Kaiju Sized Moments of Absurdity, Hilarity, Shock & Awe in Japanese Giant Monster and Science Fiction Movies

Japan's unique brand of science fiction and monster cinema is home to many scenes that will leave you awestruck, stimulate your imagination, and also make your jaw drop, and your belly ache from laughter. This is a selection of fifteen of the silliest, the wackiest, the most outrageous moments in serious, and not-so-serious Japanese creature features of the outsized sort.

1. KING KONG VS. GODZILLA (1962): THERE WAS A KROOKED KONG...
 

Overt goofiness in Japanese monster flicks began to seep in with this classic, and hugely entertaining monster mash. Whether it be the Japanese in black-face, Yu Fujiki complaining of his corns hurting, Ichiro Arishima's goofy Mr. Tako, or Kong getting drunk on berries, there's plenty of fun to be had regardless of which version of KKVG you watch. The 'Falls Count Anywhere' battle royale at the end is spectacular with both beasts getting in some cheap jabs; and they celebrate accordingly. Even though it's all intended with the most light-hearted touch, there are a few shots where Kong shows signs of some rare monster bone disease with arms that bend in ways arms aren't meant to bend. The Kong suit used here isn't one of the more popular among movie fans. Reportedly, a number of gorilla designs were rejected by Tsuburaya before this one was decided on, so it'd be great to see just how bad those earlier ones looked.

2. GORATH (1962).... BECAUSE GIANT WALRUS!

Ishiro Honda's ambitious and expensive SciFi tale of Armageddon is among the best examples of science fiction cinema. It works perfectly as a story about mankind contending with a gigantic star (the Gorath of the title) that threatens to decimate the Earth. But with giant monsters all the rage at the time, producer Tomiyuki Tanaka thought it'd be best if one found a home somewhere in the script. For approximately 5 minutes, GORATH's trajectory is stopped while Magma, a giant walrus freed from its icy tomb in the South Pole, runs rampant over miniature sets before being subdued by laser fire. It's jarring, but considering Japan is teeming with giant kaiju spread out all over the country, it fits. But try to imagine a giant sea serpent attacking Gene Hackman and the rest of the cast trapped inside the capsized ocean liner from THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE (1972); or Charlton Heston faced with confronting a giant creature wrecking havoc in EARTHQUAKE (1974).... which might not be such a bad idea after all.

3. MONSTERS REQUIRE AN INTERPRETER IN GHIDORAH, THE THREE HEADED-MONSTER (1965)

In Japan, three heads are better than one; not just as a proverb, but applicable for giant monsters, too. Mothra momentarily halts Godzilla and Rodan's monster melee to try and talk them into beating up King Ghidorah, the triple-headed playground bully of the universe. With humans watching on the sidelines, Mothra's twin fairies translate everything into English (in the dubbed print, anyways); all except Godzilla's "terrible language"! Godzilla and Rodan's batting boulders back at forth schtick was perfected in the "tennis match" between Godzilla and Ebirah in GODZILLA VS. THE SEA MONSTER (1967).

THOSE MAGNIFICENT JAPANESE SPX MEN AND THEIR FLYING MACHINES 

Japanese science fiction might seem silly, or even contemptible to some mainstream viewers, but there's no denying the level of creativity on display in them. With numerous live action and animated TV shows  featuring assorted mecha and transforming vehicles, Japanese SciFi is a virtual smorgasbord of imaginative ideas -- the ultimate sandbox for big kids. Some of the cool creations that come to mind are the Goten-Go, or ATRAGON (1963); an enormous, weapons-laden undersea warship that can also fly; the main warship of MIGHTY JACK was another flying submarine that also acted as an aircraft carrier. Melding the past with the future was a frequent theme in Japan-a-tainment, and one of the more surreal examples is the sailing ship spacecraft seen in Toei's goofy, gaudy STAR WARS style epic MESSAGE FROM SPACE (1978). Think STARCRASH (1978) or BATTLE BEYOND THE STARS (1980), only it's superior to the former and comparable to the latter.

4. GODZILLA DOES THE FUNKY KAIJU IN MONSTER ZERO (1965)

After both he and Rodan rough up King Ghidorah, Godzilla does this goofy victory dance on the surface of Planet X, home to a race of emaciated New Wave rock musicians whose out of this world attire includes visor sunglasses, huge neck braces, and curly-toed boots. Anyway, our two hero monsters 'Whip It', and 'Whip It Good' in their rematch with KG. Known as 'The Jumping Shie' in Japan, Godzilla's Happy Dance is basically a jumping heel click. It's kind of jarring the first time you see it, but it grows on you over time.

