Screentime is a regular magazine column in which we ask Beijing personalities to tell us about the films and television shows that have left an indelible impression on them. This month we spoke to Daryl Pestilence punk videographer (VPN required) and lead singer and guitarist for the Bastards of Imperialism.
Which TV box set do you revisit most often?
Sanford & Son. Complete series set. It had a fine series to work from as their blueprint: Steptoe & Son. Redd Foxx, Lawanda Page and fantastic, groundbreaking social satire for its era.
What’s the TV series or movie that you haven’t been able to find on DVD?
New Wave Theater. Cold war, anti-nuke comedy, surreal puppetry and existential interviews sandwiched between performances by cutting edge west coast punk and experimental bands. It ran from 1981-1983 in America.
What was your favorite movie when you were a child?
Dawn of the Dead. As a child the dystopia in the film was palpable. 1970s New York wasn’t particularly dissimilar. The Oil crisis, the NYPD couldn’t afford salaries; enforcement was dodgy. A crap economy. Then the Son of Sam in ’76 and the Love Canal clusterf@#k upstate … The collapse of American society depicted in Romero’s film was a reflection of those things and that was horrifying. I became obsessed with Dawn of the Dead. It was my Star Wars.
What’s your favorite film musical?
Rock ’n’ Roll High School could have coasted on the Ramones and endeared itself to me, but it’s an infectiously fun viewing experience. Roger Corman had the wisdom to produce a punk version of an AIP beach party film for the 70s. What the film lacked in budget it sure made up for in moxie. A great soundtrack too.
What movie do you refuse to watch on principle?
American superhero movies. They were mind-numbingly insipid in the 70s and nothing has changed.
What film do you wish you could change the ending of? Describe the new ending.
The Breakfast Club. I’d have had the nazi werewolves from An American Werewolf in London come in and machine gun the leads while they were in detention.
What’s your favorite sequel?
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly. Leone tossed into his western adventure a civil war backstory that was a metaphor for the futility of the Vietnam war, and he had the balls to transform a sympathetic hero from the second film into a brutal villain.
What was the first pirated film that you saw?
It had to be a skin flick. I’m thinking Marilyn Chambers in Insatiable. In the early 80s VHS prerecords were like seventy bucks for a flick. FBI warnings be damned: a friend dubbed it from a rental tape.
Look out for Shanzhai Laowai as he performs live with the Bastards of Imperialism at Beijing Drunk Fest, a DIY Punk Festival at Tongzhou’s DMC on October 25.
Photo: Mitchell Pe Masilun