Mean Jeans' Top Five Punk Movies

Portland punk legends Mean Jeans are currently enjoying some well-earned time in the spotlight, having just dropped their crash-hot sixth album, Blasted, and launching it with a wild 14-date Australian tour.

They’ve already played shows in Maroochydore, Brisbane and the Gold Coast, and in just a few hours from now, the trio will hit the stage at The Northern in Byron Bay. They’ll round the week out with a hectic stint of five back-to-back gigs, rolling through Coffs Harbour, Newcastle, Gosford and Sydney. And then next week, they’ll play shows in Castlemaine, Melbourne and Frankston.

“We’re a band in it for the good times,” frontman Billy Jeans said in a press release. “I’ve always thought if we’re not having fun, then it isn’t Mean Jeans. Which isn’t a recipe for success in the music biz, but I could bitch about that all day if you want. What’s the difference between being a bitch and being punk?”

He said of the band’s loose and lowkey recording process for Blasted, “Studio time is just more fun when no one’s in charge. To some extent, I know what I'm doing, and to some extent the other dudes know what they're doing, but none of us are pro at all. Like, Junior would have to run over to the control room, hit the record button and then run back, all while holding the bass, and then we’d play.

“It's idiotic, but when it's just the three of us fucking around, the vibe is there.”

To celebrate the release of Blasted, and the accompanying Australian tour, we sat down with Billy to riff on his five all-time favourite punk movies.

1. Class Of Nuke ‘Em High

“When the honor kids at this high school get contaminated from a toxic waste spill, they become The Cretins, a motorcycle gang of violent creeps who destroy the school and sell toxic weed. This movie is so good we wrote a song about it on our new album called Something’s Going On.”

2. Rock ’N’ Roll High School

Speaking of destroying your high school, it doesn’t get much better than actually blowing up a school (which they did in the making of this movie) and running the end credits over a shot of the burning building. The punkest move the Ramones could have pulled was to star in this movie while being as bad at acting as anyone could possibly be. Dee Dee especially. 

3. River’s Edge

“A longtime favorite here at Means Jeans HQ, look for a VHS cameo in our latest video for Lost My Mind. Everything about this movie rules: Crispin Glover and Keanu Reeves play warm-beer-chugging headbanger delinquents. Dennis Hopper plays a shut-in drug peddler who lives (and dances) with a blow-up doll. The amazing soundtrack is mostly metal but includes The Wipers and Agent Orange, and the spirit of the film is way punk.”

4. Over The Edge

“Another crucial punk film. I’m realising we’ve got a running theme here, literally all of these movies are about out-of-control youth, but this one takes the cake. These kids are over the edge! The soundtrack is an absolute cranker: Ramones, Cheap Trick, The Cars...”

5. Rock ’N’ Roll Nightmare

“I really love Jon Mikl Thor. I got to see him play at a strip club in Portland once. Anyway, he stars in this shitshow of a headbanger horror film.”

MEAN JEANS

2024 ‘BLASTED IN AUSTRALIA’ TOUR

Tuesday February 13 – Byron Bay, The Northern
Wednesday February 14 – Coffs Harbour, Hoey Moey
Thursday February 15 – Newcastle, King Street Bandroom
Friday February 16 – Gosford, Drifters Wharf
Saturday February 17 – Sydney, Metro Theatre
Sunday February 18 – Sydney, Crowbar
Tuesday February 20 – Castlemaine, Theatre Royal
Wednesday February 21 – Melbourne, Haba Rye
Thursday February 22 – Frankston, Pelly Bar
Friday February 23 – Melbourne, Northcote Theatre
Saturday February 24 – Melbourne, The Tote

Tickets: thechatslovebeer.com