The best thing about this 1990s teen angst flick was its soundtrack. After all what’s youthful rebellion without kicking tunes?
Henry Rollins and Bad Brains covering MC5′ ‘Kick Out the Jams,’ the Pixies’ ‘Wave of Mutilation,’ Leonard Cohen’ haunting ‘Everybody Knows,’ an out-take too explicit to appear on the Beastie Boys’ License To Ill album, Sonic Youth’ ‘Titanium Expose,’ Soundgarden’ ‘Heretic,’ even the Descendants, Ice-T and Richard Hell.
Seriously there hadn’ been a soundtrack this good since Repo Man. So when the youth are rebelling, blowing up their awards in their microwave, graffing the school and sticking it to the man, they crank up ‘Kick Out The Jams’ and guess what? You identify, hell you want to slash the seats in solidarity and you’re watching this at home on your own couch. So a youthful Christian Slater, fresh from another Jack Nicholson impersonation in Heathers is a rebel with a cause, a shy nerd by day and the foul mouthed ultra horny Hard Harry, a pirate radio DJ at night. His broadcasts whip his local high school into a frenzy of anti-authoritarian behavior, which the Gestapo-like principal who I was positive was in Suspiria but it turns out was in Throw Mamma From the Train, attempts to crush with an iron fist. Writer/director Alan Moyle (Empire Records) manages to tap into teen angst in a non-patronising non-cliched way, and whilst he utilises a typical teen movie structure, does manage to weave in some loaded broadsides at the American educational system and the ’60s generation propensity to sell out. He also throws in plenty of juvenile humour and copious amounts of Slater pretending to flog himself. Samantha Mathis is beguiling as Slater’ love rebellious interest, even getting her gear off and we are blessed also with Seth Green in a non ironic mullet. 18 years on I’d expected Pump Up The Volume to have dated rather embarrassingly. It hasn’.
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Bob Baker Fish
