MovieChat Forums > Hard Core Logo (1996) Discussion > Plot Point (spoilers)

Plot Point (spoilers)

posted 19 years ago by m_cormie
10 replies | jump to latest

I have a plot question about the movie....

Why did Bruce stab Billy in the back by asking Joe "How do you feel about Billy leaving Hard Core Logo" after witnessing the radio interview? After Billy reveals his new plans to the DJ and Billy rushes to the green room to make sure that Bruce is cool with it Bruce says "We're cool, Billy boy. Just wait - we'll show you how cool we are."

I'm confused - what did Billy do to piss off Bruce enough that Bruce wants to break Billy's secret to Joe?

Apologies in advance if this is an elementary-type question and I'm too dumb to have picked up the reason beforehand but I've watched the film a dozen times and haven't figured it out.

C.

[–] messed_up_titanic 19 years ago

I think it's because Bruce was mad at Joe Dick for lying about Bucky Haight's legs. Joe said himself that it was the only way to get Billy Tallent back. So that's probably why he said "we'll show you how cool you really are" As in Billy would still give up HCL for Jenifur. I bet he didn't think it would end the way things did, but he just wanted more problems for the band. He's hurting Joe more than he's hurting Billy.

[–] Superunknovvn 18 years ago

That was really a bit strange. A documentary maker would never intervein. On the other hand, did Bruce really tell Joe anything by asking that. I mean, Billy said he would leave the band anyway, didn't he?

Two more questions:

1) Why had HCL broken up in the first place? Because of John's breakdown?

2) Why did nobody know about Bucky not being crippled until they got to him? Why did Joe want to get to him anyway, if he know it would only uncover his lie?

"We learned more from a three minute record than we ever learned in school"

[–] nichamp 18 years ago

1. Like most bands that are around for a real long time it probably just wasn't as fun as it used to be and they were growing up, wanting to do other things. They wanted to end the band while they were still good and felt that they were finished.

Here is something from the original book:

"LADIES AND GENTLEMAN...
JOE DICK

My name is Joe Dick.
I formed the seminal punk band
Hard Core Logo
back in 1977.
I was eighteen years old.
It was my ninth band.

I am now thirty-two.
The band is defunct.
It was a friendly ending,
but we played up the dissent thing
'cause that's what people wanted.

We were the populist band.
We manufactured our ending
to fit the mold.
That was the most commercial thing
we ever did, breaking up."

And also from the book in an interview:
"INTERVIEWER: Why did Hard Core Logo break up?

Joe Dick: Because we didn't get along anymore - musically speaking."

2. Because he lived on a farm in the middle of nowhere without a telephone.

Joe didn't want to go see him, but he knew he couldn't avoid it anymore and just decided what the hell. Eventually everyone would find out anyways so why not at least let the band find out first. Maybe he wanted to apologize or just at least felt like he had to face bucky about the whole thing.

[–] 18 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Rhino71711 18 years ago

i think this movie is great...and dick is based on "joey sh**head" from DOA (in my opinion)

joey has been in the scene for damn near 40 years...and still going strong.

it was never about major labels...it was about the music.

i doubt that joey would go out like joe dick...but you never know in these things...haha

[–] matterella 18 years ago

Yeah i do get your point and undertstand where you are coming from and even D.O.A thought the same but that's just not the case in fact there's a lot more of Hugh and the Headstones in HardCore than D.O.A and alot of the character that came about was simply Hugh wanting to remove the more political side of Joe Dick that comes across in the novel and turn him into a more Apolitical Johnny Rotten/self based character.

[–] PuddleMonkey 18 years ago

Yeah, I couldn't understand why Bruce seemed to dislike Billy at this point. I guess when you he wanted to get back at Joe he decided to use other people (don't we all do that sometimes?). It's interesting that at this point the documentary crew are starting to actively intervene and manipulate situations to get reactions. Which kinda makes them complicit in the ending

[–] alongdrive 18 years ago

I think by that point the documentary crew really started to hate the whole band. The incident at Bucky's with the slaughtering of the cow and everything while they were on acid probably contributed to this.

I kind of interpreted his "yeah, we'll show you how cool we are" comment two ways. One, the crew's been looked down on and treated like *beep* and abused by the band so they revel in any chance they have to *beep* with them back. "Yeah, we're cool."

Two, the complete opposite. The crew's obviously fans of HCL from way back. For Billy to still leave the band and take off with Jenifur just for the extra cash and fame, after everything they've been through, they probably feel much like Joe does when he finds out. Betrayed, pissed off, and not wanting to let him get away with it.

[–] naxself 18 years ago

I figured Bruce told Joe because conflict in the band makes for a better movie. Or maybe I underthought it. :-)

[–] Streebo 10 years ago

The way I interpreted Bruce's actions was that he was mad at Joe and Billy at that point for lying about Bucky Haight and making them complicit in the lie. Billy didn't know about the Bucky deception until they went to visit him in the country. Then when they're at the band house, the student confronts them about the lie and Billy makes the claim they "touched his stump" and then stares at Bruce and the camera again making them complicit in the lie. Bruce paid him back for taking that liberty.