Cleveland's Screaming: The Movie

Hiya! I've opened up this blog to let folks know about my movie "Cleveland's Screaming!" It's a documentary about the hardcore punk scene in Akron & Cleveland, Ohio in the early 1980's. There are plenty of punk rock docs these days. But they all focus on the nationally and internationally known bands. But punk rock was never about big, famous bands signed to major labels -- or even major independents. So, as good as some of those docs are, in a very real sense they are missing the point.

Punk was a grass roots movement that took place in a large number of places simultaneously. And though there was an overall unity to the movement, each local scene had its own unique flavor. In those pre-internet days, communication was not nearly as swift or as thorough as it is today. So one city's interpretation of what it meeant to be punk was often vastly different from another's.

A few punk superstars emerged from the Akron and Cleveland scenes -- Devo, the Dead Boys, Chrissie Hynde, Pere Ubu. But by the time hardcore emerged in the early 80's, the media spotlight was no longer focused on Northeast Ohio. The scene that developed there was totally unique. And yet it was very much like other hardcore scenes across the country and around the world.

In the documentary "Cleveland's Screaming," you'll get an intimate look at the NE Ohio scene.

I'll be using this blog to post progress reports on the making of the film. Enjoy!