Another State of Mind (film): Difference between revisions

Another State of Mind
Another State of Mind
Directed by	Adam Small; Peter Stuart
Produced by	Adam Small; Peter Stuart
Starring	Mike Ness; Dennis Danell; Brent Liles; Derek O'Brien; Monk; Adam Stern; Shawn Stern; Keith Morris; Ian MacKaye
Music by	Social Distortion; Youth Brigade; Minor Threat
Distributed by	Time Bomb
Release date	1984;
Running time	77 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

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Another State of Mind is a documentary film made in the summer of 1982 chronicling the adventure of two punk bands, Social Distortion and Youth Brigade, as they embark on their first international tour.^[1] Along the way they meet up with another band, Minor Threat, whom they hang out with at the Dischord house for about a week near the end of their ill-fated tour.

Plot

The bands head north up through San Francisco, Oregon, and Seattle. The film documents Social Distortion and Youth Brigade live shows; it also features Minor Threat at band practice. At one point in the movie, Social Distortion's Mike Ness sits on a porch and writes future underground hit "Another State of Mind". The film documents not only the complex and challenging social dynamics of the punk scene, the touring bands, and their crew, but also documents the DIY punk touring circuit in its infancy.

A final bus break-down in D.C. causes Social Distortion to split up. Liles and Danell abandon the group to stay with friends of Brinson's, where they voice their exhaustion with the tour and the rest of the group. Out of desperation, the others go to the local Kmart to shop for tarps with the members of Minor Threat.

Mike Ness ends up being stranded when the rest of Social Distortion heads back to OC where they feel they have a better chance of making money rather than staying on the difficult tour. Ness has really no choice but to grab a flight back to LA himself and try to regroup. Youth Brigade rents a truck and drives back to Los Angeles.

Cast

Adam Stern, bass player for Youth Brigade
Mark Stern, drummer for Youth Brigade
Shawn Stern, guitar and lead vocals for Youth Brigade
Mike Ness as the lead vocals, lead guitar of Social Distortion
Dennis Danell as the rhythm guitar of Social Distortion
Brent Liles (credited as Brent Lyle) as the bass guitar of Social Distortion
Derek O'Brien as the drummer of Social Distortion
Mark Wilson (Monk Rock) as a band manager
Mike Brinson "Rock Star Roadie" as party fill
Louis Dufau, roadie
Marlon Whitfield, roadie

Production

Filmmakers Peter Stuart and Adam Small came upon a large-scale project which immediately captured their imagination: the Better Youth Organization of Los Angeles was planning a North American tour. Eleven assorted punks would be traveling across the country in a broken down school bus. It was a chance to explore and document the punk community more extensively than ever before.

On August 17, 1982, armed with one production assistant, Stuart and Small set off in their rental truck on this journey through the underground. For six weeks and ten thousand miles, they recorded the adventures of the two touring bands – Youth Brigade and Social Distortion. More than just concert footage, this film documents the rich collection of characters in and around the tour, and the hardships and dangers of life on the road. The film was made on the cheap side and the scenes that feature instructions for slam dancing were filmed as filler so that the film would be at a viable length for release and distribution.

The poster was designed by Josh Freeman, now president and creative director of FreeAssociates, the design/advertising agency in Los Angeles.

DVD special features

Commentaries by Mike Ness, the directors and Youth Brigade.

Trivia

Four cast members have died since the making of this film; Dennis Danell (brain aneurysm in 2000) and Brent Liles (traffic accident in 2007) of Social Distortion, and road crew members Louis Dufau (drug overdose in 1988) and Social Distortion manager/road crew member Monk (Mark Wilson) died in April 2020. Additionally, Marcel, a wheelchair-using punk who is shown in the Montreal scene died in 1984. Manon Brière, another young Montreal punk, fronted bands Generatorz and Maninc Manon and the Guest List. In the mid 1980s Mike Brinson went to nuclear engineering school in the Navy. He currently resides in Indiana where he has 2 sons and works in the aerospace industry.

