"MY CAREER AS A JERK"
(2012 MVD Enterainment Group)
A 96 minute Feature Documentary
Traverses some 30 years of history of the legendary, on again / off again Los Angeles punk band Circle Jerks as shared by Keith Morris, Greg Hetson, Lucky Lehrer, Earl Liberty & Zander Schloss, with scads of shredding live performances (including footage David Markey shot in the early 1980's). Features Roger Rogerson, Chuck Biscuits, Flea,Brian Baker, Greg Graffin, Henry Rollins, J Mascis, & Lisa Fancher. Cinematography, Edited & Directed by David Markey
The Circle Jerks were an American hardcore punk band, formed in 1979 in Los Angeles, California. The group was founded by former Black Flag vocalist Keith Morris and Red Kross guitarist Greg Hetson. They were among the preeminent hardcore punk bands of the L.A. scene in the late 1970s.
The band broke up and reformed three times, sometimes with different bassists and/or drummers. They disbanded for the first time after the release of their fifth album, 1987's VI, as Hetson decided to continue touring and releasing albums with Bad Religion. However, they reunited around 1994 and recorded a reunion album, Oddities, Abnormalities and Curiosities, in the following year, then a tour followed. After that, the Circle Jerks once again parted ways as Hetson was still involved in Bad Religion, but reunited again around 2001. As of 2010, they are on hiatus again.
David Markey has sustained a truly independent career in the shadow of Hollywood and against the backdrop of corporate America for three decades. As a filmmaker, photographer and musician, Markey brings together underground music, experimental cinema and contemporary culture in a direct and insightful way. His body of work is also historically significant, representing a unique record of the punk scene in Southern California throughout the 80s and 90s. His films include the acclaimed documentary 1991: The Year Punk Broke (1992) the Super-8 cult classics The Slog Movie (1982), Desperate Teenage Lovedolls (1984), and the sequel Lovedolls Superstar (1986) , Citizen Tania (1989 co- directed with Raymond Pettibon), the presently commercially unavailable Reality 86'd (1991) and Blast Off! (1997). His feature length international film festival documentary favorite, The Reinactors (2008) played the world over. His latest release is a live Dinosaur Jr. DVD / Blu-ray titled In The Hands Of The Fans (2012). Slated for an August 2012 release in his feature length documentary of the legendary Los Angeles band Circle Jerks entitled My Career As A Jerk. Also due in August, a book of his photographs (along with his longtime friend Jordan Schwartz) entitled We Got Power! You can see footage David Markey shot in the documentary films; American Hardcore (2006), Beautiful Losers (2008), Everyday Sunshine (2010), The Other F Word (2011), and I'm Now (2012). Dave has also appeared in films as himself, the most recent being We Jam Econo (The Story Of The Minutemen) (2005) & American Hardcore (2006). He has worked with Sonic Youth, Raymond Pettibon, Nirvana, Dinosaur Jr., Sofia Coppola, Mudhoney, Redd Kross, The Ramones, Shonen Knife, Jello Biafra, Cameron Jamie, Kim Gordon, Black Flag and Meat Puppets to name a few. His indefatigable DIY aesthetic continues to drive him, as well as inspire a new generation of filmmakers, musicians and artists.