Parking Was Easier

We would often go to New Hope for our counter-culture needs.

Zipperhead. Spinsters. And little to no parallel parking.

That. Making it a more desirable destination. Over South Street.

It was a two-door. 1983 Buick Regal. I was not ready for the parking challenge. With that car. On the streets of Philadelphia.

I left those trips to Mike A. Or the R3.

Walking up and down Main Street in our suburban South Street. I was usually there for Zipperhead. And Spinsters.

I never bought much at Zipperhead. Doc Martens. A chain wallet. There was a Suede t-shirt I always wanted. Before the London. From the debut. I never bought it.

Spinsters. I spent a lot of money. Joy Division. Shelter. Red Red Meat. Godflesh. 108. Nine Inch Nails. Gorilla Biscuits.

Gorilla Biscuits - Start Today. I believe there is a new mix of this compact disc. From the past few years. Mine dates from 1994. For Colin.

Panthor's Velvet Body Would Have Cushioned the Blow

Kevin was Ian's younger cousin.

He was there when I put Battle Cat through the living room window on Oxford Drive.

I was trying to get it stuck in a tree. Due to the immobile nature of the "action" figure. It hooked well.

Kevin came to his share of indoor soccer games.

The rides would lead to discussions about The Cure. Dead Milkmen. Black Flag.

The moms promised to take us to see The Cure during one of these rides to the Woodhaven Sports Center.

I'm still waiting. Twenty years on.

Eventually. High school. I was listening to more hardcore. Less punk. Shelter. Gorilla Biscuits. Judge. Minor Threat. Embrace.

Kevin a year younger. Now also into hardcore. But more.

Like the car rides before. We would discuss music. Bands. He expanded my listening.

I now knew of the "band before Rage Against the Machine."

Kevin made me a tape. Inside Out. Burn. And Statue on side two. Which segued into Electric Avenue. Or a similar song. Already on the tape.

I wore out the Inside Out and Statue. Statue is still a favorite band. I would usually fast forward through Burn.

I enjoy Burn. But now. Like then. I'll almost always skip over them. Especially if Statue is on the horizon.

I know. I am alone in my ho-hum opinion of Burn.

Inside Out - No Spiritual Surrender. A raw cassette dub. Bought the seven inch. Ultimately picked up the compact disc on eBay. For Colin.

In the Spirit of My Feelings on Live Music

De la Rocha Comes Alive!

When a band has limited output. Sometimes the listener takes what he can get.

Inside Out - Live at KXLU 1991. Quality. Questionable. For Colin.

[Image via www.paulgilbert.com]

Live, but Not York

Live recordings are not my preference. A lot of my friends seek out live recordings. Although. This could be a symptom of Phish.

When it comes to live recordings. I prefer those released by the label. Or band. Live bootlegs do very little for me.

I own my share of live recordings. So perhaps I'm a hypocrite. They come my way. But seeking out live sets? Almost never. Unless it is essential to a discography. See: Rank.

I enjoy live music. That experience can't be packaged on disc.

Truth be told. I probably enjoy the experience. The event. More than the sound.

Radiohead - I Might Be Wrong Live Recordings. This is my brother's. I didn't know I had the disc. Andrew. If you want the disc. Tell me. For Chad.

Just Finish What You Started

I set out to discuss how Gorilla Biscuits were the first band where I actively tried to bite their style.

Namely. Champion hooded sweatshirts. Windbreakers. Nike. Although at some point my preference became Adidas and New Balance. I have the Nike "lost years." When I considered them a socially misguided company. While actively supporting, eating and wearing other socially misguided companies.

Starbucks suffered the same personal boycott. For years. So many missed Frappuccinos.

Oh. For the spirit of youth. My youth. I think the intent was good. But I liked Gap jeans.

Gorilla Biscuits. Vinyl was originally ordered through Very. I think. I picked up the compact disc on eBay. I miss Revelation's cardboard packaging. For Colin.

Be Open Hearted, Don't Be Retarded

The lyric comes off as ridiculous. Now. But at sixteen. It was great.

Wrong or not. After all of these years. It sticks with me. That lyric. "Cats and dogs, have all the luck." Almost as much.

