# DESOLATION CENTER - The most important film made in your lifetime



## lazerskull (Oct 3, 2019)

*I just saw what I believe to be one of the most important films created in my lifetime.*
Here is my review:
This film, by Stuart Swezey, documents an important time in American history. And as with any time in human history, where there is political change, there is artistic change. Whatever you "do" in life, this movie will affect you. If you are an artist, you will see people seeking out their craft despite impossible odds. If you are a parent. You will see rambunctious 20 somethings who though outcast and stigmatized, champion the cause of our most primal human needs for acceptance, expression, actualization and community... If you are into sociology, and wondering what on Earth is happening to our world. You will see how every human experience is now commodified, through thoughtful storytelling that documents a true tale. This commodification appears not as a symptom of an overnight flu or cold, but epidemic of a larger paradigm, and you will gain a sense of that paradigm, if you choose to see. In this film the past comes to meet the present; like rays of light from a distant supernova, recorded in faint traces as specs of pixelated dirt by our space telescopes. And by connecting the two in this way, without agenda, this film, it could be said, ensures and reminds us all of a future that remains undetermined: this alone is the film's greatest contribution. By the film's end, I felt like I had read "Siddartha" or George Wein's, "Myself Among Others: My Life in Music." _[An autobiography that documents the birth of Jazz]._
https://www.desolationcenter.com/
[Here's the part where I confess my bias.] Personally, this movie reminds me of how lucky and grateful I am to have witnessed but a glimpse of the punk rock movement first hand, during the mid 90's. Already then, the punk scene was in its twilight hour. Had I been born a few years later, more than likely, my only idea of punk would be "The Warped Tour" variety of punk that is common now. I was barely a teenager then, yet I was able to participate in a thriving punk scene in Sacramento and Roseville (often to my parent's chagrin) largely thanks to folks I shall not name but who know who they are. I saw bands like "Old Man Homo" "Lil Bunnies" "My Brother Hans" "The Buckys" "Los Huevos" to name a few that I can recall off the top of my head... I even formed a little "punk" band of my own... though we were more "new wave surf metal" than punk, really. And it was because of the punk scene, that I even chose music initially, as a means of expressing myself. I still remember the first time I performed publicly, it was in a friend's garage at a summer party... it only took one show really and my life would never be the same. The punk scene afforded me with a comfortable, supportive culture: people knew each other, saw each other's bands, and watched each other's shows. It was the "folk music" of my time and of so many others. Without those shows and experiences and people, I would not be the person I am today. I would not see the world the same, and I would not be a musician. This film reminds me of the goodness that came from the punk tradition and how its legacy continues to effect our current culture.
Music is language by which a people get along. You can get an idea of a people by their music. And there is no good or bad music. There are only good and bad people, and those good and bad people make good and bad choices and therefore, good and bad music. The people shown in Desolation Center were good (even the guy who almost kills them all when one of his pyrotechnics events goes a little not as planned). Finally, I've always liked the band Sonic Youth as one of my top five all time favorite bands. And I never knew why exactly. Until I saw this. Now I do.


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## Deleted member 24782 (Oct 3, 2019)

WOW. LOOKING FORWARD TO WATCHING THIS! Thanks.


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## Maven Z Roze (Oct 3, 2019)

Send me link FAM. [email protected]


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## Eng JR Lupo RV323 (Oct 3, 2019)

44 years old here, originally from Fresno but often frequented Sacto punk shows. I'm drawing a blank on many venues but I remember the cattle club, I was there for a 7 seconds show once when the place caught fire, I think Filibuster opened. I remember a local band called "Up to Here" that we used to make the 5 hour round trip to Sacto to see quite often. Some weirdo named Dan Deverend, kinda folk punk we picked him up hitchhiking to one of his own shows and just started going to his shows after that to support him, I don't think he was very known(possibly even around Sacto). We'd hit Grass Valley just to see The Circus Tents . Dip over to Reno just to see Zoinks. Gilman St in Berkeley when Fifteen and Spitboy would play. We were surprisingly mobile for some broke ass punks. Those were great times, early to mid 90's. That portion of your post resonated with me. Definitely also sounds like a really good movie, I'll check it out for sure.


