Let's Go to The Rat - the Documentary

A historical portrait of one of the most influential nightclubs in music history, where Boston's Punk Scene was born.

"Rock-n-Roll nightclubs have double-edged reputations as dangerous places of debauchery and as homes to the most exciting music we have.

The Rat has a special place in music history. It was arguably the birthplace of "Punk" in America. It hosted more bands than anyone can count. It ranks with Moulin Rouge or CBGB as a gathering place for artists, musicians, writers, where new ideas were born out of orgiastic nights of sex, drugs and rock-n-roll (the Poet's Fuel). It was not just a place, it was a place in time. The "scene" that grew there produced art that has lasted to this day. Artists from all over the world brought their energies together in this dump of a club. The local "scenesters" gathered in Tribal groups to celebrate and support each other. This was no ordinary nightclub. It was a place where lives were transformed.

The impacts of The Rat on our culture today include the cultivation of the D.I.Y. ethic - which is now de rigueur for artists of all pursuits. The Punk music that reached its first audiences there is now mainstream. The fashions created there are now everywhere. It's hard to imagine what the world would be like without The Rat scene.

Perhaps I've attempted to catch lightening in a bottle. If I captured a firefly, I'll be happy."

"you have captured the Rat in all its grit & glory . thank you waaaaaaaa!!!!"

"TREMENDOUS job done on it by all involved..." (Mike Gorham)