Watching Generation X turn 40, facing the consequences of a drop-out lifestyle lies a contradiction. How to you keep your edge while putting food on the table for your family? In your heyday, when it was just you, there were no bills, mortgage, dresses for the father-daughter dance, homeowner association fees, medical bills, etc. There was booze, cheap hotel rooms and rock-n-roll.
The problem with the punk ethos is a fear of selling out – which, having a family may require such a change. If you are going to raise your children in a middle class suburb, you have to tour. And tour these guys do – often spending over 100 nights of the year on the road
Academy award winning documentarian Andrea Blaugrund follows several famous punk rockers – “father” and “family” are “other F-Words.. The style of the documentary is electric, opening with Against Me!’s “I was a Teenage Anarchist” (looking for a revolution). The punk icons here are currently active, including skateboarder Tony Hawk, rockers Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Lars Frederiksen (Rancid), and Mark Mothersbaugh (Devo) to name a few.
The personalities of these men are clearly documented, both on tour and in the domestic sphere, which makes for a fascinating duality: being punk and playing to an audience of young (angry) men requires a certain upkeep. An early moment shows Jim Lindberg of Pennywise spraying on black hair dye. The film wisely keeps the focus on the meaning and the reexamination of fatherhood through their own experiences, ones that may have forced them into a life of punk as a means of coping with certain issues. The most chilling is Art Alexakis of Everclear’s story behind “Father of Mine.” The song is more disturbing when you hear its backstory.
Blaugrund is affectionate towards her subjects, crafting a warm portrait of an aging generation that still, quite frankly kicks ass. Punk is an act so deeply engrained in their being, performed for most in excess of ten years now. This lifestyle includes images and tattoos they may want to keep a little distance from in raising their kids. Others including Ron Reyes of Black Flag departing from the scene as it grows more violent (at least the case is made the LA scene was always more violent than New York). The balance of maturity and responsibility is what is unpacked: these are the creators of an image, a soundtrack, still making great music and delivering live shows. These are some of the hardest workers in the business as the focus is mostly on fatherhood and family more so than growing old and selling punk. The latter may have made for a slightly more interesting film, but fatherhood is the primary driver behind these men working even harder to deliver in a different way.