My Top 10 Bassists

Number 10
Evan Shanks

Evan took over bass duties from bassist Donny Brook (Symbol Six), and has been kicking ass up and down the West Coast. With a new EP ready to drop you can check him out first hand.

Number 9
Jean Beauvoir

Most people only knew him as the black dude with the white Mohawk from The Plasmatics. He also played in Steve Van Zandt’s band, and wrote and produced for The Ramones, Kiss and many others, as well as a truckload of sound track work.

Number 8
Flea

From his early days with Fear to his current Chili Pepper status, Flea has always been a strong supporter of the “scene.” I remember seeing him pop up at all the old L.A. shows.

Number 7
Mike Watt

On some people’s list Mike would be at number one. His ex-wife Kyra would be at two. Though I not a huge fan of his musical output, I can’t deny his talent.

Number 6
Paul Simonon

What would the Clash be without Paul’s solid playing?

Number 5
Chuck Dukowski

What I always dug about Chuck D’s playing was it seemed like he played lead guitar on the bass, not a typical rhythm section. He was damn good.

Number 4
Mike Roche

From his hardcore playing on the early TSOL EP to his Death Rock playing, Roche’s bass work was always on the money.

Number 3
Glen Matlock

Even if you’re not a fan, you can’t dismiss the songs he wrote, all classics. From what I hear there was a problem with all his feet washing.

Number 2
Lemmy Kilmister

Next to Geezer Butler, nobody played a more punk style in the “heavy metal” world. The only minus in Lemmy’s career was his duet with Wendy O. Williams.

Number 1
Dee Dee Ramone

What can you say about Dee Dee? He set the standard for punk bass playing.

Honorable mentions: Jay Bentley, and Donny Brook.

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My Top 10 Pre-Punk Albums

Number 10
The Who – Who Are You

This album came out in 1978; I think I got it at that time. Pete Townshend said He wrote this album to bridge the gap between progressive rock and punk. The song I continually played was 905, a song written and sang by bassist John Entwistle. It was about a man who was cloned in a lab, and struggling with not having his own life. I think I identified with the feeling of isolation, I was 12, and what did I know?

Number 9
Billy Idol – Don’t Stop EP

This was a great pop album made by one of England’s original punks. I loved the song The Untouchables. I just listened to it last week for the first time in 20 years.

Number 8
Surf Punks – My Beach

I’m not sure why I bought this; maybe it had the word “punk” in it. I listened to it last week, and, sadly, it blows donkey dong. I vaguely remember liking it.

Number 7
Human Hands – Trains vs. Planes

I met David Wiley at Moby Disc in Sherman Oaks when I was a kid, and he was always real cool to me, so I became a fan. Saw them open for Romeo Void at the Country Club in Reseda. And Wiley came by and talked to my dad and me for a while. Good single.

Number 6
Secret Affair – Glory Boys

Again with The Country Club, my dad took me for my thirteenth birthday to see Edgar Winter (the albino keyboardist), but highlight was Secret Affair opening. I was probably one of five people who liked them. Actually, I loved them. The rest of the crowd yelled obscenities, and did the finger at these guys. I still play this album. Unlike the Jam, Secret Affair just played good, fun music. They weren’t trying to change the world.

Number 5
Joe Jackson – I’m the Man

Unfortunately, I never liked anything else he did after this. Lyrically, he reminded me a bit of Elvis Costello. A lot of fast tongue twisting phrasing. Tackling commercialism, extramarital affairs, and stuff I had not heard in songs prior to this. Still a pretty good album.

Number 4
Elvis Costello – My Aim Is True

I loved the energy and the attitude. I bought about five or six concert bootlegs of his at the old Capitol Records swap meets back in the late 70’s, early 80’s. His stuff was a perfect gateway to punk for me.

Number 3
Times Square – OST

This soundtrack (I never saw the movie) has everybody you want to hear as a young pre-punk: Suzi Quatro, The Pretenders, Roxy Music, Gary Numan, Marcy Levy & Robin Gibb, Robin Johnson & Trini Alvarado, The Ruts, D.L. Byron, Lou Reed, Desmond Child & Rouge, Talking Heads, Joe Jackson, XTC, The Ramones, Garland Jeffreys, The Cure, Patti Smith Group, and David Johansen.

