Desolation Center

Released Sep 13, 2019

1h 34m

Documentary

Music

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100%

17 Reviews

Tomatometer

The untold story of a series of Reagan-era anarchic punk rock desert happenings that still reverberate throughout our culture.

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Leah Pickett

Chicago Reader

Swezey's film confirms that his scene's flame is still burning.

Oct 24, 2019

Full Review

Marc Savlov

Austin Chronicle

Desolation Center illuminates a short-lived but absolutely momentous time when the Mojave beckoned, free of charge and front-loaded with anarchic artistic overload.

Rated: 3/5

Sep 19, 2019

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Tim Cogshell

FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)

What is most impressive about this doc is that there is footage of [the entire event].

Sep 16, 2019

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Jim Wirth

Uncut Magazine [UK]

If Swezey's shows created a blueprint for Burning Man and Coachella to perfect after the Sonic Youth-led grunge assault turned indie losers into commercial contenders, his film celebrates less hard-headed times.

Rated: 4/5

Sep 12, 2020

Full Review

Carla Hay

Culture Mix

It's packed with a lot of great archival photos and video footage, as well as an extremely well-rounded set of interviews from artists, fans, and behind-the-scenes industry people who usually have first-hand accounts of Desolation Center shows.

Jul 23, 2020

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Brent McKnight

The Last Thing I See

"Desolation Center" is certainly a bit idealized and over-reverent, but it offers a beguiling peek at a slice of hidden history and documents a specific, definitive epoch, one whose influence still resonates today.

Rated: B

Jun 26, 2020

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john s

DESOLATION CENTER ON DESERTING Shuttle busing a murder of LA kids out to the Mojave Desert and attempting a musical happening, Desolation Centre was the first punk version of Woodstock. The bare bones year one operation featured Savage Republic and the Minutemen, proveing successful enough to entice New York scenesters Sonic Youth, german industrial experimenters Einsturzende Neubauten, and mad scientist Mark Pauline blowing shit up, to join in on the action. This was the early eighties, and though the rest of the world was chiefly unawares, the Desolation Center projects proved very influential, and pointed directly to such gargantuan beasts as Lollapalooza, Coachella and Burning Man. Luckily photos were taken, footage was shot, and many people survived to retell the tale. The resulting documentary, if a bit scrambled and rough, does a nice job of capturing the yahoo artistic explosion of a new generation looking to create their own identity, their own scene, their own happening. Stuart Sweezey, who organized the festivals, also directs this doc, and thus offers crucial insider information, but very little distance from the source. It all sounds pretty cool and fabulous and often outta control, and maybe it was, but the film really works best when some of the outsiders like Thurston Moore (who came cross country because he was such a geeky fan) and Blixa Bargeld (who remembers almost nothing) have their say. Desolation Center works as an historic document, a surprising bit of entertainment, and a look into a time and place few people knew or cared about, but should have. - hipCRANK

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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Stuart Swezey

Director

Perry Farrell

Self

Thurston Moore

Self

Mike Watt

Self

Stuart Swezey

Producer

Jeremy Royce

Cinematographer

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Synopsis

The untold story of a series of Reagan-era anarchic punk rock desert happenings that still reverberate throughout our culture.

Director: Stuart Swezey
Production Co: Mu Productions
Genre: Documentary, Music
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 13, 2019, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 21, 2020
Box Office (Gross USA): $32.0K
Runtime: 1h 34m

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