5. FRANKENSTEIN VS. BARAGON (1965): BECAUSE... GIANT OCTOPUS!

Toho's mix of Shelley's novel with nazis and kaiju conventions was a bizarre marriage, but Honda and company make it work. With a title like FRANKENSTEIN VS. BARAGON you're guaranteed a ticket into Drive In Heaven.  The heart of the Frankenstein Monster is eaten by a starving boy who grows into a giant neolithic caveman and battles a subterranean lizard; and it's all taken dead serious. The cream of the calamari crop is the inclusion of a giant, pissed off octopus. At the behest of impulsive American producers who went gaga over the octopi from KING KONG VS. GODZILLA (1962), an alternate ending was shot where a tired Franky M. is assaulted by an angry cephalopod after a grueling 15 minute Japan Death Match against Baragon (unlike Daiei's Barugon, this one looks like a puppy dog). These same impulsive American producers were apparently fickle, too, as the ending was never used. The tentacled terror did get used in the sequel, FRANKENSTEIN MONSTERS: SANDA VS. GAIRA (1966), aka WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS.

6. EVEN KOREAN KAIJU LIKE YONGARY, MONSTER FROM THE DEEP (1967) LOVE THE NIGHT LIFE... AND LIKE TO BOOGIE

If Godzilla and Gamera can both get down and boogie, than why not this reptilian critter from South Korea? Korea shows they can do giant monsters just like their Japanese colleagues, only far less exciting. An hour in, Yongary wakes up from one of his oil drinking binges and inexplicably begins dancing while Korean surfer music blares on the soundtrack. A little boy encourages Yongary, and does the Korean Twist, himself. On a more serious note, Yongary will go down in history as the only known Asian monster to bleed from his ass before expiring. South Korea produced an even crappier remake in the 1990s titled YONGARRY. The country did a much better crappy monster movie in 1976 with A*P*E.

7. THE GREEN SLIME (1968) KNOWS HOW TO ROCK

Kinji Fukasaku's unbelievably entertaining 'B' movie (B as in Bad) plays it straight, but I defy you to keep a straight face while watching it. The original Japanese version runs 77 minutes versus the US cuts 90 minutes; the latter of which emphasizes the love triangle between Horton, Paluzzi and Jaeckel when the creatures aren't lighting up their victims with their high voltage attacks. What generously aids in getting this tale of cyclopean, tentacled aliens wrecking havoc aboard a space station a spot on this list is the psychedelic, spaced-out groove tune by Richard Delvy called 'Green Slime'. If you're familiar with the original song (exclusive to the US release), get in the spirit of green globular goodness and sing along in your head with these new lyrics below...

What can it be -- where did it come from?
A film so bad, your mind goes numb
Laugh and cry and maybe scream
You'll wake and hope it's all been a dream
From Japan and oh so sublime
Eating away at your brain, it's Green Slime!

GODZILLA HAS MINYA. ULTRAMAN HAS PIGMON.

Throughout the 39 episodes of ULTRAMAN and its numerous spin-offs, there's been a generous supply of bizarre monsters to fill out the long-running series. Out of all the remarkably offbeat creatures, one of the most popular is the passive Pigmon. Highly irritating, yet modestly lovable all at the same time, there's no denying the 'hand on a chalkboard' level of annoyance evoked by this squawking, skeletal-clawed, pink-colored, fat-lipped chia pet. Kids love'em, and I do remember crying back then when I witnessed poor Pigmon being squashed while trying to help The Science Patrol. Aside from his ridiculous appearance, his hyper hopping, and hand flailing remained burned into my brain all these years later. Appearing occasionally throughout the various Ultraman incarnations, Pigmon starred in episodes 8 and 37 of the original ULTRAMAN -- and both times he died either crushed by boulders thrown by Red King, or smashed by the hand of Dorako. He was sort of the Kenny of the Ultraverse (Oh, my god! You killed Pigmon!).

