Penelope Spheeris saw value in the reject kids of the early 80’s, & never exploited us on film. Her films, like The Decline of Western Civilization, gave a look into west coast punk culture when no one was looking, which helped hardcore to spread around the world like wildfire. Keep in mind, this movie was made pre-cell phones, pre-internet, pre-Pandora Radio. I really like Decline, but it was her 1984 film Suburbia that made say, wow she’s cool. One thing that is super rad about this movie is that she actually cast punk kids from the Los Angeles scene. On a personal level, it epic being 14 & going to the movies to see your homies on screen. I’m going not to front & say that these kids were the best actors, but they had a vibe that can’t be taught. The story is about kids living on the outside of society & bonding with like-minded weirdos. Suburbia was produced during a time when you could catch a beat-down from jocks, gangsters & the police for looking out of the norm. Fuck it, enough talking, it’s time for the movie to start. So after the jump, step back in time & see how kids got down in 1984.
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