I just returned home from a screening of the documentary Flustern & SCHREIEN (Whisper & SHOUT) at the Hammer Museum in Westwood. First of all, accolades to the Hammer for consistently providing great, FREE, programming to the public. Second, this film totally rules. Released in 1988, it follows several East German bands and their adoring fans, as they tour the country. What struck me most, aside from the fabulous German New Wave and punk soundtrack, was the attitude of the young people interviewed. All of them had these really marvelously positive outlooks on their lives and what they wanted to achieve, despite the fact that they had already received government-assigned jobs (like chimney-sweep), and were living in a completely isolated land. It was truly amazing to juxtapose their words against the fact that the wall came down only a year later.
The bands themselves (Silly, Feeling B, Chicoree, Sandow, and more) were required to have government-issued certifications to play concerts. To obtain one, according to the guy who introduced the film, the bands would have to submit lyrics and perform for the state. Obviously, these groups had to master the use of poetic and subversive language to get their rebellious message out to their audiences, while appeasing the state and maintaining their certs.
Overall, a must-see, for the music, for the amazing punk attitude of all the kids featured, and for the radical threads rocked by all!
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