We Never Learn- The Gunk Punk Undergut 1988-2001

What would YOU call the punk music scene of the late 80's through the new millenium? This period was largely underground; as the original wave's of old school (Ramones, Dead Boys, Clash), college (Husker Du, Replacements), and hardcore (Bad Brains, Black Flag) had either self-imploded or been destroyed by outside pressures. The original garage punk scene was fizzling. Grunge was gearing up, hair metal was thankfully starting to die and rap was omnipresent.

What were all the mutants to do?

Eric Davidson, lead singer of the uber awesome NEW BOMB TURKS has written the definitive history of the descendants of the time between the original hopes of punk and the emergence of the New School bands like Rancid and Green Day with We Never Learn- The Punk Gunk Undergut, 1988-2001.

The Dwarves make this site not safe for work

Davidson lived through the time and his band, along with such reprobates as The Mummies, The Gories, The Dwarves, Supersuckers and a million other bands; crisscrossed the USA, Europe and even the Far East; inflicting their alcoholic three chord furnace blasts of the rawk. The songs were rude, the players (and crowd) were wasted and the music was loud and nasty.

That's the blueprint for rock n roll.

The New Bomb Turks in Las Vegas 2000

We survived many of these shows during that time. For me and my buddies, we were past the point of thinking that being drunk was a novelty or that it was "cool". No- we drank because we had to- it was part of our fabric. Same thing with vicious rock n roll. We were there because we had to be! And that's the feeling that we got from these bands as well. They played and drank because that's what they had to do.
It wasn't really a "scene" and from my alcoholic memories, it didn't seem that there were an cliques- it was just a revolving series of fucked up people and fucked up bands.

That is... fucked up people and fucked up bands that could rock the shit out of you.

The Mummies in a pensive moment 1991

The strengths of We Never Learn are in the writing- Davidson is an expert on the subject and either part of most events or knew the people responsible. The book flashes from interviews to recollections to conventional historical prose. The book reads similarly to The Replacements history "All Over But The Shouting", where the "close to the action" stories also flesh out the story.

This book fits on your shelf right next to American Hardcore and Our Band Could Be Your Life.

Oh yeah, if you buy the book, you get a link to download a cd's worth of classic toonage from the bands in the book. 20 songs- and I only owned one of 'em beforehand. So you can melt the wallpaper whilst you read.

Whaddya waitin' for????

Part Of The Problem

Hey! We're recording our album. Actually, do you even call 'em albums anymore? We're doing it on the budget plan of course. Our tech savvy lead gee-tar-ist has set up his basement as a recording studio. Guitars and drums are down and it's about time for l'il ole me to "contribute" my bass lines.

It seems all of our toonage is family oriented. That is, if you're in the Manson Family!We've got songs about mass murderers, fecal matter raining from the skies, systemic overthrow, and of course dope, guns and fucking in the streets.

We're all pretty psyched for this. We recorded one tune last fall (The Love Theme To Kids Go To The Woods, Kids Get Dead); and that was a blast- but we did it in a real recording studio and while it came out great, we were aware that it was co$ting us $$$ (not that we minded that much, since the best Punk Rock engineer/studio did it!)

And... this time, I'll be sober! Because time is money. Even when it's not costing money! Or something.

It's been old Brit music day today at the Spahn Ranch- Have at 'em!

Toonage:

The Stranglers - No More Heroes
Wire - I Am The Fly
The Saints - This Perfect Day
The Damned - There Ain't So Sanity Clause
Gang Of Four - Armalite Rifle

Life Is..

... Very Short And There's No Tiiiiiiiiimmmmmmme, For Fussing And Fighting My Friends.

I dunno, some old band sang that a while back. Hey now, thanks for all of the advice on how to deal with Mr. Asshole former boss. And the answer was... D- I ignored the lunch request and responded to his query about football (the 'merican version). I am sure he figured the implied message.

I could not have sat across from him without strangling him, so what would be the point in that? The highest road would have been to lunch and smile, but I am not that evolved I guess. So, discretion being the better part of valour, much smarter to just let it fly by and move on.

Hey, I haven't posted any music to download lately, so here's some... komplete with komments (try to figure out that reference!)

The Jam - Dead End Street (Kinks kover) - Paul Weller & company being the ultimate mod-ficianado's and covering multiple Beatles/Who toonage, here's a nice 'un.

The Damned - Plan 9, Channel 7 - From the Radio One sessions - That's not Unlce John, right? I get all that Brit radio shaowage mixed up. Hey - Pirate Radio wasn't a bad movie at all incidentally!

Debbie Harry & Chris Stein - I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend (Ramones cover) - A sweet acoustic version recorded at the last show ever at CBGB's. I miss Joey. Alot.

The Dictators - I Just Wanna Have Something To Do (Ramones cover) - The Bronx boys do the Queens boys. And when in NYC, you MUST go to Manitoba's!

Some guys from Liverpool -We Can Work It Out (from Ultra Rare trax) - J,P, G & R on an alternate version.

The Best Things In Life Are Free...

... but you ain't getting them without money. Or something.

It appears that after a few months of on-the-job-training (ie rejection), I have made a couple of additions to the plus side of the ledger. While nothing to even draw any moolah out of, it still establishes me as havin' some modicum of credibility with my company.

And that's a little piece of mind.



