Raymond Pettibon, the force behind Sir Drone, has a mission: he's creating a fourth network, a punked-out alternative to the image glut. Wielding a half-inch VHS camcorder, Pettibon churns out quasi-features about major cultural icons: Citizen Tania, the other Patty Hearst story, and Judgment Day Theater: The Manson Book look at media mementos without the gloss of big-budget history. And when we're talking about a Pettibon production, "budget" doesn't really apply. Sir Drone, an epic in a single room, dogs Jinx (Mike Kelley), an apostate surfer, and Duane (Mike Watt), a thick-set goof with a thing about posers. Two wanna-be punksters themselves, they try desperately to form a band, but the prerequisites, like a group name and at least one guitar chord, don't come easy. The central theme, commitment to an idea, echoes from Achilles to Sid Vicious. But Jinx, our vacillating hero, won't cut his hippie locks. Where's the commitment, Jinx? Sir Drone fills its sparse staging with groaning humor, bathetic fallacies, and some strident insights about belonging in a vacant world. Pettibon takes the maw into his own hands and won't let go. --Steve Seid