They were one of the first Revelation bands I listened to. Also. One of the first "Youth Crew" bands. That I listened to. Around that time I started categorize punk versus hardcore. Agnostic Front hardcore versus Gorilla Biscuits hardcore. Prior to that. All "punk" to me. The Cure, Agent Orange, Agnostic Front, PIL, Black Flag, New Order, The Clash, even Depeche Mode. It all fell under the "punk" umbrella. Anything different. On 120 Minutes. And on WPRB.

Between nine and fifteen. No real separation. If you were into skateboards. Or any bands out of the mainstream. It was normal to be into other bands out of the mainstream.

Gorilla Biscuits (Original Mix). Acquired on Livewire. I haven't compared the two mixes. I probably own the same thing twice. For Colin.

[Image via www.deckersports.biz]

I Have the Blanket: The Day Before

They arrive in Syracuse. The show at the Wescott Community Center.

Their new clothes. A result of a "shopping" trip to the Carousel Mall. Banana Republic in particular.

After Botch. Syracuse hardcore called it a night. Their love of Sean well documented over the years.

Leaving University students behind. With a few exceptions.

After the show. To Perkins. Supporting Syracuse area Denny's. Supporting racism. I think Redcheeks was there. An O'Hare? Trevor. Not Justin.

Me, Sean, Ryan went looking for beer. I was underage. Without ID. There were others with us. Choose from Sean, Brian, Eric, Adeet, John. One or two. Not all.

During the ride I was introduced to Thrill Jockey Records. In the form of Tortoise. And Trans Am. A window to the future?

Wegmans seems like a good option to pick up beer. Ah. Too late. We wandered the store.

Ryan and Sean continued to "shop." Shortly thereafter we were thrown out. Asked never to return.

I continued to purchase my groceries from there.

The beer run a bust. More Tortoise. Some of the car content with a joint.

Back to my apartment. I decided to sell Sean my Tricky vs The Gravediggaz CD EP.

Terrible decision.

Ink & Dagger - Drive This Seven Inch Wooden Stake Through My Philadelphia Heart. If you don't have this. You should. Well. Maybe not everyone. For Tom.

Reunion Show

"Are you going to the reunion?"

"No. I'd rather see a Civ reunion."

They called my bluff. I don't think I will make it.

If we're lucky. The show will not result in new material.

Occasionally. More often than not. Everyone loses. Old and new fans alike.

Gorilla Biscuits - At the Matinee. Slightly embarrassing. For me to have. And for them to record. For Colin.

[Image via fwyb.blogspot.com]

Public Apology

I traded with Mike D. My five disc changer. For his turntable. Nothing fancy. Either piece of equipment.

Eventually. Mike K. added AV cables.

Back to D. We would trade tapes. Compact discs. An informal record exchange. Not in Newtown. Not in Princeton.

Before school started. Or before returning to school. He borrowed some discs. I borrowed some discs. Two each I think. I couldn't tell you what three of them were.

But I can tell you what the fourth one was.

Depeche Mode - People Are People. While a compilation. Never too much Everything Counts. Mike. Reparations? For Dave.

They Introduced Me to Wog. Green Wog.

Outside of The Clash. And The Sex Pistols. There was never a lot of love for the UK. UK punk. Specifically.

The preference was always Stateside.

Sure. The Exploited. The Damned. UK Subs. Subhumans. Known quantities. But a need to purchase?

Around the turn of the century. The decision was made to re-examine the music. Of the era.

I emailed Jamie. He. Being more "punk." Less "hardcore." Crust? Fitting.

"What are some older UK punk bands I should check out?"

"Cock Sparrer. Sham 69. Stiff Little Fingers."

Stiff Little Fingers - Nobody's Heroes. Acquired on eBay. Imagine my surprise. Hailing from Northern Ireland.

Tony Liked Sonic Youth

He also liked Eric's Trip. I loaned him a few compact discs my senior year.

I last saw him at his going away party in Old City. He moved to California. (Gorilla) Mike informed me there would be drinks. Sold.

I wonder if those discs are in California.

And I wonder if he still likes Sonic Youth.

My guess is yes.

Sonic Youth - Made In USA. Downloaded. During my Sonic Youth spurt. Which should be over on here. For Mike D.

[Image via www.itwtranstech.com]

You're Kidding Me. A Radiohead Song?

Between 2000 and 2002 I lived in Astoria. Give or take a few months. Roughly. Two years.

I had lost interest in hardcore. I had the remnants of my compact disc and vinyl collection. No shows.

