A Reflection: The Death of Belief
"We drove a few hours to get there. And when I got there, everybody in the band was in different places. I think David was probably talking on the phone to Vic. And Dennis was hanging out with Mike Fight. Angry. And you were all scowling, and, you knowââ¬Â¦ Not getting along with each other.
And you know, it was this ridiculous little basement punk showââ¬Â¦ Sometimes, punk rock is beautiful because it's a reflection of what life should be, in some ways. And sometimes, it's just a stupid clique for adolescents. This show was somewhere in between there. It wasn't, necessarily, the most beautiful and inspiring thing.
We were talking about this beforeââ¬Â¦ Like, when it's time to die, who's ready to die as gloriously and nobly as the fact of our mortality demands? Who's ready for that? By the time you die, you're so exhausted and so beaten and so miserable that you can only die. And the night was tragic. I said it the whole way though, that it was tragic because punk rock didn't save our lives. It was tragic because the police beat us down and, you know, prevented us from even having that moment.
And myselfââ¬Â¦ It's been along time now, but I came away from that tragedy with this burning desire to make all the things that should have been there that night, and weren't. To make them real. And to make relationships with people and situations where it was magical to be there. And it wasn't that we were all old, and jaded, and tired, and didn't believe in it anymore. If that was the end of the storyââ¬Â¦ the fact that I was still alive meant that I had to make the rest of my life mean the opposite thing. Wanting that means that you're destined for a lot more defeats. That's not all there is."
Refused are Fucking Dead is the story of Refused as told by guitarist, Kristofer Steen. From the idealism and rebellion to the fatigue that would eventually be their demise and everything in between. The story of Refused, as told by Refused. It follows the generic rock DVD formula of interview excerpt, live song, interview excerpt, live songââ¬Â¦ But who cares? For once, it's the story that is the important thing. It's not the song. It's not the live energy that flows out in abundance. It's the storyââ¬Â¦
The story of Refused. The story of how Refused, the band, and Refused, the music, and Refused, the legacy, all exist side-by-side and, yet, are separate entities. A musical bequest reflected in post-hardcore generica. And an attitude that mirrors the true baseness of punk rock rebellion and how it is so seldom found in all those that call Refused "heroes." It is the story of how Refused's legacy exists exogenously to the band. It is the age-old dictum of idealism against realism, and how one is always the victor. A story of how practicality and romanticism clashed and how they shattered each other. A story of how beautiful and ultimately, mordant punk rock can be. A reflection of the true self-destructive nature of genius, seminality and that rare-found heroism.
Complete with grainy footage ofThe Shape of Punk to Come live as an extra, Refused Are Fucking Dead exists as witness to both the purity and cardinal futility of punk rock rebellion. The storyââ¬Â¦ the inside story, of the most important modern punk rock band. The story of how one band's musical influence contradicted with their ethos and ethics. The story of vanity, of optimism and ultimately, the self-destruction of insurgence. A story of how the morals and music of revolt are mutually incompatible. Of how rebellion is specific only to time and how music transcends both. Poignantly, a story of how Refused's own contradictions conspired to destroy the very foundations of why Refused ever needed to exist. Ultimately, a story of the death of punk rock. Of why punk rock was never as important as those who believed in itââ¬Â¦ A story of resigned acceptance. Of a defeat that was carried on and mutated by legacy into victory. And all surely, reflected within the written, piquant black on white comments, right at the very start of the movie...
"Refused existed between 1991 and 1998ââ¬Â¦"
Fuck the rest of it. Refused are fucking dead.
