While we all long for the days where we could commune together and listen to great music at an outdoor festival, one documentary is dropping at exactly the right time to scratch that itch. The Stuart Swezey directed Desolation Center tells the untold story of Reagan-era guerrilla desert happenings now recognized as the inspirations for Burning Man, Lollapalooza, and Coachella including Sonic Youth, Minutemen, Meat Puppets, Swans, Einstürzende Neubauten, and more. The film features interviews with musicians such as Perry Farrell (Jane’s Addiction), Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth), Mike Watt (Minutemen) and many more. The movie will be available digitally on June 23, 2020.
Synopsis: Directed by Stuart Swezey, the creator and principal organizer of the events, DESOLATION CENTER demonstrates how the risky, and at times even reckless, actions of a few outsiders can unintentionally lead to seismic cultural shifts. Combining Swezey’s exclusive access to never-before-seen archival video, live audio recordings, and stills woven together with new cinematically shot interviews, verité footage and animated sequences, DESOLATION CENTER captures the spirit of the turbulent times from which these events emerged. The timeless power of DIY—do-it-yourself culture—is a recurrent theme throughout the film, spotlighting the true diversity of LA’s early punk scene, where alienated young people—white, Latino, black, Asian, LGBTQ—joined together against the militarized police repression of the Reagan-era LAPD that was the backdrop of the film’s events. More than just the story of a series of wild and unorthodox happenings, DESOLATION CENTER holds true the spirit of freedom and possibility that Punk and its clarion call of creative deconstruction embodied.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
