The movie begins innocently enough, with song subject matter "Paulene," flipping through frequencies on a transistor radio, and writing a letter to express her thanks to the band. It then jets off into the main video, consisting of the L.A. lifestyle through the visuals and ideas of X. This rockumentary consists of the band members guiding the camera crew through the city slums, inspirations, and old punk concert days. Consisting of guitarist Billy Zoom, drummer DJ Bonebrake, and vocalists John Doe and Exene Cervenka, X was a prominent fixture during the new wave, eventually hitting it big on college stations with the album "Wild Gift" in 1981. The Unheard Music dove deeper than just their music, revealing to their audience the meaning behind tracks like "White Girl" and "Johnny Hit and Run Paulene."
Several moments showcase the other talents of the band: Billy playing some pro-clarinet; DJ's perfect notes on a xylophone; and Exene's art and scrapbooking. This copy is in commemoration of the silver anniversary of The Unheard Music and its entry into the Sundance Film Festival, which at the time was innovative, distant, and completely stripped from the highly pop and fashion-absorbed 80's. Classic alternative and X fans will enjoy this re-issue by MVD Visual for the first time on 5.1 Mix along with bonus features that include a pre-movie interview with Angel City Media and a 2010 interview with John and Exene. Whether you have seen it before, or for the first time, the movie will leave you inspired and remind you that X was -- and still is - more than just another band out of L.A.
