"A funny, insightful and moving testimony to the power of art and community... The depth of the cast of characters in the film is amazing.
A must-see for fans of hardcore music or Detroit music history."

Detroit Metro Times (12/2/20)

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"The early ‘80s Detroit hardcore scene, which played out at the Freezer, was the true epicentre of total punk in the USA. With a bunch of creative, alien kids in working-class Michigan finding one another and unleashing a catalog of totally amazing tunes,
it was the blueprint for radical punk that’s still going strong today. Dope, Hookers and Pavement lets everyone who made the scene state their case and connects the dots. This is anti-fascist, anti-authority collective energy as real as a stick of dynamite."

Thurston Moore, Sonic Youth

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“In the mid-1980s, I was fortunate enough to catch the latter-half of the storied Detroit hardcore scene. That’s where I met Otto, the filmmaker. Our bands sometimes played together. He always had his shit together.

Brendan Benson, The Raconteurs

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"In 1981, our reaction to the punk rumblings around the globe would be encapsulated in a wondrous little stinkbox called the Freezer. Though it was in the D proper, that pirated and skeevy shithole really belonged
to a tribe of kids from all over the Midwest bent on fun, not fisticuffs. Dope, Hookers and Pavement does the impossible and captures the true essence of a time. I saw it from all angles -- as writer, performer and fan -- and I’d like to think we wrote another chapter in the glorious history of Detroit rock'n'roll... Fuck, I know we did!"

Tesco Vee, The Meatmen, Touch and Go

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"I always say that New York hardcore was born in Detroit!"                                     Armand Majidi, Sick Of It All

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"Dope, Hookers and Pavement is a deliciously rowdy and rockin' doc that'll leave you riveted, slack-jawed and laughing... and teach you everything you ever needed to know about the early Detroit hardcore scene."

Mark J. Norton, The Ramrods (Detroit)

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"After writing Why Be Something That You’re Not, I figured I knew everything I needed to know about the early Detroit hardcore scene. I was wrong. Dope, Hookers and Pavement brings it all back to life through the words of all those involved with this lost chapter of the American underground that is still relevant today."

Tony Rettman, author (Why Be Something That You’re Not, NY Hardcore 1980–90, Straight Edge)

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"This isn't just a film about Detroit hardcore, it's a film about the power that comes from youthful frustration, self-discovery and hope. Dope, Hookers and Pavement is funny, touching, honest and a well-written reminder of the value of music and community. Loved it!"

Scott Crawford, filmmaker (CREEM: America's Only Rock 'N' Roll Magazine, Salad Days)

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WATCH IT NOW!

$8 USD per streaming unlock  •  Gift tickets available

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MEDIA COVERAGE

Metro Times (Detroit)      WDET Detroit      FREEP Livestream      Windsor Star      Inzane Michigan

Turned Out a Punk PODCAST      Dan O Says So PODCAST      CBC-Radio      Hour Magazine (Detroit)

MODA: The Future Happened      The WATT from Pedro      The Witzard       Razorblades and Aspirin 

EXD Radio

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POSTERS, BOOKS + PHOTOS

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OFFICIAL MOVIE POSTER!
Limited! Only 200 Posters Printed!
40"x27" black and metallic silver
traditional offset print on coated stock.

$38 USD + FREE domestic shipping (overseas $22)

 

11"x14" GENUINE ARCHIVAL GALLERY C-PRINTS
Struck directly from the 35mm negatives, signed by
the photographers

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1. Negative Approach, Detroit, June 1982 (Greg Lewis)
2. Misfits, Toledo, January 1983 (Greg Lewis)
3. Todd Swalla (Necros), Detroit, June 1982 (Greg Lewis)
4. Minor Threat, Kalamazoo, April 1983 (Marc Barie)
5. Misfits (Glenn), Ann Arbor, April 1983 (Marc Barie)
6. Misfits (Doyle), Ann Arbor, April 1983 (Marc Barie)
7. Negative Approach, NYC, August 1982 (Marc Barie)
8. Negative Approach, Detroit, July 1982 (Marc Barie)
9. Negative Approach, Detroit, April 1983 (Marc Barie)

10. Misfits (Doyle), Toledo, January 1983 (Greg Lewis)

11. Negative Approach, Detroit, June 1982 (Greg Lewis)

12. Misfits (Glenn), Toledo, January 1983 (Greg Lewis)
13. Black Flag, Detroit, September 1982 (Marc Barie)
14. Minor Threat, Kalamazoo, April 1983 (Marc Barie)
15. Misfits (Glenn), Ann Arbor, April 1983 (Marc Barie)
16. Negative Approach, Necros, Larissa (Greg Lewis)

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LIMITED EDITION $85 USD per print + $15 Canada/USA shipping (overseas shipping $25)
FREE SHIPPING on purchase of 3+ prints (Canada/USA only)
CONTACT US to place an order

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ABOUT THE FILM

Dope, Hookers and Pavement is a lively and unfiltered, first-hand account of the early days of the Detroit hardcore punk scene, circa 1981-82, in the notorious Cass Corridor -- one of the worst neighbourhoods in the city at the time. It took a small, seriously committed throng of (mostly) white, suburban teens and skater kids to get down there and make that scene happen -- but not without first doing a few gigs at a Detroit gay bar and a critical stint at the Coronation Tavern across the river in Windsor, Ontario before converging on the Corridor for their now-mythical residency at the ramshackle Freezer Theatre.

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Featuring over 70 in-depth interviews -- including John Brannon (Negative Approach), Tesco Vee (Meatmen, Touch and Go), Ian MacKaye (Minor Threat, Dischord Records), pro skater Bill Danforth, scene kids, and members of the Necros, The Fix, Violent Apathy and Bored Youth -- and never-before-seen Super8 footage of the Freezer, Dope, Hookers and Pavement is both hilarious and reflective, and a long overdue record of a nearly invisible but magic little moment in the history of Detroit rock'n'roll.

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Produced and directed by Otto Buj
Presented by El Studio444, Associate Producer

Running time: 113 minutes

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PAST SCREENINGS

February 25, 2024: Innis Town Hall, live interview with Damian Abraham (University of Toronto, Canada)

January 28, 2024: Meteor Lounge (Windsor, Ontario)

September 16-17, 2023: Chicago Underground Film Festival, Harper Theatre (Hyde Park)

July 19, 2023: Black Cat (Washington, DC) with the filmmaker and special guests Dave Stimson (Touch and Go co-founder) and filmmaker Scott Crawford

July 17, 2023: Nitehawk Cinema (Brooklyn, NY) with the filmmaker and special guests Chris "Opie" Moore and author Tony Rettman

June 21, 2023: Berkley Coffee & Oak Park Dry (Berkley, Michigan) with the filmmaker and special guest Tesco Vee

November 18, 2022: Campus Theater / Bucknell University (Lewisburg, Pennsylvania)

December 2-6, 2020: Detroit Free Press Documentary Film Festival *Michigan residents only