I was a temporary employee at Credit Suisse First Boston. My department moved. I sat next to Josh. He looked familiar.

We became friendly. He had been a year ahead of my at Syracuse University. Hence. Familiarity.

He also collected Stryper vinyl.

And enjoyed Pretty Girls Make Graves. And the Murder City Devils. He convinced me on one. Not the other. Cathy has done a better job. But not great.

Josh informed me Adeet worked down the street. I hadn't seen or spoken to Adeet in a few years. We got in contact.

Nine-Eleven happened. CMJ was pushed back.

Dave got us into the Drive-Thru Records showcase. We ran into Chris. I decided to go to the EVR showcase at CBGB the following day. Tim was there. Maybe Eric. My first show in a long time.

I missed a lot during my self-imposed exile. Especially in my hometown. My home region. Philadelphia. Not Langhorne. Between Ink & Dagger and Blacklisted is a gap of missed music. Missed shows. Missed bands.

Knives Out - Heartburn. Acquired on eBay. This appears to be out of print. Per Deathwish Inc. If not. Let me know.

Farside Meets Snapcase

Compuserve took me online.

It was a Usenet group. Not the sxe-l.

She lived in Victoria. Near Vancouver. A few years older than me. And a lesbian. At least bisexual. No romance.

She sent me a mix tape. Copper. Evergreen. And Falling Forward. There's more. It's at my parents.

She traveled to Philadelphia with her friends. Breakwater. There is at least a demo.

Me. Colin. Steve. He passed away. I think Steve was there.

Where the show was? I don't know.

Elements of Need. Mandela Strike Force. Picked up a two-song tape. With crank/prank calls.

Prank or crank.

I bought the Swing Kids seven inch on Kidney Room. From Razzle. And the Elements of Need/Jasmine split seven inch. "Jasmine?" "They're like Fingerprint."

Colin bought the Downcast seven inch.

The show was upstairs. Somewhere.

I had a Frail shirt on. Possibly the first design. An early design. Green ink. DIY. Don Devore "I'm in Frail." I didn't really have anything to say on the subject.

We left late. I'm sure I came home late.

Falling Forward - Hand Me Down. The Very catalog said Farside meets Snapcase. That could be wrong. I ordered it. Sold it. Downloaded it. From Gina. Bought it again. From Very. Fourteen years.

I Guess I Can Say More

We have discussed Coco and Frances starting a band.

Like Wilson Phillips. For alt-rock.

It turns out those dreams have been dashed.

Coco wins.

Sonic Youth - Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star. From Cathy's bag of compact discs. I was looking through the bag to find it. I gave up after five minutes. For Mike D.

[Image via en.wikipedia.org]

What More Can I Say?

They were a band I was supposed to like.

I never liked.

I tried to like.

I wanted to like.

Couldn't like.

I didn't get them.

Or the appeal.

I would re-evaluate. Every year or so. For over fifteen years.

I still didn't like.

Until 2007. They finally made sense.

I still hate Beat Happening. Maybe in five years I'll come around.

Sonic Youth - EVOL. Acquired sometime in 2007. For Mike D.

[Image via www.exclaim.ca]

Try Running In My Shoes

The invitational was at Fairmount Park. This seemed convenient as the concert was at the Spectrum.

In an ideal world the Buick would have made the trip. However. Harry Fisher had other plans.

I was to ride the bus with the rest of the team. As a teammate.

School bus to Fairmount Park. A Laidlaw? From there. A ride back with my parents. Quickly change. Back to Philadelphia. And to the Spectrum.

But before that point. The invitational.

Belmont Invitational. I think.

At this point I had already accumulated enough points to letter. I had no plans to over-exert myself.

I remember a gray day. A rocky slope. Also gray. I spent the race hanging towards the back. Talking to one of the runners from another school. Jamie. From Truman. This was standard. After I lettered of course. Only after.

Everything for college applications of course.

The race ended. And I raced home. Then to the Spectrum.

Mike D. Kim V. Heather G. She was the wild card.

The The opened. I didn't care for them before. Or after. Officially I still don't. But thanks to M&Ms I've considered re-examining their catalog.

Depeche Mode - Construction Time Again. Christmas gift. For Dave M.

To Talk About the Mole

There has always been an interest in the mole. The mole on Thurston Moore's face.