 8. GAMERA REVEALS HE'S A BEAST ON THE GYMNASTICS BARS IN GAMERA VS. GUIRON (1968)

If battling a monster from outer space with a big knife on his head wasn't bizarre enough, the creatures brightly colored alien home world has giant gymnast bars that the monsters can use to brush up on their agility. Gamera takes a brief moment to show off his acrobatic skills before Guiron attempts to make turtle soup out of him. In other weirdness, Guiron turns Space Gyaos into sliced bologna, and two alien women plot to eat the brains of the two young boys they capture!

9. GAMERA REVEALS HE'S A BEAST IN WATER SPORTS IN GAMERA VS. VIRAS (1968)

For half of the original Gamera series, the makers tried to build an entire movie around two tykes exploring their surroundings -- aboard UFO's, other planets, or inside Gamera himself -- in between scenes with the monsters. Only GAMERA VS. JIGER (1970) was successful in not making a boring mess with this formula. In VIRAS, it's a cadre of octopi aliens traveling in a weird looking spacecraft made up of five glowing ping pong balls with bullseye's painted on them. Two boys are kidnapped by the aliens, and spend a lot of time walking around the ship. The monster money shot is Gamera water skiing on Viras's tentacles. In the meantime, you'll thrill to some 20 minutes of stock footage from previous Gamera films to pad out the picture.

10. GODZILLA TAKES FLIGHT IN GODZILLA VS. THE SMOG MONSTER (1971)

Yoshimitsu Banno's acid trip kaiju opus not only had Godzilla battling Hedorah in a desperate bid to "Save the Earth", but there was also trippy animation sequences, tons of goop, irradiated humans and Japanese hippies. The highlight of it all is probably Godzilla tucking his tail between his legs and using his radioactive breath to fly and chase Hedorah in flying form. Godzilla going airborne was such a hit with producer Tanaka, he exclaimed Banno had ruined the series and promised he'd never direct another Godzilla movie ever again. Hedorah is quite the nasty jokester, too; it makes Diarrhea all over Godzilla in one of the films funnier moments.

11. GAMERA REVEALS HE'S A BEAST ON AN XYLOPHONE IN GAMERA VS. ZIGRA (1971)

Thankfully this was the last Gamera movie till 1980 when the gaudy, cheap, yet bitchin' stock footage fest of GAMERA SUPER MONSTER made all those scenes feel fresh and new again with tighter editing and a snazzy soundtrack. Before overcooking his big fish, Gamera rocks out by playing his own theme song on the spiky back of Zigra while doing a celebratory jig. Zigra, a talking alien shark, would have made a great ULTRAMAN series addition.

HERO IN AN ASCOT: KAMEN RIDER

One of Japan's most revered, and popular Tokusatsu television programs, KAMEN RIDER began in 1971 (the first series ran from April 1971 to February 1973 for 98 episodes) and is still going strong today in its various incarnations on the big and small screen. There are many adjectives one could use to describe KAMEN RIDER, a TV show that's not only aimed at kids, but is both chintzy and freakishly violent at times -- towards both humans and monsters alike. To simply call the story about an ascot wearing, motorcycle riding humanoid cricket battling the forces of Shocker and their army of monsters weird is an understatement. KAMEN RIDER was popular in other Asian territories, and highly influential on the Shaw Brothers cult favorite, THE SUPER INFRAMAN (1975). Some of the monster designs in that movie were clearly inspired by similarly daft creations in the Japanese show. If you're into eccentric cinema and television, the world of Japanese Tokusatsu and Super Sentai is a veritable goldmine of gonzo themes and ideas.

 12. KIDS WILL ABSOLUTELY ADORE DAIGORO VS. GOLIATH (1972). ADULTS WILL ABSOLUTELY ABHOR IT.

Tsuburaya's 10th Anniversary film is a celebration of absurdity, yet it's oddly charming at the same time. If you dislike the more pronounced kiddie kaiju movies, you'll loath this beyond compare. However, this is first and foremost a kids flick. What makes this of peculiar interest is that the special effects surpass those of the Godzilla series that were coming out at that time. Other than some songs, a sort of Japanese Pee Wee Herman (before there was even a Pee Wee Herman), and humans training Daigoro for his big battle, the height of ridiculousness is reached in the last scene when Daigoro is seen exiting a gigantic outhouse!

