Docs Till Death

Gu-day DTDers!  We're so glad you're here, because THIS is THE one that all you true punks out there have been waiting for!  That's right, this week, we discuss the pluralization of proper nouns!!!  We know, it's heady stuff; but all of us at DTD headquarters felt it was a conversation that needed to happen, and we're proud of the result.  Through open dialogue, we tore down walls and build bonds of friendship.  And, oh yeah, we also talk about the first episode of the Danny Boyle directed miniseries "PISTOL," an adaptation of Steven Jones' memoir about his time with the Sex Pistols, "Lonely Boy."  And all of that is just a long way to say that if you're excited by the idea of Chrissie Hynde singing along to Otis Redding on a jukebox draped in bondage gear, then THIS is THE episode for YOU!  So don't delay, press play!  That's what I say!  OK? 

(Gabba Gabba) Hey there DTD-heads!   We know you love punk, and we also know that you're kinda into being sad, so this week, we've got a real big treat for you!!  That's right, you guessed it; we're discussing Michael Gramaglia and Jim Fields' End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones -- a thoroughly depressing (and inspiring?) look at what you can achieve if you fully commit to emotional avoidance.  Yeah, the movie's pretty heavy; but as usual, we're a laugh riot.  So 1) shut off that ironic pro-America playlist you've been working on for the 4th of July party you're hosting tonight, 2) press play on this bad boy NOW, and then, later tonight, after you've finished the episode and the party is in full swing 3) have all your guests light a sparkler for Joey.   

WHAT'S!  UP!  DOC!  HEADS!?!  We're so happy to be back, bringing you our trademark mixture of encyclopedic punk knowledge and high-minded film criticism.  But you're gonna have to wait until next week for all that, because this week, it's our end of season 2 recap.  Or is it our beginning of season 3 promo?  Whatever the case may be, you know what we're talking about: it's the Grohlies, baby!!!!  That's right, all the notable players in punk and hardcore filmmaking have come out for one special episode to celebrate last season's finest achievements.  And unlike the Oscars, which are weighed down by Hollyweird's corporate elite, The Grohlies trim the fat and get right to it.  This award show is definitely not 50% advertisements (for very real products)!  So press play, already!!!!  What are you waiting for, punk?!

Thank you for making the trip to visit us, DTD-ers!  And as you might have guessed, since we've all gathered here on the lanai, this week we've taken a trip to SUBURBIA, Penelope Spheeris' first narrative feature, and her second film overall (following her seminal DECLINE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION).  What is there to say about this movie that hasn't already been written by underpaid and overworked Ivy and near-Ivy grads who work at Vice and similar publications?  Not much.  But we've gone ahead and said it all again, and better.  And with more allusions to Wesley Snipes.  So we've at least got that going for us.  You, on the other hand, have nothing going for you (which we mean in the nicest, most punk-affirming way!), so you should probably start listening to this episode NOW!   But proceed with caution.  And keep up your guard.  SUBURBIA's punkness attacks when you least expect it, in unexpected ways.  Don't forget: SUBURBIA is an address that changes all the rules.

Hey there, DTD-heads!  This week we discuss the CRASS episode of Bryan Ray Turcotte and Bo Bushnell's excellent THE ART OF PUNK web series.  And we do, indeed, discuss CRASS; maybe not as much as we discuss the RHCP (spoiler alert), but we certainly mention CRASS long enough for Matt to repeatedly mispronounce the name of one of the band members.  Unbelievable.  Unforgivable.  Unacceptable.  So he's out.  We punk-cancelled him.  Nevertheless, we wish him all the best in his future endeavors, which his publicist has just informed us is a new podcast, called "Reject of Society," co-hosted by Matt and Joe Rogan.  Be on the lookout for it in a few weeks.  In the meantime, go ahead and give a listen to the latest and greatest episode of DTD, which has an exclusive conversation that you won't hear on any other podcast!  

Welcome home, DTD-ers!  This week, we are discussing Mark Christopher Covino and Jeff Howlett's 2012 classic, A BAND CALLED DEATH.  And before we say anything about the film, the DTD crew needs to address an apparent misunderstanding.  In the two weeks since we announced that we'd be watching the "Death movie," we've received over 50,000 concerned texts/calls/messages from listeners, like yourself, most of whom assumed that this was to be our last episode.  From what we can gather, it seems that many of you read a little too much into our name; the "Death" in our name does not now -- and never has -- referred to the proto-punk band from Detroit (or the Death Metal band from Florida, for that matter).  Put simply, DOCS TILL DEATH will continue covering DOCS AFTER "DEATH".   We have no intentions of ceasing to producing Poland's #6 music podcast.  Hopefully, this clarification eases your troubled minds.  Now that that's settled, give the episode a listen: find out which one of us thinks this film is his fav movie doc, which one of us loves Light in the Attic records, and which one of us has been guzzling hot milk before getting on mic.  The answers will SHOCK you.  

What's up, true believers!?  This week the DTD crew is back with something very special.  Is it a minisode in which we pay homage to the Doughboys podcast by discussing KFC's new Beyond Chicken "nuggets"?  Or, is it a spin-off show that amounts to another step forward in our play for global podcast dominance?  You decide.  Aaaaanywaaaay... this is a real good one!  Better than the KFC Beyond Chicken?  Again, you decide.  Should you stop whatever you're currently doing and listen to the episode NOW so that you can decide for yourself?  Well, in regards to that last question, WE decide for YOU.  And the answer is YES.  H, e, double hockey sticks, YES!  

(And shout out to the following for the music at the beginning:

Happy MLK Day, DTD-ers!  Since many of you have the day off of work and nothing to do, we decided that we'd release a very good minisode.   That's why we're discussing the DEAD KENNEDYS episode of Bryan Ray Turcotte and Bo Bushnell's terrific THE ART OF PUNK web series.  As a faithful DTD-er who's listened to our discussion of the BLACK FLAG episode of THE ART OF PUNK, you already know that we're big fans of the series -- and that we're not poseurs.  We do real punk stuff.  Like all the time (never mind that Pete's primary exposure to the DEAD KENNEDYS was through the Tony Hawk video game).  And we want you to do real punk stuff, too.  That's why we think that if your job is requiring you to go to work on MLK Day, you might want call in sick.  Listen: if you're not providing an essential service (and maybe even if you are), your boss might be a racist and/or extracting surplus value like a vampire.  Not good in either case, friend.  So call in and spend the day listening to this episode and any back episodes of DTD that you might have missed.  You deserve it!   

How goes it, Docs Till Death-ers?!  This week, the crew discusses Dave Markey's film from 1992 called 1991: THE YEAR THAT PUNK BROKE.  We gotta admit, we're a little confused, so we're glad that Thirstin' More could be on hand to serve as spiritual guide, educating us in the ways of the grunge.  The film is a riveting snapshot of "alternative" music in the moments before that music, and Nirvana in particular, would achieve immense global success -- which in turn, would lead to seismic shifts in the music industry and in culture, more broadly.  Plus, the movie also features one (maybe two) decent bands.  Maybe two and a half.  In any event, we sort it all out on the pod, so give it a listen.  And fair warning: this one's a hot take special!