Stuff You Gotta Watch: Turn It Around: The Story of East Bay Punk
Three decades of California Bay Area’s punk music history are covered in Turn It Around, a documentary that examines a fascinating scene through the eyes of those who played a crucial role in it: Green Day, Rancid, the Offspring, Dead Kennedys, and many more.
The story begins with a brief reminder of how the Bay Area has always attracted all sorts of misfits, creatives, revolutionaries, and weirdos, leading to a unique ecosystem. Punk rock, which narrator Iggy Pop smartly defines as "a conversation with society," thrived in this environment—even if inspiration initially came from both the US East Coast (The Ramones) and abroad (Sex Pistols).
With the documentary clocking in at about two-and-a-half hours, there's plenty of time to properly explore not only the faces but also the places: Filipino restaurant The Mabuhay Gardens became an unlikely punk venue in the early days, though the scene's epicenter would actually emerge across the bay in Berkeley at 924 Gilman Street. Also mentioned are the numerous radio shows and zines that helped spread the word among those yearning for an urgent renovation of rock'n'roll.
The admirable research and dedication put into Turn It Around, along with the stunning animated sequences, ensure the documentary comes across first and foremost as a labor of love, joy, and honesty—which is, after all, what the spirit of punk is all about.
Review by Ana Leorne. Check out the full archive of the Stuff You Gotta Watch column.