 13. DOUBLE TEAM SLIDING TAIL SUPA DROP-KICK FROM GODZILLA VS. MEGALON (1973)

GVM is one long tag team monster match, but by this time, there really wasn't much lunacy left for Toho's kaiju department to come up with. We got a giant cyborg cochroach, a giant cyborg chicken with a buzz saw in his chest (introduced in GODZILLA VS. GIGAN [1972]), and Jet Jaguar, an Ultraman style robot who would be more convincing if her were just a guy in a silver mask wearing a garishly colorful aerobics outfit. As a bonus, there's Robert Dunham in a toga and tiara with a Megalon head attached to it. All this inspired insanity needed was some Godzilla shenanigans -- which it got with that hilarious drop-kick maneuver -- not once, but twice.

14. UNFORTUNATELY, LEGEND OF DINOSAURS AND MONSTER BIRDS (1977) EXISTS 

Toei did scarcely few movies featuring giant monsters. Outside of the ninja fantasy, THE MAGIC SERPENT (1966), this torturous Japanese version of JAWS (1975) is the most well known. The gore is moist, meaty, and surprisingly well done with guts, body parts and half eaten horses strewn from one end of the screen to the next. Sadly, the monsters are the polar opposite; and among the worst ever put to film. A marionette play for kids would have better models. LEGEND OF DINOSAURS AND MONSTER BIRDS is Japan's version of THE GIANT CLAW (1957). It's a totally bizarre movie that any fan of kaiju films should experience at least once in their life -- even if you do regret it later.

15. ATTACK OF THE SUPER MONSTERS (1977/1982) PROVES MIXING SUITMATION, STOP-MOTION AND ANIME ONLY SOUNDS GOOD ON PAPER

This outrageously wacky movie, a re-edited version of the TV series DINOSAUR WAR IZENBORG, has dinosaurs taking over the Earth while poorly rendered anime characters thwart their plans; these include a brother and sister duo that combine to form Izenborg -- an Ultraman type character -- a concept similar to that of ULTRAMAN ACE (1972-1973). A cretinous Cretaceous dino named Emperor Tyrannus (Ururu in Japanese version) plans the destruction of mankind while barking orders like, "Destroy!" and "Kill them all!" at other dinosaurs. There's lots of miniatures and some of the worst stop-motion you'll ever see. The dinosaur suit from THE LAST DINOSAUR (1977) was slumming it here, but for this, he actually got dialog. As atrocious as it is, IZENBORG in its motion picture form is Honda level expertise compared to the series (and cobbled together movie) that preceded it -- DINOSAUR EXPLORATION TEAM BORN FREE (KYORYU TANKENTAI BORN FREE [1976]), aka RETURN OF THE DINOSAURS.

The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years (1988) review

 


THE DECLINE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION PART II: THE METAL YEARS 1988

Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Alice Cooper, Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Lemmy, Ozzy Osbourne, Bret Michaels, Bobby Dall, Rikki Rockett, C.C. DeVille, Faster Pussycat, Lizzy Borden, London, Odin, Seduce, Megadeth, and more

Directed by Penelope Spheeris

The Short Version: The filmmaker behind the first DECLINE in 1981, THE BOYS NEXT DOOR (1985) and WAYNE'S WORLD (1992) turned her attention towards the 80s headbanger scene in this one-sided metal rockumentary that's equal parts fascinating and funny with a lot of girls, girls, girls, and a dab of fakery thrown in to get the point across. Through numerous interviews and stage show excerpts, various rockers -- young hopefuls and those already financially established -- discuss the wild world that was the heavy metal way of life in 1988 before it careened off a cliff by the early 1990s. Hair today, gone tomorrow.

"A lot of performers from the 80s haven't fared very well -- that's obvious from watching THE DECLINE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION II: THE METAL YEARS. Where are all those people now? That film probably killed their careers -- it made everyone who liked heavy metal look like morons." -- Lemmy in his autobiography, 'White Line Fever', page 210. 

Penelope Spheeris interviews a myriad number of heavy metal hair bands about their success and what it's like to be a rock star. Also interviewed are many struggling musicians and young hopefuls who want to find fame, fortune, and that all important record deal amidst LA's crowded metal scene in the late 1980s.

