Stuff You Gotta Watch: Another State of Mind
Another State of Mind is a vivid glimpse into the gnarly North American punk scene of the early 1980s. The film follows Youth Brigade, Social Distortion, and their various teenage crew members as they hop on a school bus to play all-ages gigs in 31 cities. If you have any memories of shows like these, watching this is a nostalgia bomb.
The talking heads in this grainy DIY masterpiece are random punk kids sharing their impassioned opinions on what it means to be different. This is juxtaposed with footage of the bands playing in grimy rooms packed with circle pits that you can almost smell through the screen. Even if “Mommy’s Little Monster” isn’t your kind of punk, you have to appreciate Mike Ness’s commitment to his makeup. The triumphant footage of Minor Threat performing without microphones should be shown in a museum.
Another State of Mind is different from other tour docs of the period in the amount of time it spends in Canada, offering screen time to Quebecois street punks and chili dinner at a Calgary party house. Life on the road may occasionally appear drab and desperate, but it also felt like living the dream.
Review by Jesse Locke. Check out the full archive of the Stuff You Gotta Watch column.