There have been a slew of documentaries reliving the punk scene in the late ‘70s. There have even been a few focusing on the Southern California punk scene during that time period. But Clockwork Orange County is compelling enough to justify one more.
Produced by snowboarder York Shackleton, this short film (coming in at just over an hour) includes interviews by Cali hardcore legends like Henry Rollins, Jello Biafra, Keith Morris, Joe Escalante and Duane Peters, among many, many others. It focuses on the bands and fans that flocked to Orange County’s Cuckoo’s Nest, the only punk club in a sea of suburban blah, and the police and city officials set on closing it down.
This documentary is a great reminder of what it meant to be a “punk rocker” in the late ‘70s, a time when your haircut and choice of music could get you pummeled and often thrown in jail. Not like today, when every mall in America boasts a Hot Topic with a Ramones shirt in the store window.
Clockwork Orange County/74 mins./MVD/2014