Filmed from August 1987 to February 1988, director Spheeris probes into the lives of heavy metal bands in a series of candid interviews mixed with footage of the band members doing their thing and occasionally humiliating themselves while dressed in loud clothes, leather and lots of Aqua Net. A scant few escape with their dignity intact, but mostly these guys (and girls) are just having 'Nothin' But a Good Time'. The picture doesn't exactly paint these rockers in the best light; and for some, that's not too difficult. It does feel like a one-sided approach is being taken, but Spheeris does ask some pertinent, to-the-point questions that beget very interesting answers ("What if you don't make it as a rock star?", "Are you afraid of getting AIDS?"). Some of the interviewees do come off more serious than others, but the level of shallowness seen in many of the participants is deeper than the average kiddie pool. 

"I don't wanna work till I'm 60 and die poor at 70... and have a fat wife bitchin' at me, and 30 kids... I wanna do my own thing."

The struggling musicians, oblivious about what their future might hold, and careless about being bums and moochers till they find success (and many never did), come off the worst. In their minds wealth is assured, despite a high probability they will never attain it. Even with a high quotient of ridiculous words falling out of their mouths, these bits end up as the most intriguing. The doc does get across that some of these musicians work for a living and do their music on the side, but the bulk of them don't work, or never had a job, and live off whatever woman will take them in. This is possibly the most disappointing thing about this movie -- a greater understanding of the heavy/hair/party metal culture is lacking. It's a 'Greatest Hits' package of peripheral musings that focus more attention on the popular, negative staples associated with this style of music. Long hair had always been attributed with rebellion, and during this time the corruption of the youth via heavy metal (and Satan!) were popular targets on the societal dartboard.

"Disobedient boys... that's what we are."

The notion that heavy metal is THE factor to these kids dropping out of school, or never getting a job, doing drugs, excessive partying, promiscuity, etc is how the topic is periodically covered. We get nothing about the backgrounds of some of these people; but if we did, the message that 'The Metal Years' is key to our civilizations decline would be undermined. Spheeris claims to be a fan of the genre, but her movie distorts some things in order to get her point across. Not every rock star is a moron, or turned to drugs. Some of those who didn't are featured here, as well as those who got clean; but that aspect of their professional lives is glossed over. For example both Steven Tyler ("I musta' snorted up all of Peru") and Joe Perry are as proud of being clean from alcohol and drugs as they are of their sexual prowess -- the latter of which gets more discussion. Both Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley avoided the allure of drugs to stay the course of achieving their goals of becoming a successful band; and this is merely hinted at in their segments.

Personal responsibility is conspicuous in its absence among the bulk of the interviewees; although the way some of the wannabe's present themselves, it's difficult to feel sympathy for them. Moreover, it's much more entertaining to highlight people making fools of themselves; and that's in abundance in DECLINE II, which could be viewed as an inadvertent sequel to THIS IS SPINAL TAP (1984). Like sex, sensationalism sells, and Spheeris's movie turns that up to eleven.

The bits with the established rockers doesn't come off much better. At the time, they didn't seem to care, really. Not surprisingly, a number of those interviewed weren't too fond of the finished product. Some were embarrassed by their participation, while others claimed their remarks were taken out of context to make them look stupid. Some were pleased with how it all turned out. Apparently the films premiere was as much a circus as what ended up onscreen. The bulk of the doc is built around the rebellious young hopefuls; and no doubt they were hopeful this film would get them discovered. In the case of most of the lower tiered bands showcased, success eluded them in the long run. Bands, or band members seen here include Aerosmith (Tyler and Perry), KISS (Simmons and Stanley), Motorhead (Lemmy), Alice Cooper, Ozzy Osbourne, Poison, Megadeth, W.A.S.P., Faster Pussycat, Vixen, Tuff, Lizzy Borden, Odin, London ("We are not role models for your life!") and Seduce.

"It's the theatrical effect, I guess it's cool. It's when they wear [makeup] off-stage and try and pat you on the ass that worries me.... sometimes it worries me."

The focus of DECLINE II is on the hair metal bands so naturally the concept of guys making themselves up like girls is covered; what they think about it, and what women think about it. The inescapable topic of drugs is regularly discussed, while those who never did them, or are now clean are minimized. Uncouth behavior is the order of the day; some of it good-natured. The so-called satanic ramifications associated with metal is trotted out via Darlyne Pettinicchio's "demetaling" program; and it's a hoot, too. Those easily offended will find much to disturb them with all the perceived degradation of women. Nevermind that rap took this T&A torch and ran with it when metal lost its touch. The famous LA Cathouse Club is in there, and this is where Spheeris's documentary reveals where its interests lie. 