Jawline to be specific.

His left. My right.

Interest isn't the right word. Curiosity.

I thought I saw the mole once. Since then. I always try to catch a glimpse.

He won't be the first. And he won't be the last. I have always tried to catch Mariah's mole. But she does well at keeping her best face forward. Live. Photos. Anywhere.

Her left. My right.

As recently as an hour and a half ago. She kept it under wraps.

Hayden Panettiere. Her left. My right.

All of it. Character building. At the very least. Character giving.

Sonic Youth - Confusion Is Sex. I can't recall where I picked this up. Recent acquisition. During my re-examination of the band. For Mike D.

[Image via image.listen.com]

I Have the Blanket

Six of us I think. Maybe seven.

We took the Volvo to Buffalo. We were going to the Buffalo leg of the Ink & Dagger, Botch, Nine Iron Spitfire tour. I think Snapcase played the show as well. Because. It was Buffalo.

Sean was in my trunk. It was a wagon. Ryan in the back seat. The rest of the band had made it to Buffalo. Pre-mobile phone. Hard to coordinate.

Sean slept in the back. He had a fleece blanket. There was a lion on it.

For years it traveled in the Volvo. It currently resides in the back of my closet at my parents' house.

Crud Is a Cult - Second EP. I have this labeled as "Second EP", but it may be something else? Apologies in advance. Acquired from Livewire. Or Sam. For Marcus.

Mixtapes of the Middle Nineties

Some mixtape staples of the nineties.

For the ladies.

Obviously. I think the only friends, male, who received mixtapes of some variety. Colin. Mike D.

Some of these tracks probably made their way into the early oh-ohs. (Is there an acceptable term for this decade?)

I hated the mix compact disc. Mixtapes had character. Now I only operate with full albums. The last mix -- and it was a compact disc -- maybe four years ago?

A highlight of the mixtape. The packaging. I put way too much time into the packaging. For something that looked like an elementary school collage when all was said and done.

Magazines and catalogs were my medium. I made a menswe@r tape. For listening in the Volvo. Denim page of a J Crew catalog.

Still Life - Truth
Falling Forward - Third Cross Salute
Morrissey - My Love Life
Suede - She's Not Dead
The Cure - Pictures of You
Depeche Mode - Somebody
The Smiths - Cemetry Gates
Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart
Suede - The Living Dead
Inkwell - Shine So Bright
Christie Front Drive - Fin

Christie Front Drive - Self-titled, sometimes known as "Stereo". Purchased many years ago. For Tom.

Literally. Catching Up With.

At that point I had only purchased Violator.

I was really into them. And decided I wanted more.

My next purchase. Catching Up With.

I was let down. The biggest complaint being "it sounds like eighties music."

Which isn't untrue. But not necessarily something I would complain about as I got older. Nor was it something I would have complained about earlier. You know. Since it was the 1980s. And I was a young consumer of music.

I was no "Goth." Not that the term would have meant anything to me in seventh grade.

But. It wasn't as dark as I had hoped. Dark the whole way through.

My mother was. Is. A lover of Violator. And I think she enjoyed this as well.

Me? I sold it. Only to be re-requested at Christmas. A recurring theme. Thankfully. By ninth or tenth grade my tastes had grown considerably.

And pre-. Is my preference.

Depeche Mode - Catching Up With Depeche Mode. Current disc. A Christmas gift. For Dave.

Speech Class and 100 Percent

Evan loved Sonic Youth.

Don't you tell me he didn't.

I always associate him with Sonic Youth. And their t-shirts.

Dirty. Not Evan. The t-shirt. That album.

The way the mind organizes things. If I am able to recall one of the following. I can recite, recall, remember. The rest.

Evan. 100 Percent video. Mrs. Faunce. Kim Gordon. Dirty. Twelfth grade Speech. Spike Jonze. Eleventh grade English.

I can probably add Guitar Hero III to that list.

Play Kool Thing. And they all fall into place.

Sonic Youth - Bad Moon Rising. Acquired from Hangover Heart Attack. During a recent Sonic Youth revival. Personal revival. For Mike D.

[Image via speedreeder.blogspot.com]

Hard to Find

I remember them as a hard to find band. With Shadow Season. And Evergreen.

My memory may not be what it was.

A ten inch? That was the split. I think.

The second record. More common. That is how I remember it.

