The film is something of a cult legend - only given a perfunctory theatrical release and a quick turnaround to VHS (where it promptly went out of print). When people did see it, it was on late night cable broadcasts like USA Network's seminal compendium of cult music and film Night Flight or in rare festival screening. The people who did see it -  musicians like Courtney Love and Kathleen Hanna; directors like Sara Jacobsen and Allison Anders - swore by its power and inspiration. It's a tall order for any film to live up to those expectations, but this one hits the mark more often than you would anticipate, justifying every bit of hype tossed its way. 

 The story is a classic 'us vs. them' scenario - in this case, the raw sound of punk rock vs. the bloated arena rock sound that was in a bit of a lull by the time this film came around (1982). In the former category is The Stains, a raw, unrehearsed group featuring three down on their luck teenagers - Corrine Burns (played admirably by Diane Lane), her sister Tracy and their cousin Jessica (Laura Dern). Corrine is something of a local celebrity having been featured in a TV expose where she snarls and snaps about her mother's recent death and then announces her band to the world. This scene that opens up the film is startling, with Lane chillingly capturing the disaffectedness of small town youth(not a surprise as she was 15 when Stains was filmed). 

Her small bit of celebrity scores The Stains a chance to open for the preening rockers, The Metal Corpses - a group that spends far too much time worrying about their makeup and scoring coke than writing any original music (their songs are KISS rehashes of the worst order). Also on the bill are the British punk outfit, The Looters, a bracing combination of the snottier side of Sex Pistols and the swagger of The Clash (not a surprise as the band is made up of Steve Jones and Paul Cook of the Pistols and Clash bassist Paul Simonon). After a fatal drug overdose kills the bassist for the Corpses, the other two bands end up on tour alone - inspiriing and deriding each other, especially as TV coverage of The Stains push them into the spotlight. 

Although the film seems to be taking some shots at the glow of media and commenting on the short lifespan of youthful trends - especially those based on ennui and misguided anger - it also captures the urgency and DIY spirit of punk rock. The Looters, though they were cooked up simply for this movie, are classic British punk, full of fire and political angst. The Stains, with their drummerless lineup and almost jangly songs bear the imprint of the post-punk movement, drawing a straight line to the rough pop sound of artists like Lois and Tattle Tale.

Its not a perfect movie - it makes its brash statements about consumerism a little too baldly - but it has a vibrancy and an acute perspective on the power of music and the power of its female leads. Now that its on DVD, it will hopefully go on to inspire a new breed of musicians and filmmakers.