"It's kind of a rule that chicks don't get in the house unless they have a sack of groceries with'em, you know."

The looming air of sexism in the genre is unavoidable, but the director focuses a lot of attention on it. Bill Gazzarri's famous nightclub gets two segments; actually the same segment, but cut in two in case you forgot about the women shaking their ass for the camera the first time around. Gazzarri had been a well known club owner since the late 60s, and by the late 80s, he'd turned himself into a heavy metal Hugh Hefner with his gaggle of girls who, if this film is anything to go by, had as much air in their head as silicone in their chest. 

"Guys in the metal scene are fun. You can take advantage of them just as the guys can take advantage of the girls in the metal scene..."

Granted, Spheeris includes some female rockers who are just as self-serving, sex-hungry, fame-obsessed as the guys. The men and women were clearly using each other to get whatever it was they wanted during this time period. Regardless of your opinion on the whole hair metal/glam rock scene, it was one long party that, when it was over in the early 90s, was replaced by this depressing, grating sound that was grunge. Regarding grunge, a number of critics, and some of the musicians interviewed here, feel this documentary was key in the death of metal as a mainstream force. 

"Well, that's not really Ozzy's house. And I faked the orange-juice spill. So there's two broken bubbles." -- Penelope Spheeris, A.V. Club interview, March 10th, 1999 

The way the interviews are arranged is awkward to say the least. Spheeris claimed the interview locations were left up to the subjects -- so Gene Simmons chose a lingerie shop; Paul Stanley favored being filmed draped by three lingerie models on a bed; Lemmy is in some isolated location; and Ozzy is supposed to be in his home. In his autobiography, Lemmy had no say in how he was filmed and found the filmmakers methods aggravating and stupid. Needless to say, he wasn't a fan of the film. Some criticized the blatant chauvinism of the KISS bits despite the whole metal movement being about excess; so that Simmons and Stanley would be featured in their natural habitat makes perfect sense. Nearly their entire discography is nothing but songs about partying and fucking, so what would you expect? Mind you, the one with Ozzy in "his kitchen" was revealed by Spheeris herself to be staged (for instance, the bit where he pours orange juice everywhere but in a glass) some ten years after the docs release.

"I couldn't believe the amount of horseshit in that film. It seems that all anyone talked about was partying and getting laid. What about being in a band and playing music?" -- Ozzy Osbourne in a Guitar World Magazine interview from June, 1990.

The one segment that always seems to get the most discussion is the interview with W.A.S.P. guitarist Chris Holmes. The setting is in his pool -- drunk. His mother is seen sitting in a chair poolside while the heavily inebriated Holmes downs a few bottles of vodka and says things most folks would never say in front of their mothers, much less get drunk in their presence. While neither Spheeris, nor Holmes have ever commented on this segments validity, it has been stated by multiple sources that Holmes, while evidently drunk, was actually downing water that had been filled up in the vodka bottles. Anyone who can expeditiously chug half a bottle of vodka in one go and immediately answer questions without missing a beat couldn't possibly be human. This part of the film is compelling, but knowing bits of the documentary are fixed, or staged not only lessens the impact, but makes one wonder what else has been rigged. It wasn't the first time a documentary fabricated situations to get a point across, and it wasn't the last. 

"I'd rather get rich playing music than get rich doing plumbing."

THE DECLINE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION II works best as a time capsule of a bygone era that is fondly remembered by some, and a source of embarrassment by others. Many of the hair metal bands are still around, and occasionally crop up on summer tours playing for crowds big and small. For the most part, the bands featured in this film are still where they were when they were interviewed for this film. For some, that was continued success, and for others, it was nowhere. 

In addition to a number of movies including THE BOYS NEXT DOOR (1985) and WAYNE'S WORLD (1992), director Penelope Spheeris made this series a trilogy with THE DECLINE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION III in 1998.

The Metal Years may be past, but heavy metal continues to be a viable market overseas in Europe and Japan while maintaining a cult appreciation stateside. Who knows if, or when its time will ever come around again. We can all snicker at many of the individuals here and their delusions of grandeur, as well as some of the phenomenally silly, empty-headed things they say; but behind all that nonsense, the one positive thing to come out of this is that the bands, whether they made it or not, believed they could, and gave what they had in an overwhelmingly crowded, competitive industry of big dreams, and most importantly, big hair.