MovieChat Forums > Out of the Blue Discussion > Public Enemy on wall

Public Enemy on wall

posted 14 years ago by deanowest
16 replies | jump to latest

Two times we see Cebe's wall and there are three band logos on her wall along with Elvis. One is Subhumans (Uk logo) and the other is Public Enemy. I forgot the third one. Any one remember?

Anyway, the film was made '80 to '81 or so and released in '82. Hip hop Public Enemy's first album was released in '87. I have the record, I checked. The logo on Cebe's wall is in the same stencil style as hip hop PE's logo but it cannot possibly be the hip hop PE from Long Island.

Sso here is the question: Is there some punk band running around the early 80s use a stenciled logo? Did hip hop PE just happen to use the same name (which seems reasonable) and use the same font? I looked a bit online for a punk PE but found none.

Strange coincidence.

Dictated, but not read.

[–] HolyShackles 14 years ago

Yes, this is indeed a strange mystery that nobody seems to know the answer to, even people involved in the movie themselves were unable to explain it at the screening that occurred last weekend in LA. Since there's nothing to be found in the way of an actual band named Public Enemy before the rap group, the only logical explanation I can think of is that it was just a merchandise logo sticker in small circulation at record and/or clothing stores at the time aimed at people into punk, similar to items today available at places like Hot Topic, with no real meaning or history behind it and that perhaps the members of Public Enemy saw it around then and took both the name and the logo for their group. Totally just a guess though.

[–] deanowest 14 years ago

Yeah, It's a guess and you may be right. There were oft repeated phrase and images that were made into t shirts: keep truckin' and that smiley face, so Public Enemy could have been one of those.

Maybe someone else will chip in on this?

Dictated, but not read.

[–] hoyo-mont 14 years ago

it only says "ENEMY." yea, coincidence with the stencil type face, but like you said, public enemy wasn't around til later, so you solved it. nothing to start a conspiracy theory about.

screen shot: http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/796/enemyh.jpg

i thought it was a little distracting that this kid supported by a broke waitress mom somehow has a brand new looking drum set, guitar and amp. those ain't cheap.

[–] HolyShackles 14 years ago

The top half of it is cut off by the shot, if you watch the last 10 or 15 min. of the film you will see that the camera specifically focuses on many of the stickers in her room and that it does indeed read "Public Enemy" with the exact same logo and lettering as the rap group.

[–] hoyo-mont 14 years ago

maybe that's where Public Enemy the rap group got their design from. Chuck D was their designer btw

[–] BarrisDarkly 14 years ago

The other band is Teenage Head.

"Public Enemy, Teenage Head, Subhuman. I'd rip those down in like one *beep* second, man. Elvis, Elvis.... I know, man, about Elvis."

On the run from Johnny Law...Ain't no trip to Cleveland.

[–] Dannunzio 14 years ago

I was surprised by this also. I looked around and found this Australian punk band Public Enemy. Here they are on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Omz27KLT2Z4

[–] PatrickGH91 13 years ago

This could clear things up slightly:

http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/public_enemy_f1/englands_glory/

http://www.discogs.com/Public-Enemy-Englands-Glory/master/392732

Same logo, though the album's from 1986. Very obscure band by the looks of it. Perhaps they had flyers knocking around somewhere and someone in set design or working for the film picked one up.

[–] deanowest 13 years ago

Thanks for the post. All these posts are very enligtening but it is still wierd that the OI band's record was from 87 and the film was shot 80-81 and released in 82. Could an Oi band copy a hip hop band? could a hip hop band copy an Oi band? Could this Oi band have existed in 80-82?

I guess we'll have to ask Chuck exactly where he got his log and we'll never be able to ask Denis where the poster/flyer came from.

Dictated, but not read.

[–] yopa 13 years ago

This has been bugging me too since i watched the film years ago.
Such a small detail, such a big mistery

[–] yopa 13 years ago

http://i.imgur.com/RHVtM.jpg

[–] devenirgris 11 years ago

Found this on Discogs:

http://www.discogs.com/Public-Enemy-Possession-Somebody-New-Is-OK/release/4247038
Same logo, 1979. US pop punk band.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4J1xmNnimw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KijvkU-Amw

[–] deanowest 11 years ago

Thanks, Devin....

seems you solved it. Now did Chuck see it and steal it?

[–] PatrickGH91 11 years ago

How bloody peculiar! Three groups called Public Enemy, all with the same logo?

[–] Ashley Pomeroy 10 years ago

To complicate things there was at least one other punk band called Public Enemy active at the same time:
http://www.discogs.com/Public-Enemy-4-Discipline-Jody-Quiet-Heroes/mas ter/502014

Although it seems they amounted to one half of a split 7", released in 1982. Discogs lists five bands called Public Enemy - there's the rap group we know and love, two obscure punk bands, and two oi bands, one of which was apparently named after the rap group. And there's "Public Enemy(5)", which looks to be a mistake.

Given the fact that the logos are similar, perhaps they're all drawing their inspiration from something else. Was there a television show from the 1970s that had the same logo? There was James Cagney's "The Public Enemy" from 1931 but that had a different font.

[–] bellaghy 10 years ago

http://shortsharpkickintheteeth.blogspot.com.au/2013/07/400-public-enemy-possession.html?m=1

That's actually a great little 45. Excellent find - that band was from Chicago as was the films main composer-music contributer Tom Lavin, so might just be the one.