IT'S A REVOLUTION MOTHER (1969) **

It’s a Revolution Mother is an uneven ‘60s counterculture documentary from director Harry (Barracuda) Kerwin.  It splits its focus between a motorcycle group called The Aliens riding their bikes and partying and protestors at a peace march in Washington, D.C.  Things eventually culminate at a muddy rock concert in Florida, capped off by a long-winded anti-war speech by a junior high kid.

Aside from the awesome theme song, my favorite part was the narration.  The narrator really gets into delivering his lines, which are often filled to the brim with a lot of hysterically outdated hippie jargon and ‘60s slang.  He’s at his best when talking about the bikers as he often speaks tongue in cheek while commenting on their wild behavior.  (“Don’t let it snap your mind.  You’ve got to groove with the bike crowd to know where it's really at!”)  

Protesters and bikers are also interviewed about their philosophy (or lack thereof) while silent footage of bikers partying and students marching play out on screen.  I guess it goes without saying that the scenes with the bikers are a lot more fun as the protesting stuff is often somber.  (Dr. Spock is spotted marching with the crowd, and Dick Gregory is heard making Spiro Agnew jokes.)  Bikers talk about getting hassled by The Man, putting up with their “old ladies”, and they even throw a “Wesson Oil Party” for the camera.  In fact, it might’ve been more entertaining if the sole focus was on the bikers.  Even then, some of their shenanigans get tiresome after a while.  (I could’ve done without the scene where one of them takes a piss on camera.)

You might think that this is going to be dated and corny.  Well, it is, but really, the most dated and corny thing about it is the narration.  People are still marching.  War is still ongoing.  Not a lot has changed since the time of release.  

Unfortunately, the concert finale is a big bust as it’s nothing more than a bunch of scenes of people milling about the festival.  There’s a band seen briefly playing, but the music (which is pretty bland acid rock) is obviously dubbed over.  This is definitely the weakest element in the film. and it ends things on a lame note.  Oh well, that theme song is a banger though, and will probably get stuck in your head for days after you see it.

AKA:  Biker Babylon.