I didn’t realize this movie was made back during the 80s hairband days! It is a nostalgic look back at the heavy-metal headbanging days. They all look so young! Ozzy can still talk. Aerosmith recently united. Gene Simmons is a riot. Alice Cooper was still Alice Cooper. And all the younger groups were in their hey-day. Nobody was trashed yet from drugs and booze, as they would be a few years later. The guys would openly drink alcohol while being interviewed on camera and all swear that they did not do drugs (remember, this was during the Reagan “just say no” era).

it’s actually fun to watch because today we look back at those bands during that time and forget why we were attracted to them and wonder how they were so popular. The performers at that time were all full of themselves and loved their big hair and style. Several bands, like Poison who were thhe new thing at the time, claim they weren’t into it for the money, just for rock ‘n’ roll. Struggling performers are also interviewed and they discuss what they go through to try and become known. Many people interviewed also talk about the heavy-metal lifestyle and the social difficulties of being a guy who wears makeup and teases his hair. Or the stereo-typical qualities of the groupie girls who were into those bands and that lifestyle.

one interesting thing for me, since I just watched New York Doll the other day, was the Aerosmith interview. Aerosmith is portrayed as the pioneers of the generation. Steven Tyler said he was greatly influenced by the New York Dolls. He said that when they were starting out people used to say he was trying to be like David Johansen and Mick Jagger.

Overall, it is an interesting retrospective and a good watch if you want to see or remember the metal-scene of that era. But anyone who has already lived through it might just want to turn on VH-1 classics instead.