| The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years | |
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Dave Mustaine of Megadeth is featured on the VHS cover and movie poster. |
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| Directed by | Penelope Spheeris |
| Produced by | Jonathan Dayton Valerie Faris Guy J. Louthan |
| Starring | Aerosmith Kiss Megadeth Motörhead Ozzy Osbourne W.A.S.P. |
| Cinematography | Jeff Zimmerman |
| Editing by | Earl Ghaffari |
| Distributed by | New Line Cinema |
| Release date(s) | June 17, 1988 |
| Running time | 93 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years is a documentary film directed by Penelope Spheeris about the Los Angeles heavy metal scene from 1986 to 1988. It is the second film of a trilogy by Spheeris depicting life in Los Angeles at various points in time. The first film The Decline of Western Civilization dealt with the punk rock scene during 1979-1980. The third film The Decline of Western Civilization III chronicles the gutter punk lifestyle of homeless teenagers in the late 1990s.
The film features concert footage and interviews of legendary heavy metal and hard rock bands and artists such as Aerosmith, Kiss, Megadeth, Motörhead, Ozzy Osbourne, W.A.S.P, and Alice Cooper. The film premiered at The Wiltern Theatre and featured David F. Castagno, Publisher/Editor of Screamer Magazine as the master of ceremony.
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The documentary follows the heavy metal scene in Los Angeles, with particular emphasis on the glam metal sub-genre. Spheeris explores the more famous musicians, including Alice Cooper, Aerosmith, Ozzy Osbourne, Dave Mustaine and Paul Stanley. She then explores unknown bands, such as London, Odin and Seduce. The film also features interviews with members of Poison, Tuff, Vixen, Faster Pussycat, W.A.S.P., 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. The scenes include:
It has been claimed in recent years, most notably in the VH1 documentary series Heavy: The Story of Metal[2] that this film was partially responsible for the death of glam metal and the subsequent rise of thrash metal and grunge. The suggestion in the documentary is that fans, disgusted by the scenes of excess, decided to turn elsewhere. A similar claim was made by Dave Mustaine in his autobiography and in the book Hell Bent for Leather by British author Seb Hunter.[3]
Some of Spheeris' featured musicians, and live footage of Sunset Strip clubs, ended up as part of the 1987 MTV Music Awards, broadcast around the world from Universal Studios in Los Angeles. In addition to a clip of the band Foxx performing onstage, the awards show that year had several presenters that were stars of The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years.
In a 1999 interview for The A.V. Club, Spheeris admitted that the scene with Ozzy Osbourne spilling orange juice was faked and the kitchen was not Ozzy's.[4]
The soundtrack was released on Capitol/I.R.S Records.
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