The 1999 film "Go" is not great cinema, due to its obvious ersatz Tarantino quality (i.e. monologues on pop culture, interweaving stories, dry humor about death/injury) BUT it's an interesting historical relic that reveals a few major turning points in culture...

"Go" also shows you why The Strokes arrived in 2001 like gods: while electronica seemed to be "in," downtown NYC desired something more raw. Everyone sold their turntables for guitars. "Go" is represents the last moment where "maybe turntables are the future"

More interestingly: There are a ton of mediocre 1960s movies (e.g., The Trip, The Wild Angels) that became cult classics because they so embody the specific Sixties vibe. But "Go" only barely represents a unique set of styles compared to today — and it's 25 years old!

Scott Wolf's jacket and Jay Mohr's hair are very, very 1999, but people today still sort of look like the people in the movie. This makes the movie not quite strange enough to be full camp/kitsch retro. The Nineties-ness of aesthetic is subtle.

But in looking not so dated, "Go" reveals the exact moment where culture reached a stability point that has stretched out to today. And since culture was already slowing down in 1999, when the internet was still niche, stasis can't all be technology's fault.

I saw this movie on opening night and even then it felt a bit ersatz/uncool. (And I liked Doug Liman!) "Go"'s opening credits scream 1999 to me, but I don't think this aesthetic was ever truly a major and rooted part of American youth culture

@wdavidmarx There was a huge American rave scene in the late 90's. It was primarily hard house, but areas like Pico Rivera, Downey, Industry, and Downtown always had a warehouse or club rave happening.

@Dangerkenny Sure I saw it on Beverly Hills 90210

@wdavidmarx If ‘raves didn’t nestle in to pop culture’ explain EDM festivals and Burning Man. Also— raves looked like that back then lol lmao

@amorvincitomnia Sure I've read Matos' The Underground is Massive, but there was still some tissue rejection in the insular New York world

@wdavidmarx do the Big Hit next

@wdavidmarx Are you high??

@wdavidmarx it's true. it didn't infiltrate culture like the late 70s with disco, but everyone you knew had been to a rave at some point, or was close to someone who was going, and could identify with this. Raves were also petering out by this time. the first one I went to was in 1991

@wdavidmarx For those of us that were in that culture at the time it was perfect. The rave scene was huge, it just didn’t get mainstream media support for obvious reasons

@wdavidmarx Human traffic which came out the same year is a much more accurate representation of rave culture. Although there may be some differences between the UK and US.

@wdavidmarx Go isn’t amazing cinema, but is good, especially for the 90s nostalgia - the same producer that did this sound track did the score for the first fast and furious movie, for example - it’s definitely not bad or cosplay - it was the culture.

@wdavidmarx Great thread. I think that the film The Sidewalks Of New York inadvertently captures the end of something. A barely tangible thing that was disappearing by say 1996.

@wdavidmarx Raves never “nestled into American pop culture”?? Me thinks you never nestled into Pop culture! Raves are one of the 90’s music signifiers!

@wdavidmarx As a (retired) raver I thought it did capture some aspects very well, the weekend warriors who don’t know the music were always a constant

@wdavidmarx NO idea what you mean by the cosplay line. It did a pretty good job of capturing rave culture in LA at the time. Also, contains a ridiculously good - and underrated - car chase that survives solely on great direction.

@wdavidmarx “Cosplaying rave” is the perfect explanation of this movie. As someone who raved back in the late 90s, I WANTED to love this but it’s akin to adults writing gen z speak in present day. It just never felt right.