Written & Directed by Andrea Blaugrund Nevins
Produced by Cristan Reilly
Released by Oscilloscope Laboratories
USA. 99 min. Not rated
With Jim Lindberg, Flea, Tony Adolescent, Fat Mike, Tony Hawk, Mark Mothersbaugh, Ron Reyes, Tim Mcllrath, Joe Escalante, Mark Hoppus & Lars Fredericksen

Fat Mike of the band NOFX sprays fake butter on his daughter’s toast, Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 plays the censored version of his records now, and Jim Lindberg of Pennywise disciplines his eldest daughter for riding her bike on the wrong side of the street. Not your typical punk rocker scenarios, but documentary filmmaker and fan Andrea Blaugrund Nevins shows us that everyone grows up. Exhaustively and lovingly researched and shot, this interview documentary covers a spectrum of personalities from 1980s and ’90s punk acts, ranging from pop to hardcore to garage rock to alternative to Oi! and beyond. The unifying factor is a devotion in every one of these guys (yes, it’s unreservedly a movie about men) to not only make good music and to raise good kids but to live a good life. You don’t have to be a rocker to appreciate the working-class, authority questioning ethos.

Nevins cleverly walks a line between a touching human story and a “Where are they now?” piece. I am perhaps personally more versed in punk rock than the average moviegoer, but whether it’s Devo, Black Flag, Rise Against, or Everclear, you’ve probably heard of some of the bands featured here, and seeing their frontmen at home with the kids is kind of a trip. Serving as protagonist, Jim Lindberg takes us on a year’s worth of Pennywise dates, describing the importance of staying young on stage while packing his Just for Men hair product. Nevins and editor Geoffrey Franklin treat us to only the highlights rather than making a tour doc. For Jim, to continue touring means to continue spending time away from his wife and three daughters, a decision he’s uneasy with, yet which nicely illustrates the situation facing working-class musicians with mortgages and parent teacher conferences.

For guys like Art Alexakis of Everclear, growing out of punk rock to raise kids is a natural progression. Delinquent fathers created their particular generation of pissed off, misguided teenagers, and the rock scene was foster care. For these guys, being present as a father is about as punk as you can get. The word isn’t an epithet, it’s a set of values. It’s this exploration of definitions that keeps The Other F Word so engaging. If you like music, and have any concept of what complicity with the corporate culture means, you’ll appreciate a sequence in which Brett Gurewitz, of the legendary record label Epitaph, and other punk illuminati describe today’s atmosphere, where listeners will boo a familiar track in a Nike commercial while they themselves are wearing Nikes, or refuse to purchase a song while at the same time shelling out bucks everyday at Starbucks. As with any description of today’s culture, it comes down to a lament: “Anything with meaning better be prepared to be a brand.”

Also watch for the heartbreaking interview with infamous skater and punk vocalist Duane “Master of Disaster” Peters where he recounts the day his oldest son, Chess, was killed in a car accident. Peters’ grizzled exterior fades to reveal the wounded kid who yearned for his father all those years on the music and skate scene. From the all-access with Lindberg, to the wisdom of the label guys, to the raw emotion of Peters and Alexakis, there’s a lot of great stuff in this modest doc. Just don’t ask me about the title choice.