Number 2
Devo – Be Stiff EP

This was an eye-opening experience for me. My Uncle Rick played this for my Brother and me when I was 12 and my Brother was 8. I loved it, and it seemed like most adults hated it. Just like when we discovered Kiss, it was ours.

Number 1
David Bowie – Diamond Dogs

Besides Rebel, Rebel being a great rock song, the opening lines of Future Legend was enough for me to dig this album for the last 34 years:

“And in the death
As the last few corpses lay rotting on the slimy thoroughfare
The shutters lifted in inches in Temperance Building
High on Poacher’s Hill
And red, mutant eyes gaze down on Hunger City
No more big wheels

Fleas the size of rats sucked on rats the size of cats
And ten thousand peoploids split into small tribes
Converting the highest of the sterile skyscrapers
Like packs of dogs assaulting the glass fronts of Love-Me Avenue
Ripping and rewrapping mink and shiny silver fox, now legwarmers
Family badge of sapphire and cracked emerald
Any day now
The Year of the Diamond Dogs

“This ain’t Rock’n’Roll
This is Genocide”

This written and recited in a real cool William Burroughs style; I still love the album.

These were the albums I had as I was starting to get into punk, my gateway crap. You have had the same albums, hell, you may hate them all – that’s OK, I hate some of them now.

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Punk Attitude
2005 – IFC Pictures
Directed by: Don Letts

Jello Biafra
Bob Gruen
John Holmstrom
Chrissie Hynde
Jim Jarmusch
Darryl Jenifer
David Johansen
Mick Jones
Wayne Kramer
Glen Matlock
Legs McNeil
Thurston Moore
Tommy Ramone
Henry Rollins
Captain Sensible
Paul Simonon
Siouxsie Sioux
Pat Smear
Poly Styrene
Ari Up

Originally shown on IFC, which I missed, this was released on DVD soon afterward. This has become one of my favorite films.

The film begins showing the roots of punk music with many views on various artists and genres that accentuated the beginning of the genre, like the MC5 and the Velvet Underground. Punk: Attitude then proceeds chronologically to sort through the various artists and alumni who were central to the movement, drawing light on the general idea or “Attitude” of the punk movement, which spoke out for a generation. Bands such as The Ramones, The Stooges, The Clash and The Sex Pistols feature prominently throughout. The movie offers a canvas of praise and respect given from many interviewees as these bands are heralded commonly as the beginning of Punk progressively through the movie. Rare footage of concerts and personal accounts of gigs and band meetings highlight the aggression and destructive entities with surprising accuracy. The movie wraps up by emphasizing the influence that punk has on modern music.

If you get the chance to get a copy of this, it’s worth watching.

Rating: *** three out of three stars

On to the story . . .

Christmas barely past us, I started trying to remember my best holiday memory. I’d have to say my best was when I was three or four years old. How or why I still remember this I have no idea. My folks decided to take me to see Santa, but I was going through this, about, two-year freak-out when it came to costumes. I freaked every time I saw a clown or Santa or anything like that.

As soon as I came to terms with costumes, I saw the Talking Tina episode of the Twilight Zone. I was right after all; these damn toys can kill you.

Anyway, my folks pack me up and take me to my grandfather’s Carpentry Union for my visit with Santa. Mom and dad thought I would be jazzed to find that my grandfather was the Santa Claus for this occasion. Everything was cool until I saw Santa; I spun on my heels and ran a good two blocks before anyone realized I was gone. As I rounded the first corner I spotted a sign in front of a pizza joint, I don’t know what you call these signs – they look like upside down V’s. So, I tuck myself in between the boards and stay. I see feet running past me, and people yelling my name, but I stay hidden and silent for about twenty minutes. Santa, sorry fat man, you’ll to find another kid to kill – I got you figured out.

