1991: The Year Punk Broke


1991: The Year Punk Broke, released theatrically in 1992, is a documentary directed by Dave Markey featuring American alternative rock band Sonic Youth on tour in Europe in 1991. While Sonic Youth is the focus of the documentary, the film also gives attention to Nirvana, Dinosaur Jr., Babes in Toyland, Gumball and The Ramones. Also featured in the film are Mark Arm, Dan Peters and Matt Lukin of Mudhoney and roadie Joe Cole, who was murdered in a robbery three months after the tour ended. The film is dedicated to him.
Several scenes in the film involve re-enactments and references to scenes from the contemporaneous Madonna tour documentary, , such as Gordon complaining about "industry people" in the front row, or Cobain, introduced as "Costner" telling Sonic Youth that their show was "neat". At a screening of the film at the 2008 All Tomorrow's Parties festival in Monticello, New York, Markey mentioned that the working title for the film was Tooth or Hair, as a further play on this connection. A home video VHS was released by the David Geffen Company on April 13, 1993. The film was again re-released on DVD on September 13, 2011 by the Universal Music Group.

Cast

;Sonic Youth
;Babes in Toyland:
;Dinosaur Jr.:
;Gumball:
;Mudhoney:
;Nirvana:
;Ramones
;Others
The film takes place over the course of Sonic Youth and Nirvana's 1991 European tour. The European dates, given at the beginning of the film, are as follows:
DateCityCountryVenue/Festival
August 20, 1991CorkIrelandSir Henry's
August 21, 1991DublinIrelandTop Hat
August 23, 1991ReadingUnited KingdomReading Festival
August 24, 1991CologneGermanyMonsters of Spex Festival - :de:Tanzbrunnen|Tanzbrunnen
August 25, 1991HasseltBelgiumPukkelpop
August 27, 1991BremenGermanyÜberschall 91 - :de:Aladin Music Hall|Aladin Music Hall
August 28, 1991HalleGermanyEasy Schorre
August 29, 1991StuttgartGermany:de:LKA Longhorn|Longhorn Country & Western Saloon
August 30, 1991NurembergGermanySerenadenhof
September 1, 1991RotterdamNetherlands:nl:Ein Abend In Wien|Ein Abend In Wien - De Doelen