By Nick Kuzmack
Salt Lake Under Ground (SLUG)
It’s
always good to see what is preached in song lyrics, then practiced
through example. Director Robin Bell takes the viewer through the
extensive history of DC based punk-activist group Positive Force. Bell
explores the origins during the Reagan era, the establishment of their
communal headquarters, the beginnings of Riot Grrrl, the modern-day
controversial affiliation with the mainstream and what it means to be an
underground movement. Supporters like Ian MacKaye (Minor Threat,
Fugazi), Allison Wolfe (Bratmobile) and Ian F. Svenonius (Nation of
Ulysses) lend narratives of their varied experiences with Positive
Force. This DVD is also packed with cool bonus features that look into
Positive Force’s involvement with groups like the “We Are Family” senior
service advocacy group. It also contains sweet music videos from groups
like Chumbawamba’s “Rappaport’s Testament: I Never Gave Up” and
Anti-Flag’s “You’ve Got to Die for the Government.” There are a lot of
films on the gritty, rock n’ roll–inspired lifestyles of punk rockers,
but not nearly enough idealize it. It is punk movements like these that
inspire viable alternatives and the possibilities of creating a whole
new world. So dig this, and be inspired to create something new.
