"Salad Days: A Decade of Punk in Washington, DC (1980-90)" examines the early DIY punk scene in the Nation's Capital. It was a decade when seminal bands like Bad Brains, Minor Threat, Government Issue, Scream, Void, Faith, Rites of Spring, Marginal Man, Fugazi, and others released their own records and booked their own shows-without major record label constraints or mainstream media scrutiny. Contextually, it was a cultural watershed that predated the alternative music explosion of the 1990s (and the industry's subsequent implosion). Thirty years later, DC's original DIY punk spirit serves as a reminder of the hopefulness of youth, the power of community and the strength of conviction.
Production
Rare archival footage that actually feels alive, not dusty.
Editing
Tight 103 minutes—respects your time AND the scene.
Director
Scott Crawford
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Fred Armisen was actually in the DC punk band Trenchmouth before SNL made him famous—his interview footage is gloriously unpolished.
The title comes from a Minor Threat song, but Crawford chose it to signal nostalgia without irony—rare in punk docs. The film's release in 2015 deliberately marked 30 years since Revolution Summer, when DC hardcore deliberately softened its edges.
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