By Andrew Berenson
Epitaph Records
Raging, puking, slamming, stage diving,
and many hilarious treatments are all
what you will find in the new Pennywise
video, "Home Movies." After releasing
four successful albums, touring around the world, and establishing a legion of dedicated fans, Pennywise has wrapped their whole experience into a great video.
From the get go, and continuing throughout the video, the main emphasis is on Pennywise's incredible live show. I have never seen Pennywise live, but I have heard that it is the most intense experience you will ever have, and this video is proof. In all of the live footage, everyone in the crowds is either stage diving or slamming at a very fast pace. From California to Tokyo, the live footage is put together in a way that really shows Pennywise's mas appeal. Some of the song highlights include "Unknown Road" and a new song called "Peaceful Day." Also of note is the song "Bro Hymn" which Pennywise wrote for all of their friends who have died at an early age. It is very inspiring to see all of the kids, as well as Rancid's Tim Armstrong, on stage singing along to the chorus. This song is just a reminder, as Pennywise vocalist Jim puts it, "to rage hard everyday, as if it were your last."
In other live footage, it is not uncommon to see hoards of people onstage getting into the music. Pennywise embrace these people, for as guitarist Fletcher says, "besides being Pennywise fans, they are our friends and we are not above them." Another interesting aspect about the video is that you get to see Pennywise at work writing songs for their new album. It is cool to see how they can produce so much exciting music while working in such a small little storage area.
Besides having incredible live footage, this video also has some hilarious tour footage. One of the hilarious things include treatments, which Fletcher seems to get a big kick out of. Treatments are things such as spraying whipped cream or shaving cream on someone while they are passed out or asleep. These occur quite often in the video, and many times the roadies are the victims. As Fletcher says, "sometimes people get out of hand on tour, and need a little shaping up." Another thing Fletcher does that is quite disgusting, is puke a couple of times while pulling a chain through his nose and out his mouth. Also, these beautiful highlights are shot in slow motion to make it seem much more dramatic. Fletcher can't seem to understand why people can't see the humor when he pukes on people, but maybe some of you Arizona students will, because for some of you, this is a weekly occurrence.
Another aspect that is dealt with at concerts as well as in everyday life, is violence. Pennywise stress over and over that they don't condone any violence at their shows, but as Jim points out, "people who are violent to begin with, tend to get even rowdier when going to a Pennywise show." This is shown graphically in an earlier Pennywise gig, that looks like an outdoor riot. Everyone is going around kicking and punching while knocking into all of the band's equipment and causing quite a scene. Also, another event that is shown in the video is a riot that occurred at a Pennywise/Bad Religion show. It seems the club over booked the show, and when they asked the kids to leave in the middle of Pennywise's set, a riot broke out. The whole place was trashed and the event even made the local news. This is a great example of punk rock. Make the kids angry and destruction will follow.
Overall, this is one of the best punk videos ever made. I definitely suggest you pick this one up. So rage on, have fun, and I'll see ya in the pit!