Some of the most ferocious and vital punk came out of Detroit in the early '80s. This mini-documentary about infernal hardcore vocalist John Brannon (Static, Negative Approach, Laughing Hyenas, Easy Action) is the first in the Detroit Punks television series dedicated to telling that Midwestern city's story in punk-rock history. “He was a prototype for disaffected, American suburban youth,” says one of Detroit Punks' talking heads, filmmaker Otto Buj.

Directed by Zabe Holloway, this film efficiently portrays Brannon's eruptive presence in the American music underground. We discover that his father was a minister and that the young Brannon was in the church choir as a kid, but when he realized practice happened at the same time as the TV shows Batman and The Monkees were on, he quit. Some other things learned from this doc: Brannon was jailed for shoplifting cheese during the Laughing Hyenas’ Life of Crime era (early '90s), aptly enough. And while on tour in LA and junk sick, Brannon threw up on Drew Barrymore, presumably a fan of the band back then. “Whatever,” he concludes. Brannon’s been a cook at Detroit's Traffic Jam restaurant for the last 15 years or so. “I like working here. It keeps me angry.”

Check out the uneasy action below.