And piece of mind might be priceless, but it can also be bought!

And a little satisfaction:

I got an email from one of my old bosses. While this guy wasn't the soulless pigfucker who shitcanned me, he was definitely complicit. He could have been "the governor" and given me a stay of execution. But he didn't. After all, it's just business... even after being a star performer for over ten years.

So, he offers to have lunch with me next time I'm in the environs.

Multiple choice time!!!!

Would YOU:
a: Tell him to go fuck himself via email
b: meet him and confront him on what happened
c: meet him and not burn bridges, and suck up your hatred
d: ignore it completely

I'll post what I chose in a couple of days

More Haiku For The New World

Well, fellow babies, it's been a while since I have pleasured myself (and hopefully you) with some Haiku. Have at it.

Fox News
Hello Teabaggers
Politics Now, But in porn
Means balls on the chin

US Magazine
Stars, they're just like us
They eat! And throw out their trash!
Except they have jobs

Ambien
A magic white pill
Ate one and went for a drive
Oops, I wrecked my car

Hash Pipe
My friend hates Weezer
I dared him to sing a song
I got to play bass

Trying To Eat Where Other's Crapped
Thought I was flirting
But it was my friend's ex-wife
Beer goggles were on

All This And More

These songs just make me so happy that I want to share them with you all. Cause, that's just the kind of boy I am.

 Can u describe what it like to have sex with thuh lite awnnnnn

Tired of doin' day jobs, with no thanks fer whut I do, I'm sure I must be someone, now I'm gonna find out who

I think I'm awn another world with youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

It's Getting To The Point...

... where I'm no fun anymore. Whaddya do when the shit yer takin' to quiet the voices in yer head start makin' em LOUDER?

I have no idea, but frustration is startin' to take it's toll. And, like most American White Boys, I really have no right to be bitchin' about anything!!!!!!!!!! 



Because (and I know that startin' a sentence with "because" is a Strunk & White no-no), this nation is full of fucking crybabies! "Wah Wah Wah, I'll bitch on my blog, my twitter, my facebook, my tumblr, my (insert your 'net masturbatory venue here)". Boo fucking hoo.

It might be time to get outta town fer a few daze.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

He's (still) Gone

15 years ago today, Jerry Garcia became one of the actual dead. Whatever your opinion of the man and his band; it cannot be denied that Garcia had a major tranformative effect on music and culture.

R.I.P. Captain Trips, my life was enriched by your presence in it.

This Is A Love Song

I thought you were the one when I heard "Holidays In The Sun"
come from your bedroom
but my mind started to stray when I saw Youth of Today
mixed with your singles
What's with this Underdog and this GNR EP?
I don't think Hanoi rocks
and I don't want your Paul Stanley
next to my Subhumans gatefold
I'm not trying to be a jerk
but I don't think this record mergers gonna work

But when I saw Christ on Parade,
and This is Boston, Not LA
I knew you were the one

I knew you were for me when I saw the first Vandals EP
I found SNFU and cool I owned that record too
seems we both had Social Unrest and sung "she's a pervert nurse"
we both had the first pressing of "How Could Hell Be Any Worse"

I knew you were the one

So now we got two Earth ADs and we got two Killing Jokes
we got two Adolescents two Peni's and two The Crews
we got two Someone Got Their Head Kicked Ins
we got two Declines, two Damaged
and two Jealous Agains,

I knew you were the one
When I saw Machine Gun Etiquette
I knew you were the one
When I saw the Peace War comp

We got two Articles of Faith, 31 minutes of group sex
A couple of Avengers, and a pair of Out Of Steps
We got two What We Do Is Secret, we got two TSOL's
We got two Freedom Of Choices, we got two Three Hits From Hells

I knew you were the one

 

Another State Of Mind

I was fortunate enough to see SOCIAL DISTORTION last night. What I was unfotunate enough to have to deal with was motherfucking Long Island, home of absolutely nothing good and right and pure. The club was horribly overpacked, filled with enough douchebags that I almost bailed before Mike Ness and his merry band of troubedours took the stage. Luckily I found solace about 20 feet from the stage, pressed against the bar and tenaciously held this area through the whole show, where the soothing sounds of Social D and many beers calmed me down.

(I love this video from the 1982 "Another State Of Mind)

Quote of the nite was when Ness asked the crowd what they thought of Jersey Shore folks. Considering that half the fucking squidheads at the show probably model their lives after that show, it was certainly ironic when the query was answered by booing. Not as much fun was when a little slut-ette puked three feet from me, nearly bathing me in her vile putridity.

(Social D last year in Sweden)

Social D were fucking awesome, playing a healthy dose of their catalog (dating back to Mommy's Little Monster).
Thank the punk rawk gawds that old Mikey never did the dirt nap, despite his previous hobbies dabbling in drugs, crime and prison life. I first saw Social D in the early 80's and almost thirty years later, they still deliver the goods.

(Social D in assholesville, Long Island)

Setlist
Road Zombie / Bye Bye Baby
Under My Thumb Bad Luck
Don't Drag Me Down
The Creeps
Another State Of Mind
Mommy's Little Monster
Sick Boys
Reach For The Sky
Ball and Chain
Highway 101
Sometimes I Do
Still Alive
encores
Prison Bound
Nickels and Dimes
Ring Of Fire