Turn It Around; The Story of East Bay Punk

"He said this is a Mecca. I said this ain't no Mecca man, this place's fucked" -- Rancid

The first full length Gilman Documentry came out in 2007. It was a feature on one of punk rock's most famous clubs. The 2007 film has generally had mixed reviews. Now, ten years later, Corbett Redford of S.P.A.M. records and Bobby Joe Ebola and the Children MacNuggits fame is coming out with a new documentary on East Bay Punk Rock. It's called Turn It Around: The Story of East Bay Punk. This new documentary also focuses on 924 Gilman Street and the scene surrounding the famous punk club.

While the 2007 documentary has a very DIY feel to it, this new film is narrated by Iggy Pop (not from the East Bay) and is being distributed in part by Green Day (from the Easy Bay). I expect this to be a more polished representation of Easy Bay punk rock.

The film features interviews with members from well known bands such as Green Day. Rancid, Metallica, The Offspring (not from the East Bay), the Dead Kennedy's, AFI and Primus.

It's interesting how many well known bands this documentary features. I hope this documentary does not focus most of its attention on the experiences of these well known bands. A more accurate description of East bay punk rock would come from interviewing Gilman and Maximum Rock And Roll shit workers than interviewing Metallica and Guns N' Roses. Though I guess the later would attract a larger audience.

Redford is well known within the East Bay punk scene, specifically the Geekfest scene. For those outside of the Bay Area, you must understand, the Bay Area is a big place with a huge punk scene. The truth is, there is not a single punk scene, but many different scenes. Some overlap and some don't. I am sure there are plenty of punk rockers in the bay area who have never heard of Geekfest, S.P.A.M. records of Bobby Joe Ebola.

Any documentary on the East Bay punk scene is going to come from a specific point of view and will likely overlook some aspects of the scene. This is unavoidable due to the large amount of bands and venues in the Bay Area.

I am excited and hopeful that Redford used his unique point of view to paint a specific picture of the Bay Area that includes focusing on Geekfest and the aspects of the scene he is most familiar with.

Turn It Around has not yet been released. You should be able to find screening dates on their website.