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Dead Kennedys - DMPO's On Broadway
review by James S.
Not Rated
Studio: Cherry Red Films
Running Time: 58 minutes
Starring: Jello Biafra, Klaus Flouride, D. H. Peligro,
East Bay Ray
Directed by Dirt Dirksen
Retail Price: $29.99
Features: Discography, Interactive Menus
Specs: Standard format, Stereo, Chapter Search, Region
Free
I must have been wanting to reach back into my
adolescence and grab a piece of the past. Dead Kennedys -
DMPO's on Broadway chronicles the closing of San Francisco's
DMPO's on Broadway Avant-garde Theatre and Nightclub. The
final band to play at the club was none other than the Dead
Kennedys. Over an hour, you watch as Jello and gang thrash
out some of their great punk anthems. This isn't your
typical concert film. The stage diving crowd is as much fun
to watch as Jello's odd theatrics. The show was more
entertaining than I had imagined.
Remember those big, bulky camcorders from the 1980's?
This DVD was filmed in 1984 with what appears to be some of
that fine equipment. The concert was originally released on
VHS, and it shows. It looks like the final transfer was
taken right off the VHS. The picture lacks any resolution,
has occasional interference, and looks like television
reception with busted rabbit ears. I don't think the
director dreamed in 1984 that a medium like DVD would exist.
It shows.
Not as bad as the video, the audio is in stereo.
Unfortunately, there are moments where the sound drops out
and it sounds like the band is performing in a bathroom.
Other times, the video and audio are out of synch. Still,
the sound does a good enough job to capture the excitement
of the show. Expect plenty of tape hiss, too.
There's not much to write home about with this disc.
Aside from the roughly hour long feature, you get the Dead
Kennedys complete catalog of LPs, CDs, cassettes, videos,
and more.
This Dead Kennedys' concert was certainly more subdued
than the one I actually attended in high school. I wasn't
sure what to expect with this DVD. The excitement of the
concert I saw was matched with the concert footage of the
DVD. Fans of punk music will do themselves a favor by
watching the disc. Even those who aren't into DK will get a
kick out of the people watching that can be had. From a DVD
value, however, there is little. The DVD value for this
feature is strictly as an archival medium. Poor video,
suspect audio, and little in the way of features make Dead
Kennedys - DMPO's On Broadway a rent before you buy DVD.
 (3/5, NOT included in
final score)
 (.5/5)
 (1.5/5)
 (1/5)
(1/5,
NOT an average)
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