Ironically, in the beginning of the documentary, Dennis Danell jokingly says that he's 38 years old. On February 29, 2000, Danell died at the age of 38.^[2]

References

^ Mark Deming (2007). "Another State of Mind". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2007-11-12.
^ "Social Distortion's Danell Dies at 38". Los Angeles Times. March 2000.

External links

Another State of Mind at IMDb

[NYT-1] Mark Deming (2007). "Another State of Mind". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2007-11-12.

[2] "Social Distortion's Danell Dies at 38". Los Angeles Times. March 2000.

[1]

[2]

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 | image          = AnotherStateOfMind.jpg
 | caption        =
-| director       = Adam Small, Peter Stuart
+| director       = Adam Small<br>Peter Stuart
-| producer       = Adam Small, Peter Stuart
+| producer       = Adam Small<br>Peter Stuart
 | writer         =
-|starring=[[Mike Ness]]<br/>[[Dennis Danell]]<br/>[[Brent Liles]]<br/>[[Derek O'Brien]]<br/>Monk<br />Adam Stern<br/>Sean Stern<br/>[[Keith Morris]]<br/>[[Ian MacKaye]]
+|starring=[[Mike Ness]]<br>[[Dennis Danell]]<br>[[Brent Liles]]<br>[[Derek O'Brien (drummer)|Derek O'Brien]]<br>Monk<br>Adam Stern<br>Shawn Stern<br>[[Keith Morris]]<br>[[Ian MacKaye]]
-| music          = [[Social Distortion]]<br/>[[Youth Brigade (band)|Youth Brigade]]<br/>[[Minor Threat]]
+| music          = [[Social Distortion]]<br>[[Youth Brigade (band)|Youth Brigade]]<br>[[Minor Threat]]
 | cinematography =
 | editing        =
 | distributor    = Time Bomb
-| released       = VHS: 1984<br/>DVD: 2004
+| released       = {{Film date|1984}}
-| runtime        = 77 min.
+| runtime        = 77 minutes
+| country        = United States
-|rating=
-| country        = US
+| language       = English
-| awards         =
-| language       = English, Japanese
 | budget         =
 }}
-'''''Another State of Mind''''' is a documentary film made in the summer of 1982 chronicling the adventure (and misadventure) of two punk bands – [[Social Distortion]] and [[Youth Brigade (band)|Youth Brigade]] – as they embark on their first international tour.<ref>{{cite web|title=Another State of Mind|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/157755/Another-State-of-Mind/overview}}</ref> Along the way they meet up with another progressive punk band, [[Minor Threat]], whom they hang out with at the [[Dischord Records|Dischord]] house for about a week near the end of their ill-fated tour.
+'''''Another State of Mind''''' is a documentary film made in the summer of 1982 chronicling the adventure of two punk bands, [[Social Distortion]] and [[Youth Brigade (band)|Youth Brigade]], as they embark on their first international tour.<ref name=NYT>{{cite web|title=Another State of Mind|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071112093032/https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/157755/Another-State-of-Mind/overview|archivedate=2007-11-12|url-status=dead|department=Movies & TV Dept.|work=[[The New York Times]]|author=Mark Deming|date=2007|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/157755/Another-State-of-Mind/overview}}</ref> Along the way they meet up with another band, [[Minor Threat]], whom they hang out with at the [[Dischord Records|Dischord]] house for about a week near the end of their ill-fated tour.
 ==Plot==
+The bands head north up through [[San Francisco, California|San Francisco]], [[Oregon]], and [[Seattle]]. The film documents [[Social Distortion]] and [[Youth Brigade (band)|Youth Brigade]] live shows; it also features Minor Threat at band practice. At one point in the movie, Social Distortion's [[Mike Ness]] sits on a porch and writes future underground hit "Another State of Mind". The film documents not only the complex and challenging [[social dynamics]] of the punk scene, the touring bands, and their crew, but also documents the DIY punk touring circuit in its infancy.
-{{plot|date=February 2012}}
-The documentary details the ambitious journey of an early Social Distortion and Youth Brigade and a small road crew as they tour across the [[United States|U.S.]] and [[Canada]].
+A final bus break-down in [[Washington, D.C.|D.C.]] causes Social Distortion to split up. Liles and Danell abandon the group to stay with friends of Brinson's, where they voice their exhaustion with the tour and the rest of the group. Out of desperation, the others go to the local [[Kmart (United States)|Kmart]] to shop for tarps with the members of [[Minor Threat]].
-The story begins with a hopeful Shawn Stern relating his big ideas about the tour and what he wants to accomplish, stating that the bus ''should'' hold up as the group gets to work fixing up the bus. In fact, much of the plot revolves around the bus breaking down in three or four states. The road crew manager, Monk, is the only one who seems to know how to fix the bus so he becomes instrumental in keeping the tour alive.
+Mike Ness ends up being stranded when the rest of Social Distortion heads back to [[Orange County, California|OC]] where they feel they have a better chance of making money rather than staying on the difficult tour. Ness has really no choice but to grab a flight back to LA himself and try to regroup. Youth Brigade rents a truck and drives back to Los Angeles.
