Oh, the irony. Originally broadcast in June on the BBC, this three-part series marks the 35th anniversary of punk’s reign of terror in the summer of ’77–and along with the monumentally odd “Pretty Vacant” production number at the Olympics, demonstrates the final transformation of punk into an enshrined part of the British Cultural Heritage.
It was bound to happen, but that’s no reason not to savor this well-assembled official history, which ranges from the proto-punk glam and pub rock era of the mid-’70s to the eclectic post-punk movements of the early ’80s. The vintage clips are plenty tasty, and the recent interviews give you a chance to marvel at the timeless style of Siouxsie Sioux, the shocking decrepitude of Mark E. Smith, and the reinvention of John Lydon as a chortling elder statesman and professional English eccentric.