY scene (Centro-Am Hall), Chicagoans made sure that there were outlets for the genre that was often blacklisted by the mainstream local live music scene. This small, but dedicated scene had to endure harassment from the Police, City Hall, Neo-Nazis, and even the audience, as well as making uneasy alliances with the ever-present Chicago criminal underworld. It was a scene that could be violent and unsavory at times,but always tempered with large doses of humor, art, and intelligence."

The opening bit above has a funny bit from Steve and Brian from The Subverts about non-punks calling any punks back then 'Devo' - heck, my college nickname was Devo Dave - it was exactly that. If you didn't dig The Who, you were off the turf a bit. Great fun time to watch it tonight.

You can watch the rest at Pitchfork TV. Click the 'You Weren't There' ad. One week only. Dig it.