-As the tour begins, the bands head north up through [[San Francisco, California|San Francisco]], Oregon, and [[Seattle]]. The film includes live footage of Social Distortion doing a then written but not yet recorded, "Mommy's Little Monster," as well as the creativity of Mike Ness writing the song, "Another State Of Mind," for which the film was named. One memorable clip shows Mike Ness getting ready for a show, giving his explanation of his "look" – why he does his hair the way he does and why he wears eye makeup when most guys don't. From Seattle they continue on up through Canada from where the Stern brothers have citizenship. The last leg of the trip includes big US cities like [[Detroit]], [[Chicago]], [[Washington, D.C.]] and [[New York City|New York]].
+==Cast==
-At the time this film was made, there was much misinformation and [[discrimination]] regarding [[Punk subculture|punks]], so a lot of the film is aimed at explaining this counter-culture by interviewing local kids at each tour destination as well as a few [[Southern California|So-Cal]] punks whose commentary appears periodically during the documentary. At one point during the trip, the group arrives at a venue where they had a show booked and go out of their way to avoid discrimination by climbing up a [[fire escape]] and going in the back door in order to avoid the huge [[motorcycle|biker]]-looking men in the front of the club. They describe what probably would happen if they went in the front door - they would be intimidated, yelled at and maybe beaten up as they walked through the door and through the club so they find it easier to avoid the whole scene.
+*Adam Stern, bass player for Youth Brigade
+*Mark Stern, drummer for Youth Brigade
+*Shawn Stern, guitar and lead vocals for Youth Brigade
+*[[Mike Ness]] as the lead vocals, lead guitar of Social Distortion
+*[[Dennis Danell]] as the rhythm guitar of Social Distortion
+*[[Brent Liles]] (credited as Brent Lyle) as the bass guitar of Social Distortion
+*[[Derek O'Brien (drummer)|Derek O'Brien]] as the drummer of Social Distortion
+* Mark Wilson (Monk Rock) as a band manager
+* Mike Brinson "Rock Star Roadie" as party fill
+* Louis Dufau, roadie
+* Marlon Whitfield, roadie
+==Production==
-On another occasion, the starving group heads to a cafe in [[Montreal]] after a show to get something to eat and find the waitress will hardly look at them, let alone serve them. She is apparently frightened or annoyed by them based purely on their appearance. The woman calls the police to have them removed from the restaurant with no provocation (save for maybe Derek O'Brien's insistent banging of a coffee cup on the counter to get her attention).
+Filmmakers Peter Stuart and Adam Small came upon a large-scale project which immediately captured their imagination: the [[Better Youth Organization]] of [[Los Angeles]] was planning a [[North America]]n tour. Eleven assorted punks would be traveling across the country in a broken down [[school bus]]. It was a chance to explore and document the punk community more extensively than ever before.
+On August 17, 1982, armed with one [[production assistant]], Stuart and Small set off in their rental truck on this journey through the underground. For six weeks and ten thousand miles, they recorded the adventures of the two touring bands &ndash; [[Youth Brigade (band)|Youth Brigade]] and [[Social Distortion]]. More than just [[concert]] footage, this film documents the rich collection of characters in and around the tour, and the hardships and dangers of life on the road. The film was made on the cheap side and the scenes that feature instructions for slam dancing were filmed as filler so that the film would be at a viable length for release and distribution.
-As the tour proceeds, there is much discussion about the issues young adults face such as being misunderstood, the push and pull of parents, rules, drugs, violence and alcohol. One of the more interesting facets of this film is the fact that no matter where the group goes across the country and Canada, the locals seem to be dealing with the same issues. The punk movement was revolutionary and a bit scary to the older generations at that time who had never really seen anything like them before.
-Somewhere around the second or third bus break-down, between Canada and Chicago, the reality of their trip begins to sink in. 11 or 12 guys on a small, now reeking, constantly breaking down bus is not as much fun as they had first anticipated. Their [[per diem]] has been slashed from $10 a day to $5 as a result of money having to be spent on fixing the old bus and they seem to keep getting ripped off by the club owners. One classic moment from the film comes when Mark Stern holds up some rolls of pennies he was paid with by one cheap San Francisco club owner ([[Dirk Dirksen]] of Mabuhay productions.)