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## roughdraft (Oct 3, 2019)

really intriguing thanks for the writeup!

also a huge Sonic Youth fan here


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## Daisy (Oct 3, 2019)

Sounds great, hopefully I'll get the chance to see it


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## lazerskull (Oct 5, 2019)

Engineer J Lupo said:


> 44 years old here, originally from Fresno but often frequented Sacto punk shows. I'm drawing a blank on many venues but I remember the cattle club, I was there for a 7 seconds show once when the place caught fire, I think Filibuster opened. I remember a local band called "Up to Here" that we used to make the 5 hour round trip to Sacto to see quite often. Some weirdo named Dan Deverend, kinda folk punk we picked him up hitchhiking to one of his own shows and just started going to his shows after that to support him, I don't think he was very known(possibly even around Sacto). We'd hit Grass Valley just to see The Circus Tents . Dip over to Reno just to see Zoinks. Gilman St in Berkeley when Fifteen and Spitboy would play. We were surprisingly mobile for some broke ass punks. Those were great times, early to mid 90's. That portion of your post resonated with me. Definitely also sounds like a really good movie, I'll check it out for sure.



Some of the places I remember are Cattle Club / "Bo Jangles" "El Dorado Saloon" "The Loft" (behind a bookstore called Time Tested Books) "The Boardwalk" (orangevale) 

The first "big" punk show I saw was the Descendants at El Dorado Saloon.


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## train in vain (Oct 5, 2019)

lazerskull said:


> Finally, I've always liked the band Sonic Youth as one of my top five all time favorite bands. And I never knew why exactly. Until I saw this. Now I do.


Sonic youth has been my favorite band since i first heard them in 1990 on streets on fire(santa cruz video from 89 i think). I became.completely obsessed once i got a guitar a few yrs later. I think i know the tunings to the first 10 yrs of their songs better than they do now haha.


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## Eng JR Lupo RV323 (Oct 6, 2019)

lazerskull said:


> Some of the places I remember are Cattle Club / "Bo Jangles" "El Dorado Saloon" "The Loft" (behind a bookstore called Time Tested Books) "The Boardwalk" (orangevale)
> 
> The first "big" punk show I saw was the Descendants at El Dorado Saloon.



Heck yeah! That definitely jarred my memory. I totally remember the El Dorado Saloon. I saw Rancid there in late 93 and I thought they were cheesedicks. And the Loft is where Up To Here played a couple times. I would have completely forgotten those places names, thanks for the history flashback. I don't recall the boardwalk though, guess I never went there.


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## Hudson (Oct 19, 2019)

Engineer J Lupo said:


> 44 years old here, originally from Fresno but often frequented Sacto punk shows. I'm drawing a blank on many venues but I remember the cattle club, I was there for a 7 seconds show once when the place caught fire, I think Filibuster opened. I remember a local band called "Up to Here" that we used to make the 5 hour round trip to Sacto to see quite often. Some weirdo named Dan Deverend, kinda folk punk we picked him up hitchhiking to one of his own shows and just started going to his shows after that to support him, I don't think he was very known(possibly even around Sacto). We'd hit Grass Valley just to see The Circus Tents . Dip over to Reno just to see Zoinks. Gilman St in Berkeley when Fifteen and Spitboy would play. We were surprisingly mobile for some broke ass punks. Those were great times, early to mid 90's. That portion of your post resonated with me. Definitely also sounds like a really good movie, I'll check it out for sure.





530 area code? Oh snap


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## Hudson (Oct 19, 2019)

The boardwalk was/is a shitty venue orangeville that would play punk/ska shit. 

It was kind of violent the few times I've been awhile back. But still a good time.


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## train in vain (Jan 10, 2022)

It was really cool to get the whole story about that desert show. I got a copy of gila monster jamboree around 1998 and always wondered about how it happened and the other bands that played.


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