ICYMI: Nöthin' But a Good Time hair metal documentary is a must-see for '80s music fans

People who grew up in the 1980s will tell you it was the most incredible time to be a kid, and they are correct. The 1980s brought about many cultural movements and encouraged people to celebrate their individuality. This era generously gave a generation of youth extravagant fashion sense, perms, mullets, blockbuster movies, MTV, and the almighty emergence of hair bands!

Paramount+ has capitalized on the wave of '80s nostalgia in a new documentary, Nöthin’ But a Good Time: The Uncensored Story of '80s Hair Metal. The three-part series, which premiered on the streamer on September 17, is directed by Jeff Tremaine (Jackass, The Dirt).

Produced by MTV Entertainment Studios, Gorilla Flicks, and Spoke Studios, the series features stories from well-known musicians and celebrities of the era, including Bret Michaels, Stephen Pearcy, Nuno Bettencourt, Dave “Snake” Sabo, Dan Dokken, Jack Russell, Rudy Sarzo, and Riki Rachtman. Musician Corey Taylor and jackass personality Steve-O also weigh in on the discussion.

Nöthin’ But a Good Time uses the New York Times best-selling book by esteemed rock journalists Tom Beaujour and Richard Bienstock as source material, giving fans a fresh and candid look behind the scenes of the hair band movement.

The series chronicles the rise of hair bands, which began with acts like Mötley Crüe, Quiet Riot, Ratt, Dokken, and the like, in the early '80s. The crazy backstage stories, which seemed unbelievable, were true, and the motto of "sex, drugs, and rock and roll" was lived out to the fullest. By the early '90s, the craze quickly died out with the introduction of alternative bands like Nirvana, which offered a drastically different era of music.

Nöthin’ But a Good Time focuses on the most influential bands and showcases songs like Quiet Riot's "Cum On Feel The Noise," one of the first Top 5 metal songs. There is a segment telling the heartbreaking story of the death of Randy Rhoads, co-founder of Quiet Riot and guitarist and co-songwriter for Ozzy Osbourne's band.

Hair Metal is an important part of music history as it was a new concept and this genre of music benefited from the rise of the original MTV music videos. Love it or hate it, the music defined a generation of metal heads and encouraged the power ballad, another plus!

Overall, Nöthin’ But a Good Time it is a great nostalgic lookback for fans of the era, many of whom will never give up their love of hair bands. The BTS stories will intrigue those who didn't grow up during this amazing period of music.

Nöthin’ But a Good Time: The Uncensored Story of '80s Hair Metal is now streaming on Paramount+.