-Nearing the end of the trip, some of the road crew leave the trip early, leaving the band members to set up and fend for themselves. Everyone starts to get on each other's nerves out of hunger, frustration and [[cabin fever]] and begin to act out in different ways. Roadie, Mike Brinson, is shown constantly dyeing his hair different colors based on his mood which begins with a happy pink, turns green and eventually a dismal black. Mike Ness, usually placated by the beer which they somehow always found the money for, lets out a little frustration one night at a small impromptu show, breaking out in a frenzied, seizure-looking rendition of the [[The worm (dance move)|worm]] during his performance.
-A final bus break-down in [[Washington, D.C.|D.C.]] causes the group to split up. Brinson, Liles and Danell abandon the group to stay with friends of Brinson's, where they voice their exhaustion with the tour and the rest of the group. Out of desperation, the others go to the local [[Kmart]] to shop for tarps with the members of [[Minor Threat]]. An interview allows [[Ian Mackaye]] to detail a bit of his [[Straight Edge]], which the So-Cal group doesn't really buy into but seems to admire.
-This final break-down becomes the proverbial straw that broke the tours' back. Mike Ness ends up being stranded when the rest of Social Distortion heads back to [[Orange County, California|OC]] where they feel they have a better chance of making money rather than staying on the difficult tour. Ness has really no choice but to grab a flight back to LA himself and try to regroup. With the headliner off the tour, Youth Brigade decides to throw in the towel as well. They all climb into the film crew's equipment truck and head back to California.
-The film closes with an interview of Shawn Stern reflecting back on the tour. When asked if he thought it was worth it, he responds, "Yeah, I'd say it was worth it."
-==Primary cast==
-*[[Social Distortion]]
-**[[Mike Ness]] – Lead vocals, Lead guitar
-**[[Dennis Danell]] – Rhythm guitar
-**[[Brent Liles]] (credited as Brent Lyle) – Bass guitar
-**[[Derek O'Brien (drummer)|Derek O'Brien]] - Drums
-** Mark Wilson (Monk Rock)- Band Manager
-*[[Youth Brigade (band)|Youth Brigade]]
-**Shawn Stern - Vocals, Guitar
-**Adam Stern - Bass
-**Mark Stern - Drums
-*Road Crew
-**Mark "Monk" Rock – Road "manager", Bus mechanic
-**Mike Brinson
-**Marlon Whitfield
-**[[Louis Dufau]]
-==Creators==
-Filmmakers [[Peter Stuart]] and [[Adam Small]] came upon a large scale project which immediately captured their imagination: the [[Better Youth Organization]] of [[Los Angeles]] was planning a [[North America]]n tour. Eleven assorted punks would be traveling across the country in a broken down [[school bus]]. It was a chance to explore and document the punk community more extensively than ever before.
-On August 17, 1982, armed with one [[production assistant]], Stuart and Small set off in their rental truck on this journey through the underground. For six weeks and ten thousand miles, they recorded the adventures of the two touring bands &ndash; [[Youth Brigade (band)|Youth Brigade]] and [[Social Distortion]]. More than just [[concert]] footage, this film documents the rich collection of characters in and around the tour, and the hardships and dangers of life on the road. The film was made on the cheap side and the scenes that feature instructions for "moshing" were filmed as filler so that the film would be at a viable length for release and distribution.
 The poster was designed by Josh Freeman, now president and creative director of FreeAssociates, the design/advertising agency in Los Angeles.
@@ Line 74: / Line 49: @@
 ==DVD special features==
 Commentaries by Mike Ness, the directors and Youth Brigade.
+==Trivia==
+Four cast members have died since the making of this film; Dennis Danell (brain aneurysm in 2000) and Brent Liles (traffic accident in 2007) of Social Distortion, and road crew members Louis Dufau (drug overdose in 1988) and Social Distortion manager/road crew member Monk (Mark Wilson) died in
+April 2020. Additionally, Marcel, a wheelchair-using punk who is shown in the Montreal scene died in 1984. Manon Brière, another young Montreal punk, fronted bands Generatorz and Maninc Manon and the Guest List.
+In the mid 1980s Mike Brinson went to nuclear engineering school in the Navy. He currently resides in Indiana where he has 2 sons and works in the aerospace industry.
+Ironically, in the beginning of the documentary, Dennis Danell jokingly says that he's 38 years old. On February 29, 2000, Danell died at the age of 38.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-mar-01-me-4055-story.html | title=Social Distortion's Danell Dies at 38 | website=[[Los Angeles Times]] | date=March 2000 }}</ref>
 ==References==
@@ Line 80: / Line 62: @@
 == External links ==
 *{{IMDb title|0198307}}
-*{{Amg movie|157755|Another State of Mind}}
 {{Social Distortion}}
@@ Line 87: / Line 68: @@
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Another State Of Mind (Film)}}
 [[Category:1984 films]]
-[[Category:American films]]
-[[Category:English-language films]]
 [[Category:Documentary films about punk music and musicians]]
 [[Category:American documentary films]]
 [[Category:Social Distortion]]
-[[Category:1980s documentary films]]
+[[Category:1984 documentary films]]
+[[Category:1980s English-language films]]
+[[Category:1980s American films]]
+[[Category:English-language documentary films]]

