Stream It: 'Nothin’ But A Good Time: The Uncensored Story of ‘80s Hair Metal' Part 1

The three-part documentary, Nothin’ But A Good Time: The Uncensored Story of ‘80s Hair Metal finally premiered on Paramount+ yesterday! I watched part one and I was more entertained than I had expected. The documentary is based on the non-fiction book of the same name and does feature commentary by authors Tom Beaujour and Richard Bienstock. The doc is directed by Jeff Tremaine.

Not surprisingly, most of part 1 hinges on the very early beginnings of Sunset Strip glam. In fact, this section is simply called “The Sunset Strip.” There’s a look back at how rock was struggling in the 70s and how record labels were obsessed with new wave acts. Motley Crue and Quiet Riot get a huge portion of this first section since they were pioneers of the look and lifestyle of the heyday. WASP also gets a nice bit of airplay, even interviewing an individual who helped Blackie Lawless develop his saw-like costume pieces. They really were (are!?!) made of metal and developed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory!

The series is smart in using cartoons to illustrate stories that have no video, like Jack Russell’s criminal history and incarceration for robbery and shooting a woman (she didn’t die) to Motley Crue biting all sorts of people like Eddie Van Halen.

There are musician interviews of course but also commentary from insiders like Tom Zutaut, Alan Niven and Doc McGhee – the usual suspects as it were.

Part one is about 45 minutes long. I didn’t check but I will assume the other two parts clock in at around the same. I am looking forward to watching part two, which I believe focuses a lot on Poison and is called “The Second Wave.”

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