As time went by I kept hearing my dad calling for me, and I started getting nervous. Would he be happy once he found me, or would he be pissed that I put him through all this shit? So, I sheepishly came out and announced, “Here I am.” Now, my father, like his father, and me and my son was blessed with a fiery and sometimes insane temper. He was, in his own way happy to find me, but it was more like mumbling behind teeth that were gritting. He swoops me up, and explains that Santa is grandpa, that he was going to surprise me. I’m not convinced.

We get back to the Union Hall, wait in line and when we get to “Santa,” my grandpa pulls his beard down and says: “It’s me, Mikey!” I was blown away, how did Santa pull my grandpa into this madness? Grandpa gave me a candy cane, and we went on our way.

My grandpa passed away in 1991, he was a funny guy. He hated everyone except for my brother and me – and of course his wife, my wonderful grandmother.

Once he and my grandmother got too old to live alone they moved in with my aunt. Anyway, my brother and I come by for a visit one weekend and we come in through the backdoor, my grandfather doesn’t see us. Just as we’re coming into the living room where my grandpa is, our younger cousin Tommy (named after my father) walks up to my grandfather and asks if he would like some water, he’d get it for him. My grandfather, not missing a beat, starts swinging his cane and yells “Get out of my way you fat fuck!” My brother and I just look at each other and shake our heads. We walk into the living room and ask our grandfather if everything is OK in here. And he turns to us and says “Could you get me some water, they won’t do shit for me here?” For my British readers, my grandfather was a senior citizen version of Lenny McLean.

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Top 10 Punk Drummers

Number 10
Charlie Quintana

Charlie has been at this for a long-ass time; his time with the Plugz, Cruzados, and recently Social Distortion. Charlie’s style meshes with every band he sits in with.

Number 9
Topper Headon

Topper performed great drumming for the Clash; his heroin addiction got him booted from an otherwise flawless career with the band.

Number 8
Tommy Ramone

Innovator and guru to the Ramones. Tommy created the blueprint sound that the Ramones used for twenty plus years.

Number 7
Casey Royer

Whether Casey was drumming for Social Distortion or the Adolescents he has always been great. The “Blue” album stands the test of time.

Number 6
Phil George

Possibly the best overall drummer that is still playing. The guy can literally play any style of music, punk, rock, funk, and military beats. If you loved the Posh Boy EP, put on Symbol Six’s Monsters 11 album and study George’s playing, you’ll immediately fire your own drummer and curse his mom.

Number 5
Nicky Beat

One of the first L.A. punk drummers, Nicky brought the Weirdos to notoriety, and contributed to early Germs material as well as sitting in with the Darby Crash Band.

Number 4
Don Bolles

The oddball of the Germs (is that possible). Don played for the Germs, 45 Grave, and Vox Pop – which he posed nude for. Odd, but damn good.

Number 3
Paul Cook

From his punk defining work with the Sex Pistols or his slowed down stuff with the Professionals Paul Cook has always been one of the best, often overlooked, but freaking great!

Number 2
Robo

From his classic stuff with the mighty Black Flag to his drumming with the Misfits (with and without Danzig) Robo’s sound has always been very distinctive, one of my first favorite punk drummers.

Number 1
Todd Barnes

Todd Barnes played great hardcore on TSOL’s classic Posh Boy EP, and helped introduce L.A. to Death Rock with their ultra-classic Frontier released, Dance with Me! He could play it all, and well. I think he sat in on a Vandals reunion some years back.

Honorable Mentions: Marky Ramone, Terry Chimes, Bill Stevenson, DJ Bonebrake, Chris Wahl, etc.

These are my choices, I’m sticking to them. I know some will complain that I included two drummers that worked with Darby, well, maybe he picked great drummers.

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Number 10
Eric Leach

At a time when punk bands seem to rely solely on their back catalog, Leach and Symbol Six have bypassed the whole nostalgia circuit and perform almost a new and much harder set of songs. While most of their contemporaries have a wall of security around the stage or some kind of stainless-steel barricade, Leach is in the pit banging with the best of them.

Number 9
Darby Crash

Darby had charisma, but was always loaded. If he were sober, I would’ve bumped him up a notch or two.

Number 8
Lee Ving

Lee fits into that category of love or hate. The stage presence was definitely there. The whole insulting the crowd was a fairly new thing and Fear did it well.

