Based on the book “Punk Rock Dad” by Pennywise frontman Jim Lindberg, The Other F Word takes a look behind the punk rock scene and into the homes of some of today’s punk rock heroes. Gone are the nihilistic days of lore, the days of sex, drugs and anarchy. The punks we grew up with are now grownups themselves, parents teaching their own kids the ways of the world. Director Andrea Blaugrund Nevins explores what it means to be a punk rock dad today. At times hilarious, at others heartbreaking, The Other F Word is the story of changing lives within an ever-changing subculture.
By honing in on Jim Lindberg and his veteran SoCal band Pennywise, Nevins attempts to create a plot, something many documentaries lack. Lindberg has a house full of adorable blond daughters, yet still tours 300 days a year with his band to pay the bills. In an age where record sales are non-existent, bands rely on playing out to make money. And for guys who grew up knowing nothing other than rock and roll, the idea of getting a real job is daunting. The story isn’t completely cohesive, but we follow Lindberg as he struggles with his identity as a punk rock hero up until the day he quits Pennywise. As he does so, we also visit a number of other great characters who offer their perspective on the landscape of punk rock. As their stories unfold, they reveal a strikingly similar thread running through their own childhood experiences that drew each one of them to the punk scene in the first place, and now, as Dads, gives them each a determination to make things right for their own kids while retaining their lifelong commitment to giving the finger to the establishment.
Nevins chooses a wide range of men to interview, and at times it feels like there are too many faces popping off and on screen. Sometimes a character will be introduced but won’t appear again for another 30 minutes. The director does do a good job of making sure each interviewee’s name and band pops up on screen each time he speaks. Nevins could have spoken to far fewer people, but each one does have something important to contribute. Their honest interviews help paint a picture of the punk scene as they saw it, from the 1970s to the present. Coming from broken families, feeling outcast in school, they all found a home in punk rock, a place to fit in. That place was one of destruction, anarchy and rage. But a life of rebellion can only last so long, for one day we all grow up. As Epitaph Records founder Brett Gurewitz puts it, these punkers had the mentality of “Fuck the world, I’m gonna die before I get old. Then you get old and you don’t want to die.”
Because nonconformity is what punk rock was all about, these men created bands that epitomized a life of mayhem. On stage they were too cool to be sober, and their fans expected a certain reckless persona from them. While all of the subjects on screen may have participated in acts of debauchery, as they aged, they started families. Whether or not they settled down, they’ve had to learn how to instill good values upon their kids despite their openly anarchist lifestyles. How do you tell your kid to obey the rules when you’ve got a tattoo across your forehead? As Lindberg puts it, “It’s almost impossible to be a punk rock hero AND a good authority figure for your kids.”
During their interviews, each man tells a bit about his childhood and his relationship with his own father. Almost all of them had absent or abusive fathers and divorced parents. They’ve learned what they could from their parents’ failed marriages and poor examples, and have worked to be the best parents they can be to their own children. While these men may have been too punk rock to show emotion in their heyday, on screen they bare it all, telling tales of rough pasts and failed familial relationships. Watching Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea tear up as he sits at the piano with his teenage daughter is beyond endearing, and as he and many others admit, their kids saved them. One of the more poignant speakers is Everclear frontman Art Alexakis, whose stories are heartbreaking.
While the film spends a good deal of time discussing their pasts, there’s no real explanation as to when and why these punks chose to settle down and have kids. What caused them to stop raging against the machine and become part of a system they strived their hardest to avoid? The Other F Word merely skims the surface of an issue within today’s punk rock music scene. While punks and fans may find the film too broad or lacking in detail, it’s not meant to be a comprehensive guide to the punk rock scene. It’s merely a study of a group of men within a subculture whose lives have changed in ways unfathomable to their teenage selves.
There are a few sections where things feel a little heavy-handed. Nevins does a good job mixing humor with some of the more somber parts of the doc, but her attempt to sprinkle a few acoustic performances into the film just don’t work. Watching the singers of Everclear and Rise Against perform their songs for the camera is uncomfortable, and their songs stick out as contrived amidst an otherwise smooth-flowing film. The film also feels less punk rock with the occasional use of animated lyrics on screen, but these tactics are used in order to appeal to a wider audience. Beyond the heavy stuff, The Other F Word is most fun when we’re getting to know the guys. Watching a tattooed Lars Frederiksen of Rancid clear out a playground with his toddler son is priceless, and it’s almost too cute to watch NoFx frontman Fat Mike, clad in a zebra print bathrobe, eat breakfast in bed with daughter Darla.
The Other F Word is an honest exploration that will appeal to fans and newcomers alike. For the viewer unfamiliar with the scene, the film gives a brief history of punk rock in Southern California, and today’s fans will thoroughly enjoy watching Fat Mike slather his daughter’s toast in spray butter. A punk never dreams of becoming a dad, but it’s clear from watching this documentary that once you have a kid, nothing else matters. And according to Lindberg, “that’s the punkest thing of all.”
Bonus Features
There’s your usual Feature Length Audio Commentary, Outtakes and Acoustic Performances (during which Dr. Drew tells the tale of how Fletcher of Pennywise vomited all over him on air), Music Videos By Jim Lindberg’s new band Black Pacific, an interesting Post-Screening Q&A at SXSW Premiere, and the Original Theatrical Trailer.
"The Other F Word" is on sale January 31, 2012 and is not rated. Documentary. Written and directed by Andrea Blaugrund Nevins. Starring Lars Frederiksen, Flea, Fat Mike, Jim Lindberg.
