A Sonic Life / We Got Power Films Production
Sonic Youth & Nirvana in
"1991 The Year Punk Broke" (1992)
A film by Dave Markey
Also featuring; Dinosaur Jr., Babes In Toyland, Gumball & The Ramones


American underground bands touring Europe on the eve of cultural and musical change, soon one of them will go multi-platinum and displace Michael Jackson from the 1 position on the Billboard Charts. "1991's going to be the year punk breaks through to the mass consciousness of global society," muses Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore at one point during "1991: The Year Punk Broke." It's a sarcastic comment as well as an ironic one. After all, it was the support band Nirvana which lived up to Moore's prediction shortly after the film was shot, with the release of "Nevermind."

At the time no one in their right mind would have guessed what was to follow. Freshly signed to a major label and touring in support of Goo, Sonic Youth takes Nirvana out on their first major European tour in August of '91, capturing their last days as obscure Pacific Northwestern rockers. But forget how MTV and the media portrayed and typecast their friends from the Northwest. This is as honest a look as you could get of veteran rockers Sonic Youth (then in their 10th year) and the last of the care-free and innocent days of pre-fame Nirvana.

This film feels just like being there, and the viewer from the get go is riding shotgun on a trip that appeared to be a total blast. You can feel the excitement in the air, through the boredom and routine of a European Summer festival tour. Los Angeles native and punk auteur Dave Markey ("Desperate Teenage Lovedolls") shot this Super-8 document himself, single camera, a one-man crew. The focus is on Sonic Youth and Moore in particular. The gangly, generally engaging Moore is an odd mix of "Roger and Me" era Michael Moore and the Madonna of "Truth or Dare" (which the film parodies both self-consciously and unconsciously). "This tour is like a dare. It's a dare to our parents, it's a dare to the Bush administration."

This low-budget film, halfway between a rockumentary and a mockumentary also features Dinosaur Jr., Gumball, Babes in Toyland and the even The Ramones. But don't let the title fool you, this film has more in common with the pre-punk 1970's concert film than anything out of London circa '77. The title has long been misunderstood. It wasn't a comment on Nirvana's meteoric ascendance into the mainstream, it was an inside joke on this tour. First day of the tour, the filmmaker and SY had seen Motley Crue perform "Anarchy in the UK" on the telly, and the title just stuck.

It's in the snippets of backstage hi-jinx that truly portray the excitement of the period. We get to see a pre-fame Nirvana actually having fun. "We can turn these coats into mini skirts!" Offers a smiling Cobain. Markey shows a lighter, more human side to this now near mythological individual, offering some of the most powerful images of Nirvana and Kurt. After falling off stage and into the crowd, Kurt is pulled back onto the stage by Thurston, both with big smiles on their faces. Markey emphasizes this moment by freezing it for just enough time to allow a deeper meaning of the image to sink in. A truly exceptional representation of the unifying spirit of the sadly long gone network of American underground rock.

Nirvana's Sub Pop days are represented here by thrashing versions of "School" & "Negative Creep". Their scattershot run through of the soon to be megahit "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is about as Lo-fi as one could get. Musicians undercut themselves, knocking over equipment and fellow band members. Mr. Markey's direction follows suit, breaking up razzle-dazzle performance montages with shots of a bratwurst vendor or a spinning beer bottle. In off- stage scenes he strives for a kind of cinema verite-meets-homemade-fanzine appeal and succeeds almost too well.

We carefully apply lipstick with Kurt Cobain, spoof Madonna's Truth or Dare with Kim Gordon in scenes with both Cobain and J. Mascis. We witness (a pre-involvement with Cobain) Courtney Love crashing a SY MTV interview. We hang out backstage with Mudhoney and joke about Iggy Pop. A particularly enthralling performance of Dinosaur Jr.'s ''Freak Scene'' captured live at the Reading Festival reveals who the real stars of that day were. Sonic Youth's ''Schizophrenia'', "Kool Thing", "Teenage Riot", "Dirty Boots", and "Expressway to Yr Skull" are given energized readings, the later with its traditionally expansive freak-out finale. There's a playful intensity about the band, and when it gets into gear its guitar-driven sound is quite cathartic. We also get to see The Brady Bunch dubbed in German and giant mechanical apes. Perhaps maybe they were just all having a laugh, and we too get to share in the joke. Oh well, it's only rock and roll but l like it.