Number 7
Mike Ness

Whether wrapped in toilet paper, or Alice Cooper make-up under his eyes, Mike has always given great performances.

Number 6
Mike Muir

I haven’t seen Suicidal since the early ‘80’s, so this is based on S.T.’s early days, and based on that Mike controlled his audience. Once they were announced a hundred or two “gang-members” would charge the pit. It was something.

Number 5
HR

Love him or hate him, HR is a madman on stage. The flips and acrobatics, crazy stuff.

Number 4
Glenn Danzig

If the voice (Jim Morrison meets Elvis) didn’t get you, the East Coast attitude with the “death-lock” hairdo was something to behold. The bodybuilding added to the Misfits overall appeal.

Number 3
Tony Cadena

Back in the early ‘80’s Tony never stayed still, whether he was flying into the audience, or rolling around on stage, he was a performer.

Number 2
Henry Rollins

Love him or hate him, over twenty-five years on and people can’t stop discussing him. He had great stage presence, and he is one of the most recognized “punks” in the world.

Number 1
Johnny Rotten

Nobody epitomized the angry punk the way Rotten did. The distain in his voice. He was the mold of a punk singer.

Honorable Mentions: Dave Vanian, Wattie, John Macias, etc.

Thanks to Jay Thurston for this idea. These are my choices; I’m sticking to them.

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The Clash
Bankrobber
Label: CBS Records
Released: 1980

Joe Strummer – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Mick Jones – lead guitar, vocals
Paul Simonon – bass guitar, backing vocals
Topper Headon – drums, percussion

1. Bankrobber
2. Rocker’s Galore

I have always loved this song. With the haunting vocals, and slowed down beat. In some ways I could relate to it. I never robbed a bank, but I understand doing what you have to do to survive, and the line “never hurt nobody.” A great song. And Joe Strummer and Mick Jones put together some great lyrics.

If you get the chance to get a copy of this, it’s worth a listen.

Rating: *** three out of five stars

On to the review . . .

In 1979 I was enrolled in Columbus Junior High, I was thirteen or fourteen. I was enrolled in the eighth grade in the middle of the bussing situation that was sweeping through the Los Angeles Unified School District.

My mom had just gone back to work, and they wanted to bus me to Crenshaw, and I wasn’t going to be back home until after 6:00 pm every night. So, my mom sought out other ways to keep me closer.

One night we attended an anti-bussing rally at Pierce College. The people rallied against our lack of choices for “our children.” Really there were no solutions, mainly whining. As we were leaving there was a guy outside the Pierce football stadium passing out anti-black literature, dressed in full Nazi uniform. My jaw dropped, other than a few war movies on TV, I didn’t know that Nazis were real. Most people just ignored him, whereas, nowadays in this Jerry Springer culture – man, woman and child would’ve assaulted him.

After researching some schools my mom found that Columbus Junior High wasn’t bussing out. They had been doing a voluntary bussing program for years, kids from downtown would be shuttled in daily in such numbers that the “white” student body was less than 10% of the whole student enrollment.

The plan was that my family (my mom, brother and I) would move from Reseda to Canoga Park to live with my mom’s friend Linda, so that we would be within Columbus’ district. Right as we prepared to make this move (even if it was just temporary) Linda’s husband, Don, committed suicide. Don was a great guy, always good to my family, and me but he suffered from problems relating to alcohol. I believe it was the first funeral I ever attended.

I started Columbus a week or so later. Because of the turmoil at Linda’s home we stayed in our place in Reseda, but used her address, and commuted to Canoga Park everyday.

It was one rough-ass school. The racial tensions were overwhelming. Everyday during PE my name was “honky,” for a whole year. It was at this school that I learned the significance of the golf cap. Depending on how many golf club pins you had on your cap dictated which street you represented, three pins, you were from Eighty-Third Street, etc.

The two cool things about going to this school was meeting a fellow punk, Linda “Ziggy” D., and seeing a bonafide music celebrity.

