The Decline of Western Civilization:
Analyzing the Presentation of Self in LA Punk Rockers of the 80s
The Decline of Western Civilization is an anthology of the Punk Rock scene from the early 80s into the late 90s in Los Angeles. This documentary trilogy follows up-and-coming bands at the time including Megadeth, Black Sabbath, and Aerosmith, as well as homeless teens (known as ‘gutter punks’) in Skid Row. Directed by the acclaimed Penelope Spheeris, these movies depict the importance of social image and the societal outcasts at the peak of this era of music. She expertly demonstrates themes defined by Erving Goffman’s Presentation of Self. Using examples from this film, Spheeris explores the role that performance plays in idealization, front staging, and one’s belief in the reality they portray.
When asked what inspired her to make films on this subject matter, she attributes it to her childhood growing up a fan of rock & roll. As a youth, she was inspired by the manifestation of punk in LA. She began to embody the ‘Punk Ethic’ – not caring what anyone thought and marching to the beat of her drum. This film was received with mixed reviews. The punk community embraced it with open arms, although mainstream media sought to destroy all traces of it. After hearing of the press surrounding this film, the Chief of the LAPD wrote Spheeris demanding that the film never be shown and banned from all public theaters. As a response, Spheeris’ team rented out a theater and showed the movie to hundreds of punk rock teens. The police reacted by showing up in riot gear and shutting down Hollywood Boulevard.
According to Goffman, when an individual performs he is using the values of the society he has been socialized toward. Punk emerged as a reaction to the politics and culture of the Reagan era, protesting the US government and leading the charge against the music industry. The punk movement created a counterculture and, out of this, a new society was born. Outside of the punk scene, the expectation was this: wear normal clothes, get a ‘real job’, and do not stand out. But if one were to bring this idea of ‘normal’ into the punk community they would immediately be viewed as the out-group. In this idealization of punks, an individual seeks to be portrayed as ‘proper’ according to the standards of society and to give off a perception of high social mobility. In the second film, Paul Stanley of Kiss delivers his interview while lying in a bed with three half-naked girls. There is no doubt that he orchestrated this scene intending to be seen as wealthy and popular. Stanley’s peers identify girls and sex with success and thus, to create the illusion of high status, he is depicted in such a way.
The presentation of self is rooted in an understanding of frontstage performance. This is the idea of how people act when observed by others versus when they are alone. We can use appearance and manner to explain how individuals respond to and react to situations. Appearance is dictated as distinguishing one’s status (socially, economically, etc). At the core of the punk movement was defiance against consumerism and capitalism. Artistic expression rang at the core of these individuals, and the DIY ethos focused on the visual aesthetic of what being a punk meant. In this sense, to be punk is based on how one looks as much as it is based on what they do. Manner is how a performer will interact on certain occasions. On one end of the spectrum, there is meekness and on the other there is aggression. Punk rock stars at this time had a large sense of bravado. Singer of Odin, Randy O, is captured by Spheeris exclaiming that his band will be more famous than Led Zeppelin and make millions of dollars (they dissolved shortly after this film was released). Yet, in manner and appearance, these ideas can contradict each other. Performers who are well-known and successful can act humble and performers who are lowly or unestablished can possess large egos. Though these ideas can explain one frontstage performance, they cannot completely explain why people act in the way they do.
As time progressed, this social front became more and more institutionalized. Societal expectation injected itself into the meaning of one’s performance. Historically, this is seen as those who were once hippies in the 70s became yuppies in the 80s and people grew to conform to social norms. Rather than foster that autonomy and anarchy, a collective representation of sorts is made. For the punks in LA, those who learned institutional performance were deemed inauthentic and ostracized from the community – mainstream society became the out-group, while punks were the in-group. Here arose the idea of ‘punk or nothing’: that any who resembled mainstream norms were delegitimized. One had to be all in – or they were out.
To be able to put on a good performance, individuals must have belief in the part they are playing. Goffman claims if a person is convinced of the reality they are portraying, they will effectively convince the audience of its legitimacy. Through this, we see the two types of performers: sincere performers and cynical performers. Sincere performers delude the public for their good or the good of a whole community. This idea is evident in Spheeris’ third film as she follows a group of ‘gutter punks’ in their day to day. She films teenagers as old as 13 living on the streets, whose sole income is through panhandling. In a memorable scene, Spheeris films them asking for money to passersby on Hollywood Boulevard. Many of them joke they will use the money to buy beer and weed. But at the end of the film, it becomes obvious that these teens desperately need assistance. Is their use of sarcasm how they delude the public into thinking they are all right? Do they engage in this performance of ‘not caring’ to prove the ‘punk ethic’? The cynical performer does not care what the audience believes. The audience is left to the mercy of the performer as he bends social rules the audience is forced to uphold. This cycle of disbelief-belief is seen in the existence of Darby Crash. He was the lead singer of The Germs and was known for his outrageous behavior on stage. He would encourage fans to smash bottles on his head and punch and kick him. Before, during, and after shows, he would take cocaine, and heroin, and heavily drink alcohol to keep him from feeling the pain from his actions. Audience members are forced to entertain his destructive behaviors and watch him deteriorate before their eyes. These drugs would soon become the end of him as he overdosed in New York at the age of 22.
What makes these films so important, is that they perfectly capture the essence of the rebellious, coming-of-age spirit of this period through Goffman’s ideals. The idealization of the punk rocker lifestyle as people aesthetically presented themselves; how performers are perceived by their audience through their appearance and manner; and, that performers must fit in the category of sincere or cynical as they put forth belief and effort into their perceived reality. Spheeris documented the cultivation of this culture and preserved this era of music in film forever. One can only hope people continue to watch these movies in cautious admiration, 40 years later and for many years to come.
References
Ashley Ray-Harris, “Penelope Spheeris on ‘the Decline of Western Civilization,’” http://www.youtube.com (Vulture Magazine, September 28, 2021),
David Pearson, “The Agency of Early 1980s American Punk… | Society for US Intellectual History,” Society for U.S. Intellectual History, July 19, 2022, https://s-usih.org/2022/08/the-agency-of-early-1980s-american-punk/.
Decline of Western Civilization (Spheeris Films Inc., 1981)
Erving Goffman, The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life (NY Anchor Books, 1959)
Kayla Corbin, Culture and Communication (2023, February 1)