Sunday, February 18, 2018

Trailer Review: THE ALLINS (Toolbox Film/Beat Film) by Dave Wolff

Official trailer 2017
Movie directed by Sami Saif
Produced by Toolbox Film in association with Beat Film
I wonder if the same people who refer to GG Allin as a legend today hated him, feared him and trashed him in the press while he was alive. Favorable reviews of him were few and far between when I started buying his albums in 1988 and ’89. When I interviewed Merle Allin (GG’s brother and Murder Junkies bassist) he said people feel less threatened by him after his fatal overdose in 1993 and know they can make money off him. This is an issue that goes back to the 70s with Malcolm McLaren’s Cash from Chaos scheme. Is punk about the money or making a statement about society, or spreading information you don’t read about in national newspapers (like The Shadow and Maximum Rock N Roll)? With GG Allin you got the feeling that nothing is sacred. As he stated on Jerry Springer: “Rock and roll is not about what you look like, who you hang out with, how much money you make, what kind of car you drive. Rock and roll is the fury from within you. Rock and roll is revenge, rock and roll is your enemy, and I am your enemy.” GG represented rebellion for rebellion’s sake, as clichéd as that sounds. So to present an unbiased view of his life and career without exploiting his memory you’d have to find the right director. From watching the trailer of The Allins I gather the documentary is presented from the point of view of Merle and GG”s mother Arleta Allin who opens up and makes a real effort to show a side of GG the fans and the media did not see. As Arleta had a close personal relationship with Kevin (as he was known offstage) she makes it clear early in the trailer she didn’t like fans and/or bandwagon jumpers coming to her New Hampshire hometown and desecrate his headstone. Merle didn’t care for it either; we see him approaching a guilty party and smacking him with an acoustic guitar. The trailer hints at the contrast between life as GG Alin and life as Kevin Allin which I would like to see more of when viewing the documentary. The last film I watched about GG that I liked was Todd Phillips’ Hated which touched on his youth and upbringing; this one may well be more intimate and personal when it comes to depicting his family life and the earliest years of his musical career with his first band Malpractice. I may wait until it comes out on DVD but it’s something I’m looking forward to seeing. -Dave Wolff

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