One of the teachers was rockabilly legend Ray Campi. I don’t know if he was a regular teacher or a substitute, but I saw him for the bulk of the year. I think Rodney Bingenheimer used to play him sometimes. I never approached Mr. Campi, I viewed him as too much of a star (hey, I was thirteen).

Eighth grade was by far my worst school year, but as with most things, there were some good memories too.

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Various Artists
Tooth and Nail
Label: Upsetter Records
Released: 1979

Controllers
Flesh Eaters
UXA
Negative Trend
Middle Class
Germs

Controllers – Another Day
Controllers – Electric Church
Controllers – Jezebel
Flesh Eaters – The Word Goes Flesh
Flesh Eaters – Pony Dress
Flesh Eaters – Version Nation
UXA – Social Circle
UXA – UXA
Negative Trend – I Got Power
Negative Trend – Mercenaries
Middle Class – Love Is Just a Tool
Middle Class – Above Suspicion
Germs – Manimal
Germs – Dragon Lady
Germs – Strange Notes

I remember when my uncle first bought this, I was thirteen, it was the first L.A. punk album I had ever seen (not saying it was the first). I remember the cover creeping me out a bit. Times have definitely changed; the cover is real tame now.

Anyway, it’s a great early punk primer for L.A. and S.F. punk.

If you get the chance to get a copy of this, it’s worth a listen.

Rating: *** three out of three stars

On to the story . . .

2008 marked the three-year anniversary of my father’s passing. And with Thanksgiving three weeks gone, it got me thinking about the turkey day my dad, and I cooked up in 1988.

In the beginning of November of 1988, I was twenty-two, I was thrown out of my place for the umpteenth time, and I drove over to my dad’s place to crash out, only to have him tell me that wife number two had left Halloween night and hadn’t returned.

Over the next few days I cleaned out all my stuff from moms, and lugged it over to dad’s. The next few weeks were spent getting used to two half-sisters I didn’t know and a handful of animals that loved to crap right outside my bedroom door, making the morning trip to the bathroom a frickin’ nightmare on my socks.

Thanksgiving morning came around and my dad says, “Let’s make turkey dinner, just you and I, no women this year.” Sounded great, but neither of us had ever undertaken such a task. Dad goes grocery shopping, and comes home with all the fixings. Now, the cooking. We gut the turkey, and put it on metal cooking pan, and the damn thing flops open spilling the stuffing, we look at each other and let out a “What the?” Then I remember seeing string on turkeys at the relatives. So, I tell my dad we need string to wrap this loose bird up. He runs tool shed, and brings out some twine, and we tie this ten-pound sucker up, and put him in the oven.

Twenty minutes later we open the oven, and the twine had burnt off. So, we pull the bad-boy out, and try to figure out our next move.

My dad takes off for the tool shed again, and comes back with a hammer and nails, I’m stumped. He tells me to hold the turkey, and he starts hammering the wings into the body, and we spin the bird around a few times, and he keeps hammering from every angle. By the time he’s done the bird is sealed tight. We pop the turkey back in and finish cooking.

For the rest of his years, dad would swear it was a good tasting turkey. In his later years he would buy a deep fryer, and make restaurant quality turkeys.

Whenever I think of my dad, I think of this Spider-Man comic book I read years ago. In the book Spider-Man goes off saving the universe with Doctor Strange, it happens to be Spider-Man’s birthday and he’s annoyed no one remembers, and that he has to work. They save the world, and Doctor Strange says he didn’t forget his birthday, and brings back his Uncle Ben from the dead for fifteen minutes. So, Spider-Man is scrambling to figure what he wants to says or do in those fifteen minutes. Makes me think, around the holidays, did I say everything I wanted to say, and what would I do with my fifteen minutes?

Of all my Thanksgivings, that one with my dad was the most memorable.

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Dicky B. Hardy
I Whistle You Dance
Label: Taang! Records
Released: 1999

Niko Novak – vocals
Dule Teslic – guitar
Igor Stupnik – guitar
Klemen Selan – drums

1. Berlin
2.10,000 Beers Ago
3. Who’s Your Buster, Dolly
4. Prick Party
5. Trouble
6. Handy Man
7. Who Cares For the Hookers?
8. I Can Sink Anything
9. Dancing Lips
10. Lizard’s Tongue
11. Dicking Around
12. Fucked up Hero

This band is like a . . . fusion of Black Flag and The Stooges, with the strange wit of The Angry Samoans.

