Film Review: Turn it Around: The Story of East Bay Punk (2017)
It finally happened. I’m at the age when documentaries about my formative years are being made, and I’m happy to say that I’m okay with that. Turn it Around is an important film for me. As a Minnesotan, I wasn’t part of the Berkeley/East Bay scene during the late ‘70s to mid- ‘90s, but I was certainly there in spirit. Along with Minneapolis and Miami, the East Bay punk scene would become a huge influence on my life. The biggest, in fact—hands down, no comparison. I’m not sure I can put into words how much these bands mean to me. Beginning with a primer on Berkeley’s counterculture history, Turn it Around dives deep—from there it’s a wild ride through the ’80s, Gilman Street, Lookout! Records, and beyond. Time to (re)live the chaos!
Turn it Around is more than a well-made documentary—it’s a call to action. It captures a slice of what it was like for a certain group at a certain time, but it also issues a challenge. It lives and breathes D.I.Y. ethics, and dares viewers to do the same. It wants you to go start your own scene or improve the one you’re already involved in. It wants you to move, to shake things up, and to stand up for yourself and those who share your passions. This challenge is more than implied, it’s stated outright by narrator Iggy Pop. In one interview, director Corbett Redford states, “Let’s inspire people to build something just as fun and inclusive and positive now.” I agree—and Redford should know. He grew up going to Gilman, and his band, Bobby Joe Ebola & the Children MacNuggits, are Gilman Street mainstays.
The film also boasts something rare in punk documentaries. Usually, these types of docs would have you believe that scenes die the moment the film’s participants leave it. This is never true, and I find it insulting and condescending. Turn it Around makes no such claim. In fact, it makes it very clear that Gilman Street and the East Bay scene is alive and well, and likely will be forever. The fogies of lesser docs believe themselves the essence of their scene. How could it continue without their presence? Turn it Around knows better. Redford, along with producers Green Day, can attest that the heart of any scene isn’t any single band or artist, but the community which it brings together. A scene is a scene because people work for it, and in Berkeley, they’ve been working hard at it for well over thirty years.
For someone who’s been in punk for over 25 years, Turn it Around is an easy watch. If you’re new to punk, you may have some difficulty with the mindset and reference points. Don’t fret though, there’s still plenty to grab hold of. The stories told are still poignant, political, socially aware, inspiring, and fun. And who knows? You might decide to check out your town’s punk scene as a result. I’m sure it has one, and I know they’d love to have you.
If you’re familiar with the East Bay scene and punk in general, there’s plenty of familiar faces, but there are a few surprising ones too. Members of Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, and Primus offer unexpected insights into battles with rednecks and favorite record stores. Michael Franti (Beatnigs and Spearhead) talks about playing at Gilman Street one week, and opening for U2 the next. Filmmaker and author Miranda July reminisces about her first stage production at Gilman. And it wouldn’t be a punk doc without stalwarts Ian MacKaye and Kathleen Hannah to deliver their appreciation. Origin stories of big names like Operation Ivy, Jawbreaker, Rancid, and Green Day are entertaining, but it’s the “lesser” names that are the most fun. Tales of Econochrist fighting Nazis, the insane and amazing Blatz/Filth era, Crimpshrine being the poorest band of all time—Spitboy, Stikky, Pinhead Gunpowder, Tribe 8, Christ on Parade, Neurosis, Isocracy, The Mr. T Experience, Corrupted Morals…the list goes on and on. I simply cannot get enough of this kind of thing.
For me, there is nothing more exhilarating, engaging, wild, and amazing than going to punk shows. I love them more than movies, and that’s saying something. The bands of Turn it Around formed the basis of my youth and have stuck with me well into adulthood. I learned my politics from them, my sense of justice, equality, right and wrong. They taught me to always strive to be a better person, and I can’t thank them enough for what they’ve done. While nostalgic, Turn it Around doesn’t dwell in it. Instead of making you feel you’ve missed out on something it inspires action. It’s proof of what’s possible to anyone who thinks they can’t, and proof of what’s possible to anyone who says you can’t. There is nothing more rewarding than living life on your own terms—so what’s stopping you?
