Review of American Hardcore (2006) by Jennifer A — 14 Feb 2007

What do the Dixie Chicks and the American Harcore punk scene of the 1980's have in common? Well musically nothing. The American hardcore scene of the 80's was all about rebellion. Rebelling against Reagan, corporations, and anything mainstream. Had the Dixie Chicks been around during this time, they would have rebelled against them too. The Dixie Chicks were country music's darlings until lead singer Natalie Maines decided to speak out against the war in Iraq, and specifically George W. Bush. Does this make her a punk? Well to most country music fans the answer was yes, she's a punk. And that's being polite. Let's take a look at two documentaries.....

[b]American Hardcore - 6.5/10[/b].

Director - Paul Rachman.

Do bands like Black Flag, Minor Threat, Circle Jerks, DOA, MDC and Flipper mean anything to you? Who? Okay you should probably skip this film. But for those who were once punk, or who think they are now, then [i]American Hardcore[/i] is a must see. The film chronicles the American hardcore punk scene of 1980-1986, touching on most of the prominent bands of that era. Rachman packs the film with a plethora of concert footage and photos, making for an interesting, albiet too straightforward look at the scene which swept the underground during the 80's. Yep I was around back then and just caught the tail end of this scene before it all feel apart. It was interesting for me to see how many of the now thirty or fortysomething punks of the 80's have changed. But that probably won't interest you. Anyway other than it's straightforwardness, my biggest beef was the lack of Jello Biafra and the Dead Kennedys; probably the most important band of this scene. It may not be [i]Decline of the Western Civilization[/i], but for me it was fun to revisit my youth. Live Fast, Die Young.

Which brings me to the Dixie Chicks.

[b]Shut Up & Sing - 7.5/10[/b].

Director - Barbara Kopple.

The Dixie Chicks. Not being much of a country music fan they meant very little to me. Yet a few years ago they were country music's darlings, setting sales records, selling out concerts, and dominating the country music airwaves. And then lead singer Natalie Maines decided to speak out against George Bush at a concert in Europe. Her comments, quite tame when compared to some of the musical commentary coming out during the sixties, created quite an uproar with country music fans. You know the demographics. They are almost exclusively conservative Bush supporters. Well all of a sudden everybody that loved the Dixie Chicks started destroying their CDs. Country music stations stopped playing them. The band were called traitors and even received death threats. All because Natalie Maines doesn't like George Bush. Insane! Oh these silly, stupid people. Fuck freedom of speech, at least for this crowd. There is only one way of thinking and if you deviate then we won't like you anymore. Hilarious, but it's true.

So this film basically follows the Chicks for three years as they handle the deal with the backlash, have babies, and work on a new album. Which won a few grammys last week. Country music stations still won't play them and there fan base has diminished, but they have won a few new fans. And more importantly they have not backed down from their stance on Bush. I admire them, and I found this film to be fascinating. And their music is better than I expected.

Oh and I hate George Bush too.