The band Dicky B. Hardy formed in 1994 in the central Slovenia Grosuplje Ljubljana Borovnica region, and now consists of Dusan Rebolj on vocals, Emina Frljak on bass, Klemen Selanon drums and Igor Stupnik on guitar. The group released three albums before vocalist Niko Novak left in the summer of 2001.

The first two albums, Why Aren’t You Screamin (1995) and I Whistle You Dance (1997), were released by FV Music, while the more melodic, sonic punk rock rhythms in You Can’t Go Halfway and Get In (2001) were designed by Aldo Ivancic (Bast , Borghesia) and released by SKUC Ropot and Nika Publishing.

If you get the chance to get a copy of this, it’s worth a listen.

Rating: ** * two out of three stars

On to the story . . .

Sometime in either April or May of 1982, my friend Wes (of our Time Square Boys fame) decided one day that after school on Friday we would go to the marina and take his step-father’s and Mother’s sailboat. My reaction was “What?!” He said they had just gotten back from Mexico, and the fridge was filled with Tri Equis, which I had never heard of. But apparently it’s stronger than the Dos Equis that are sold here in America. I was intrigued.

So, at about 5:00 pm Wes and I get to the marina, and Wes sets sail. After traveling about thirty-nine miles we arrived. The weirdest thing about the trip was that after we set sail, Wes’ stepbrother Bob pops out of one of the bunks in the boat. I don’t know we missed him in there or how he stayed asleep through the trip, but there he was. Bob jumps out of his bunk and starts jabbering about going water skiing and rushing towards some small mountain/rock and scaring all the sleeping seagulls. Wes and I were way too sober for any of this, yet.

The three of us starting working on the cases of Tri Equis’ and at about midnight Bob’s run at the Seagull Mountain sounded like big fun. So, we climb off of the boat into an inflated dinghy Bob had thrown off the side. Wes and I had barely steadied ourselves and Bob had gunned the dinghy as fast as he could. Before we knew if we were within twenty-five feet of the rock and suddenly 100’s of sleeping seagulls were freaking out and flying towards us. Some flying down on the boat and barely missing us. It was nearly a Fabio rollercoaster incident.

Wes was yelling at Bob, telling him he was an idiot, and Bob was spinning a donut and trying to make another run at the seagulls. This was the highlight of Bob’s year.

We finally crashed out at about 2:00 am, only to wake-up to banging on the boat, my first thought was we were being attack by pirates, but no, Wes’ folks had taken the day ship over from San Pedro, and had started making breakfast for the seagull chasers.

The rest of the day was spent sobering up, and then by noon Bob had convinced us to go water skiing, but Bob didn’t have ski’s so, he had us use his boogie board, just kneel down and balance. Well, Bob took off at about 80 miles an hour and I drank up half of the Pacific Ocean and was stranded in the middle said Ocean. Needless to say we ditched Bob for the remainder of the trip.

At about nine that night Wes and I nabbed a case of the tasty Mexican beer and loaded it onto the dinghy and took off to hang out on the shore of Catalina. Once Wes and I were equally inebriated we both thought we were hallucinating as we watched the sand under our feet come alive. We stood frozen for almost twenty minutes, until a passing tourist said “Oh look the grunions are hatching.” At this point Wes started picking them up and helping to sea.

After about a half an hour or so, all the grunion were gone. And Wes and I sat exhausted (I helped a bit). When a girl approached me, or rather whispered from behind a palm tree, “Come here!” To which I replied, “No, you come here.” She wandered over and said she had to meet me, and kissed my cheek. I asked her, “Why did you have to meet me?” She said, “You’re Billy Idol from England, aren’t you?” Due to my freshly peroxided locks. Wes laughed, and I said, “No, sorry I’m Mike from Reseda.” She said, “That’s OK.” And proceeded to cuddle up next to me.

