Tag Archives: American Hardcore

Cookie Puss

Well last night was basically like other nights, but still I write. I took bhikku’s advice and watched American Hardcore and it was better than I expected. There were so many bands from that scene that I had forgotten about. I also forgot that one of the main causes of the hardcore scene was the administration of the Reagan presidency.

It was bad then, but it’s worse now. Where’s the underground response? Where would hardcore be without Ronnie? He was the poster child for most hardcore fliers and adverts. It was a very good documentary, interviews with Keith Morris from Circle Jerks, HR from Bad Brains, Henry Rollins. I forgot about Die Krauzen, I believe they played McSwells at some point. It was a national thing with our Canadian cousins represented by DOA.

As vital as the hardcore scene was, it did eventually succumb to the LCD mentality. One of the talking head was a former roadie for a Boston band called Slapshot. He’s now a Unitarian minister, Reverend Hank Peirce, nee straight edge Hank. He was totally straight edge, and still is apparently. I was straight edge for a few minutes, in the sense of not drinking or doing drugs. Then I started drinking and doing drugs.

Ian MacKaye from Minor Threat was on also, the leader of the straight edge movement, totally earnest with the DIY attitude. I doubt if there are many bands so dedicated to their craft as he was and still is. Don’t know if Fugazi is still operating, but they had the policy of never charging more than $5.00 to their shows. I also found Phil Anselmo has quite a sexy voice. Man he sounded hot. Too bad he was a junkie in Pantera, which isn’t or wasn’t hardcore.

Not much on the Dead Kennedys or Husker Du. They got a mention but no one from those bands were talking, neither were the Beastie Boys who as many people have forgotten, started out as a hardcore band. Henry Rollins, good guy, had some very good things to say, telling his story about leaving a $3.50 an hour job in DC to move to LA and join Black Flag.

Bill came home towards the end and was tired and perplexed by the sounds coming out of the TV. Bunch of white kids jumping off the stage onto each other in the audience, ‘what the fuck’ he must have thought. Luckily, the songs played barely lasted more than a minute and you couldn’t really understand, hence my having the subtitles on. Almost forgot, Brandon Cruz was on. He was in a hardcore band, in fact he replaced Jello Biafra in the Dead Kennedys.

The group I hung out with back in my wild and wooly days gravitated to hardcore, I moved in a different direction. They were listening to the Germs, I was listening to Talking Heads and Run DMC. Eventually we parted ways.

Oh and Moby sang with Flipper for a show or two at some point though the guys in Flipper don’t remember. Oh that Moby. Grrr! And Mike Watt, great guy, he should run for President. No, wait, he’s too cool for that. He’s great and it was good to see him in the video. Everybody loves Mike Watt. I know I do. I heart Mike Watt. Where is today’s hardcore, railing against the system? What? Do I have to do it?

Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong about any of the above, like you needed me to tell you that.

You Gave Me The Answer

It’s Wednesday and since most have had Monday it feels like Tuesday. Crazy and confusing. Last night watched Scrubs, and then Keith Olbermann where I was properly outraged by the bullshit that goes on in the political world today. I suppose I could write about politics here, but you can go to many blogs about that sort of thing. There has to be a red flag to get me fired up and write about it here. And the personal is political isn’t it? Well?

After Keith Olbermann I had nothing to watch. I do have the DVD of Lars and the Real Girl and a documentary on American Hardcore, called oddly enough, American Hardcore. I don’t know why I rented it. I wasn’t into hardcore. In fact when hardcore came on the scene, I moved into rap and hip hop, finding that more agreeable than a mosh pit.

I did see some hardcore bands, Black Flag, Bad Brains, Murphy’s Law to name a few. I remember Flipper destroying the stage at McSwells if that counts. I guess Husker Du were hardcore, maybe even the Minutemen too. I don’t think the Butthole Surfers were and I saw them quite a few times in the lysergic tinged eighties. I guess I’m waiting for the right time to watch it. But when will that time come? It didn’t come last night.

I started watching a movie starring Gwyneth Paltrow, called Sliding Doors. It seemed somewhat interesting, at least the first 28 minutes did. Bill came home then and however slow the movie was before then, it crept considerably after that.

I turned on Lawn Hor d’oeuvre SVU instead. Of course it was a repeat and it was followed by another episode. Too much Lawn Hor d’oeuvre for the night, left me full. Bill was in bed after I watched the news and soon I was asleep next to him, fighting for the sheets.

Didn’t sleep too restfully, window was open and a strong wind blew everything off the windowsill midway through the night, crashing onto the floor which woke me up, Bill of course slept all through it. He was up and out as I lay there cursing my alarm clock.

Eventually I got out of bed, dragging my ass, thinking about calling in sick, which I wasn’t yet still the idea pops into my head at least once a week. But with no Linda around I had to go in.

I was only 20 minutes late and still no one was in yet. Started up the office, did whatever it is that I do. Made room for new people renting space in mid June, ordered supplies, things like that. Greg Stevens told me that we were not going to hire a receptionist.

Apparently he hadn’t spoken to Vivek about hiring a receptionist. So that’s still up in the air. I think we are going to need one, and as the new people move in, we more than likely will.

Vivek needs to talk to his friend about it, since his friend would be mainly paying for it, or at least splitting the cost. I was able to chat with Juan about it, he still wants the gig and hopefully it will be there for him. That’s about it.

Home again, chillin’ out. What are you doing?