Living in different worlds in ‘The Other F Word’

“THE OTHER F WORD”

DVD Widescreen, 2011, not rated (rife with bad language)

Best extra: The loopy, seat-of-their-pants commentary with the director, producer and two musicians is the only significant extra.

WHEN PUNK ROCKERS settle down and have families, do they keep railing against the system or slowly get absorbed into it? That's the intriguing premise filmmaker Andrea Blaugrund Nevins set out to document. Through interviews with more than a dozen aging punk rock bands that have soldiered on, Nevins finds a large cross section of punks whose private and public lives couldn’t be more divergent. The main interview subject is Jim Lindberg of Pennywise, a band with a small but devoted following. Lindberg leaves his wife and three young daughters at home while touring for nearly a year, talking to them through computer hookup and wondering how long he can keep up the lifestyle. His sentiments are echoed by members of other revered bands in the genre, such as NOFX, Rancid, Blink 182 and Black Flag, whose former singer, Ron Reyes, left the lifestyle a long time ago to work in a print shop.

Small moments caught between the shows are often funny, such when the rockers swear in front of their children and apologize for it later. Some of the stories, such as that of Art Alexakis of Everclear’s abuse as a youth, and his fear of failing his child the way his own father did, are genuinely affecting. So is seeing Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, who fled from home at a young age, like several of the other interviewees, break down when he explains how his daughter, now almost fully grown, challenged him to become a better person.

Being a parent is only one facet of the aging punk rocker Nevins explores. There’s the question of making money in an era of music piracy, how being managed by large corporations can sap a band of spontaneity, and the need to constantly tour or quickly become overcome by younger bands. Still, the primary focus is fatherhood and the film holds its focus well. “To be a punk rock hero and to be a good authority figure for your kid – it’s almost impossible,” Lindberg says. After watching this documentary, you might agree with him.

Extras include deleted scenes and outtakes that are interesting but don’t directly contribute to the movie's theme, such as Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo recounting how Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols made an impassioned plea to become a member of the band. There are also new acoustic performances from interviewees, two music videos from Lindberg’s new band, Black Pacific; and a throwaway feature-length commentary with musicians Lindberg and Alexakis, director Nevins, and producer Cristan Crocker-Reilly. Although Lindberg dominates the movie, it's soft-spoken Alexakis who emerges as the most serious in the bunch. He tells many small, lively anecdotes, such as how he couldn't get into one of his shows because the doorman didn't think he was on the guest list. Other oddities include who handled specific camera work, why punk rockers tend not to bathe and what it's like living on a tour bus.

Unleash your frustrated inner punk for a few hours and watch this film.

— Carl Hott

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