For our first instalment, then, we'll be talking about Vim Crony. Vim is an independent filmmaker from Los Angeles. Integrated into the underground punk scene of his home city, particularly the venue The Smell, Vim turns his lens toward music he loves from his own environment. Combine that with an aptitude for filming, directing, and producing, and you'll maybe start to understand how his channel works. It all comes down to awesome subject material being captured by a skilled artist. The videos are well-made, well thought-out, and well-executed. Though his work is permeated by a punk rock attitude, and is by no means polished, there's a degree of professionalism and a lack of sloppiness about it which is really quite endearing.

My own experience with Vim's channel had a mixed beginning. I found it just after the end of his 8 episode series "THE GAZE", when I came across the final instalment, an entire XBXRX gig from just around the release of 'Wars' plus a little interview on the end. From there I delved into the archives, rewarded with gems from the likes of Mika Miko, Japanther, and Bobb Bruno, I eagerly explored his back-catalogue and consistently found quality viewing in each video. It was so great to discover this much material, and to learn about so many new bands, but at the same time, it felt like I'd missed it while it'd all been going on, and now all I had were the memories of a great endeavour.

A few months went by though, and my tenacious subscription was rewarded. It came in the form of 'Debunk Punk Teaser' announcing the forthcoming arrival of a new series from Vim. From episode 1, I was hooked. The format was different from 'THE GAZE': more like the final episode than the rest; consisting of one band giving a performance and then a short interview, instead of lots of different features; Vim sits back with a few cameras pointing their way, the band delivers the goods with about 10-15 minutes of music, and then they all talk for a little while about all sorts of anything. Each episode brings a band I've never heard from somewhere around Los Angeles for me to fall in love with, like Anus Kings, Knight Rider, or Ima Gymnist. There's a few episodes where Vim deviates from the norm, sometimes just sitting down to draw with some music soundtracking, other times letting a guitar feedback for 3 minutes on his desk, but the band format makes up the majority of the series so far.

Occasionally, your subscription brings unexpected gifts. Usually these are documentaries, independent of the series, but again focussing on punk rock bands or scenes from the USA. My personal favourite is 'Munoz Gym Documentary'. Clocking in at just over ten minutes, and with zero narration, the limits of a word like documentary are pushed, but not broken. From distant shots of the gym by day, accompanied by the atmospheric noises of boxers working out, the view suddenly changes to the gym by night. There's something amazing about a boxing ring turned into a punk rock stage: yeah, there's a novelty value to it; but there's a sense of contained aggression, and of a real event, that comes from a boxing ring which seems so fitting for a punk music performance. Mimicking the thoughtful, DIY, punk attitudes of his subjects, Vim captures the venue with this amazing piece of film.

The future for Vim Crony is promising. While still churning out episodes of 'Debunk Punk' on a regular basis, he also has plans for a feature length animation: a sci-fi adventure set in the future. It seems like a real deviation from what I've seen so far. Underpinning it once again, though, is that DIY punk rock attitude which characterises his work: news came with the call for contributors with any kind of helpful skills to pitch in and get involved in making the concept into something real. There's not been much more information about it since. It's only been a month or two since the initial post though. Presumably, things are underway.

So, I think that's all I've got to say about Vim Crony. The man has awesome taste and undeniable skill on the camera. If you like punk rock, check him out. If you like what's going on in Los Angeles right now, from the likes of No Age, Mika Miko and the whole Smell crowd, check him out. If you want to hear new, exciting, energetic music you'd otherwise have not much chance of hearing, subscribe to Vim's channel right now: you've got a lot to catch up on.