Afro-Punk Film
Not a Placebo presentation, but totally worth checking out!
Afro-Punk, a 66-minute documentary, explores race identity within the punk scene. More than your everyday, Behind the Music or typical “black history month” documentary this film tackles the hard questions, such as issues of loneliness, exile, inter-racial dating and black power.
We follow the lives of four people who have dedicated themselves to the punk rock lifestyle. They find themselves in conflicting situations, living the dual life of a person of color in a mostly white community.
The style of the documentary inter-cuts interviews from scores of black punk rockers from all over the nation with scenes from our four protagonists’ lives. They come from different regions, generations, genders, and sexual preferences but their stories are amazingly similar. Afro-Punk features performances by Bad Brains, Tamar Kali, Cipher, and Ten Grand. It also contains exclusive interviews by members of Fishbone, 247- spyz, Dead Kennedys, Candiria, Orange 9mm and TV on the Radio to name a few. Presented by Ethnic Studies Collective and the Black Student Union. The director will be in attendance for a Q and A after the film.
When: Monday, February 27, 2006 at 6:30pm at
Where: Founders Hall 118, HSU, Arcata
Cost: FREE
March 1st, 2006 at 11:14 am
This film was fucking great. I think the Placebo should host it some time in the next year - we’re bound to get a different audience. Maybe we could combine it with music from some of the people featured - or from other musicians of color. (I would really have liked to have more music in the film, but that would’ve meant less time listening to the people, so I can totally understand why the director made the decisions he did.)
I’d be willing to try to set it up a showing (for 6 months from now, maybe?), find out how much it would cost, etc.
Anyway, Afro-Punk totally renewed my love for the scene and my desire to make the Placebo a home for as many people who want/need it.