Then out of the corner of my eye I saw somebody move in the bushes, I jumped up and Wes followed suit. We start to charge the bushes when my stalker says, “No, stop that’s my boyfriend.” She went on to explain he was very insecure, and jealous and stayed back while she went to meet “Billy Idol.” Then she dropped a bombshell when she pointed over to him, he was now about a quarter of a mile away and said you might know him, he’s a DJ on KROQ, and he goes by the name Swedish Eagle. Now, I don’t if this was really him, but I was surprised she ditched a DJ for a Billy Idol look-a-like. After about a half an hour I convinced her to go back, as he was crying behind a palm tree now.

In all my years, that was one of the weirdest vacations I had ever taken.

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Exploited
Totally Exploited
Label: Taang! Records
Released: 2001

Wattie Buchan – Vocals
Gav – Guitar
Irish Rob – Bass
Willie Buchan – drums

1. Punks Not Dead
2. Army Life
3. Fuck the Mods
4. Barmy Army
5. Dogs of War
6. Dead Cities
7. Sex and Violence
8. YOP – The Exploited, Duncan
9. Daily News
10. Dole Q
11. I Still Believe in Anarchy
12. God Save the Queen – The Exploited, Paul Cook
13. Psycho
14. Blown to Bits
15. Insanity
16. S.P.G.
17. Jimmy Boyle
18. Fuck the USA
19. Attack
20. Rival Leaders
21. Crashed Out
22. What You Gonna Do
23. Class War
24. Alternative – The Exploited, Duncan
25. Computers Don’t Blunder
26. Addiction
27. Hitler’s in the Charts Again

I was never an Exploited fan, and unfortunately . . . I’m still not.

Wattie was definitely the face and voice of punk during the second wave of British punk, but like they say, not my cup of tea.

If you get the chance to get a copy of this, it’s worth a listen.

Rating: * ** one out of three stars

On to the story . . .

Back in 1982, I met a handful of guys that would turn out to be my best friends for the next few years, Mike R., Wes I., Tim and Evan K. Mike, Tim and Evan were into the whole Mod thing that was happening at the time, whereas Wes had a more rockabilly thing going on, and I, of course, was deep into my punk and Oi.

I met Mike in shop class, and we hit it off, he had just moved here from New York, and had a real outgoing, brash attitude. He liked me, but didn’t think that I would hang out with him and his friends because they weren’t punk. So, for the next six months or so they would hire me to be security at their parties. They would pay a few bucks or they’d pay me in beer.

Over time all five of us would be inseparable. We’d stay over each others house, and one crazy weekend Wes and I would steal his parents sail boat and go to Catalina for the weekend, more on that in another column.

Anyway, at our high school every click (preps, stoners, etc) had an official school club. So, Mike started one for us, with an official teacher sponsorship, we were known as the Time Square Boys. Named for Mike’s favorite stomping grounds.

One night we all took the bus up to the movies on Van Nuys and Magnolia (I think), and the Mod guys had their parkas filled with weed and beer. So, by the end of the movie everybody, but me was tipsy – so I assumed the role of bodyguard. We now had to walk back to Wes’ place – from Van Nuys and Ventura to Louise and Ventura, one long ass walk. We didn’t bring enough bus money for the return trip. So here we are walking down Ventura at midnight during one of the worst winds that had ever hit the Valley, there are trees in the windows of every other office building we pass, including a few banks.

Midway through our trip Mike and Wes have wandered ahead of us by a block or so when a car-full of Taft High football players pull up along side if us and yell “What’s up, Fags?!” as they pop out of their Mustang in an attempt to jump us, I reacted faster than I ever had in a situation like this in my life. I pushed Tim and Evan back, reached into my pocket and placed my keys between my fingers and started throwing haymakers. Two of the guys were on the ground when another yelled “bone out he’s got brass-knuckles!”

So, we compose ourselves, and figure it’s over. We watch the car, and see that it’s creeping up on Wes and Mike, so I yell ahead to warn them, but they’re too twisted to understand. So, Evan finds a shard of glass on the ground, and Tim picks up a 2 by 4 out of the gutter, and I go for my “brass-knuckles.” We catch these guys right as they are opening their car door. Evan kicks the door closed, Tim is jumping on the roof, and I start pulling the driver out of the window.

