If you’re involved in punk rock in 2011, you’re probably familiar with Plan It X records. It evokes strong opinions, from the easy target criticisms of “all right you smelly hippies,” to legions of younger fans who are strongly passionate about the same “up the punks” ethics that it embodies. After countless five dollar CDs by great bands, it’s hard to deny the label hasn’t made an impact that’s worthy of a close up like this.
While this DVD bills itself as a documentary about it’s own fest, there’s more to it than that. The whole thing starts with a quick breakdown of the beginnings of the DIY punk scene of the early/mid ‘90s, with poppy/weirder bands starting to put on their own shows in basements and other weird spaces versus hardcore bands that play rock clubs and bars. As mentioned previously, it’s easy to write that off as “yeah, I know that, that’s why I’m watching this,” but then again as someone who wasn’t there, I also had a moment of thinking “oh, right – I guess there was a kind of conscious decision made at some point.”
The history of the label is wound in gradually, which gives it a sort of natural feel of how it developed amongst everything else in the subculture, building up from putting out some cheap releases to the point where they put on their own fest, where there’s a bulk of interviews with bands and fans, ranging from train hopping crusties who ask for change just to get into the shows, to a father and son who’ve made the trip from Texas to attend, who obviously share a close bond and is actually pretty touching.
When you get a big picture condensed into a smaller package like this, the product is ultimately an interesting one. While it’s easy for a group like Plan It X and it’s fans to come off as cult-ish, it’s also fairly balanced. For all the bands that are praised for their ethics, bands like Against Me! are acknowledged with no judgment. For every kid talking about how this is how they want to live their life, there’s someone saying “sometimes responsibility isn’t all that bad.”
Overall, my opinion of the DVD is pretty much along with that of the label in general. I don’t necessarily subscribe to the full on plan. But, I can enjoy some of it in bits and pieces. They’re doing something, and while it’s not necessarily entirely my thing, it’s still a positive one, and I like that.
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