v t e Social Distortion
Mike Ness Jonny Wickersham Brent Harding David Hidalgo Jr. Rikk Agnew Casey Royer Tom Corvin Mark Garrett Dennis Danell John Stevenson Brent Liles Derek O'Brien John Maurer Bob Stubbs Chris Reece Chuck Biscuits Charlie Quintana Matt Freeman Atom Willard
Studio albums	Mommy's Little Monster Prison Bound Social Distortion Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell White Light, White Heat, White Trash Sex, Love and Rock 'n' Roll Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes
Extended plays	Story of My Life...And Other Stories
Compilation albums	Mainliner: Wreckage from the Past Greatest Hits
Live albums	Live at the Roxy
Videos and DVDs	Another State of Mind Live in Orange County
Singles	"Another State of Mind" "Prison Bound" "Let It Be Me" "Ball and Chain" "Ring of Fire" "Story of My Life" "Bad Luck" "I Was Wrong" "Reach for the Sky" "Death or Glory" "Far Behind" "Machine Gun Blues"
Related articles	Discography Band members Adolescents

v t e Youth Brigade
Shawn Stern Mike Carter Mike Hale Mark Stern Greg Louis Gutierrez Bob Gnarly Jonny "2 Bags" Wickersham Adam Stern John Carey Joey "Balls" Garibaldi
Studio albums	Sound & Fury (1982) Sound & Fury (1983) The Dividing Line (as The Brigade) Happy Hour To Sell the Truth
EPs/Singles	What Price Happiness? Come Together (as The Brigade) Come Again All Style No Substance
Compilation albums	Sink with Kalifornija A Best of Youth Brigade
Documentaries	Another State of Mind Let Them Know: The Story of Youth Brigade and BYO Records
Related articles	BYO Records