Director
This 47-minute piece of video verite captures an iconic band and front woman on the rise playing in their natural habitat: New York's legendary CBGB. Director Rod Swenson was on hand one sweaty night in 1977 to document Blondie ripping through a good part of their debut album while also throwing in some incredible covers from The Yardbirds, The Runaways and Freddy Cannon. The video is lifted and digitized right off the original videotapes, retaining a grit that makes the viewer feel like they were actually there that night as Blondie and punk rock was in the midst of firming its grip on the city. Highlights include In The Sun, Man Overboard, A Shark In Jets Clothing, In The Flesh, X-Offender, Rip Her To Shreds, I Love Playing With Fire and a special rehearsal clip of Denis.
Director
Pioneers of punk-metal fusion, Wendy O. Williams and the Plasmatics revolutionized the culture of American music with unparalleled live performances and jaw-dropping theatrics, on and off stage. Lightning rods for controversy, Williams and the band endured police arrests and countrywide bans. With unforgettable stunts such as taking chainsaws to guitars and blowing up full-size cars, their chaotic live concerts are the stuff of legend.
