The Damned - Don't You Wish That We Were Dead

As the purveyors of the first British punk single and the first British punk band to play CBGB's and to hit America's West Coast, as well as being the longest lived punk band, the Damned have certainly made a name for themselves and are rightfully thought of as part of the triumvirate of British punk, along with the Pistols and the Clash. While there are few fans who can say that they enjoy all of the transmutations that the group has gone through, they are still highly revered and remain a high class live act.

This doc gives a good overview of their career with lots'n'lots of fantastic photos and footage from their early days mixed in with more current footage - sometimes all in the same song and sometimes going back'n'forth so often that it can be hard keeping up with the continuity, but that's a minor complaint.

Pretty much any-and-everyone involved with the band is interviewed, concentrating on the original four, naturally, and there are lots of infighting and lots of back'n'forth with members coming'n'going and singer Vanien being the only constant. The Captain and Rat have a particularly contentious relationship these days which doesn't sound like it will ever be resolved, which is a shame as many people would love to see the original line-up again, which hasn't happened since the 80's - I believe it was their 10th anniversary tour, which ended badly, as well.

Love the great footage and their was a lot of new-to-me info on the workings on the band, but it does end on a bit of a sour note with the Captain and Dave whining about the lack of respect and money that the band has received, which I find funny as they are still making a living touring - a dream to most musicians - and they have had huge hit songs along the way, so they shouldn't really be hurting for cash. I guess you always wish that you could do more, but what they have done is truly extraordinary and they should revel in their accomplishments rather than complain about what might have been. But, that's me as someone who wishes that I could have made it to their level!

Anyway, check it out - lots of good rock'n'roll included!