The Decline of Western Civilization II

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Original movie poster and tape cassette cover

The Decline of Western Civilization II: The Metal Years is a rockumentary film directed by Penelope Spheeris about the Los Angeles heavy metal scene of 1988.

The film features footage and interviews of legendary metal bands such as Ozzy Osbourne, Aerosmith, Megadeth, W.A.S.P.,Paul Stanley and Motörhead.

Tagline: It's more than music...it's a way of life.

1 Plot
2 Musical Performances
3 Trivia
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Plot

The documentary follows the heavy metal scene in Los Angeles, with particular emphasis on the glam sub-genre. Spheeris explores the more famous musicians—Alice Cooper, Aerosmith, Ozzy Osbourne, and KISS—and then explores unknown bands, such as Odin and Seduce. The film also features early interviews with members of Poison, Tuff, Vixen, and more. Serious issues such as drug usage, alcohol abuse, and censorship are tackled, as well as vanity issues like celebrity and sales.

The film is well-known for its many scenes featuring rock star excess. Among the most famous:

Chris Holmes of W.A.S.P. is interviewed in a swimming pool beside his mother while extremely intoxicated. He stumbles through the interview, and pours a bottle of vodka both in his mouth and on his head.
The unsigned band Odin talks about being more famous than The Doors and expects to become millionaires (It should be noted that Odin's guitarist, Jeff Duncan, while not topping the Door's popularity and arguably not becoming a millionaire, managed later to secure a guitar slot in the more well-known band Armored Saint).
Paul Stanley of KISS is interviewed in a bed while covered from head to toe with girls.
Steven Tyler of Aerosmith talks about spending millions of dollars on drugs.
As Ozzy Osbourne cooks eggs in a kitchen, Spheeris interviews him about sobriety, to which Ozzy replies, "It fucking sucks."