Wes and Mike are laughing; they have no idea what’s going on. Tim jumps down, and six guys in the car are all yelling to leave. They peel out, and spin into a donut on Ventura and Petit just as a cop car turns the corner, lights come on and they get pulled over. All five of us make it into Page’s coffee shop before the Taft guys can rat us out.

I guess once in a while a cop can come in handy.

LAST ONE TO DIE is officially out: A discount code was added, when you order at: https://www.createspace.com/3669330 type in FGACJX53 and receive 10% off.

Dropkick Murphys and the Business
Mob Mentality
Label: Taang! Records
Released: 2000

1. Mob Mentality (Business, Dropkick Murphys)
2. In the Streets of London (Dropkick Murphys)
3. Informer (Business)
4. Going Strong (Dropkick Murphys)
5. Keep the Faith (Business)
6. Freedom (Business)
7. Boys on the Docks (Dropkick Murphys)
8. Borstal Boys (Ian McLagan, Rod Stewart, Ronnie Wood)
9. The Kids Are Alright (Pete Townshend)
10. Hang up Your Boots (Slapshot)
11. Knock Me Down (The Outlets)
12. Mob Mentality (Business, Dropkick Murphys)

Dropkick Murphys
Al Barr – vocals
Ken Casey – bass
Rick Burton – guitar
Matt Kelly – drums

The Business
Micky Fitz – Vocals
Johnny Rioux – Bass
Steve Whale – Guitar
Mick Fairbairn – Drums

Mob Mentality is an album by Dropkick Murphys and The Business. Originally, the bands had previously put out a split 7″ single with the name Mob Mentality. This single consisted of three songs, two which were each band covering one of the other band’s songs, and the third was an original song performed by both bands together.

A year later, they released a full-length album with the three previous tracks and nine more. Of the twelve tracks, each band does four covers (two of which were covers of the other band’s songs) and one reworking of a song they originally recorded. The other two tracks are two versions of “Mob Mentality,” an original song performed by both bands together, credited to McBusiness.

Tracks 9, 1 and 4 are about the strongest.

If you get the chance to get a copy of this, check them out.

Rating: ** * two out of five stars

On with the story . . .

In September of 1983, the start of my senior year in high school I was put into journalism class. I was required to take an English elective; journalism class fit the requirements, so I took it.

The teacher was a guy named Mr. Clyman. Mr. Clyman was an eccentric old guy that was on bad terms with the head-honchos at the school, and had some weird magic trick that he’d show some of the students, he’d make his leg disappear, I never saw it, but had something to do with the angle of the desk.

Anyway, Clyman hated it when seniors took his journalism class. He felt that you should take it in 10th grade and devote the rest of your high school years to his newspaper. 12th graders only have one semester to devote to the paper prior to graduating. So, Clyman would mention this 12th grade situation EVERYDAY. I usually tried to block out this cranky old dude, but one day I asked him what his beef with seniors was?! He started to rant again, but I cut him off by saying:

“Fuck the paper.”

I don’t know where this came from, but immediately the class fell very quiet. Clyman quietly repeated what I said then the bell rang, and I booked out of there. Within 15 minutes 80% of the school knew about my little outburst. Funny thing was . . . I didn’t get in trouble, and it was never mentioned again.

At the end of the semester Clyman came up to me and said that with my shocking mouth I should consider writing stories for the paper that would shake things up a bit. I thought about and decided to take the plunge.

A couple of years prior a few of the guys that were in the deaf and hard of hearing program at the school had tried out for the football team and were cut for being deaf. So I combed the DHH department and found several guys that had the same problem.

I wrote the article and Clyman loved it. But the football coach, Mr. Sink let me know that if I wasn’t a student he’d whip my ass.

The good thing about this is, after the article ran a deaf student named Sean became the first deaf guy allowed on the football team. So, sometimes a foul mouth can get things accomplished.

LAST ONE TO DIE is officially out: A discount code was added, when you order at: https://www.createspace.com/3669330 type in FGACJX53 and receive 10% off.