For some reason I could never track down the first release. Or was it I never bought the first release? I found the second album. I was excited. Finally. I had their material. And on compact disc. Even better.

But yet.

Was the other album hard to find? I doubt it.

Eventually. I found it years later. Along with Jihad. Generation Records. Used Punk. Always friendly to nostalgic needs.

The Jihad disc was sold. For a second time. I should have learned. The first time.

Christie Front Drive - "Anthology". Used. Generation Records. For Marcus. And Tom.

Tokio Hotel (They're Not The Scorpions...But Then Again, Who Is?)

Tokio Hotel. Passionate fans.

Ron Paul. More passionate fans.

"Who Is Ron Paul?" Covering. In large letters. The rear window of a Mercedes as it zipped by on I-95.

Christie Front Drive. Most passionate fans.

In regards to sweater vests and hand-to-chest "dancing."

Guilty.

Christie Front Drive - Miscellaneous. Compilation. Split. Acquired somewhere over the years. For Marcus.

[Image via www.legacydiecast.com]

A Huge Poster

In sixth grade John moved to Eagle's Mere. We became friends through skateboarding. As was the custom of the era. This led to football, street hockey and other rituals of suburban youth.

At this point. My tastes trended more punk rock, with a sprinkling of hip hop. John. Coming from Brooklyn, was almost exclusively into rap and hip hop.

(John had the first Starter jacket that I can recall.)

Over the years we would play with Legos. G.I. Joe. Videogames. And listen to the sounds of Black Sheep. Public Enemy. A Tribe Called Quest. Third Bass. LL Cool J. Boogie Down Productions.

At some point we tackled the important issue of "Who is more real?"

"Kris Kross?" or "Another Bad Creation."

Kris Kross won.

John had an older sister. Bless. She was in high school.

She listened to Depeche Mode. I thought that was hot. Well. Whatever was hot at that age.

Shortly after John's move to the neighborhood. I got into Depeche Mode. With the release of Violator.

Bless had a huge Violator poster in her room. I would annoy her about the band. She was always very friendly about it. I never thought of her as punk rock. I knew she was into different music. If anything. I remember her being like the older daughter in Uncle Buck.

Not punk. But dark. Maybe goth. I didn't think in those terms. At that age.

On the other wall. A huge 101 poster.

Over the years I would see this compact disc. Consistently. I would shy away from it. I was too cheap to buy double discs. (Substance. Merry Christmas!)

Eventually. A few years ago. I finally made the purchase.

Depeche Mode - 101 (Disc 1), (Disc 2). Next on the discography list. Deluxe editions. Etc. First The Cure. Purchased used. Somewhere. For Dave.

Christmas In March

Not this time.

Remember. Hugs for Pepe Sanchez.

On the subject of Skins, Brains and Guts. Nothing.

7 Seconds - Skins, Brains and Guts. Acquired from Livewire. For Mike A.

[Image via www.pepe-sanchez.com]

Sale!

On Sale at www.verydistro.com has been an e-commerce staple of the past twelve months.

Music that time forgot.

Favorites of the early to mid-nineties. Favorites for few.

There is an outstanding order. This could be it. The options have been exhausted. Despair - Kill. Out of stock.

Not fast enough.

Engine Kid - Cap. In stock. Waited. And waited. Months. Never in out of stock danger.

Hoping more classics fall out of favor with the purchasing public. Finding them On Sale.

In the meantime. Trustkill, Equal Vision, New Age and Jade Tree all support the bargain hunter.

Rebuilding. Compact disc. Bonus tracks. Purchased through On Sale. For Marcus.

Peel Sessions?

What's a "Peel Session?"

I would be going through the music at Wall to Wall Sound and Video. Next to Olga's Kitchen. The fuzzy black arch.

Looking at music. Cassettes mostly. Eventually long boxes.

At some point the store moved. It became The Wall. I never determined if they were the same. Re-branded.

Or maybe just a coincidence.

But in both incarnations, versions, stores.

I would see Peel Sessions. Peel Sessions. Peel Sessions.

Very common among the bands I was interested in.

It turns out. John Peel is a person.

Fugazi - Peel Sessions. Acquired somewhere. Not Wall to Wall. Not The Wall. For Mike A.

[Image via homepage.mac.com/eyedropper]

Minor Threat, 7 Seconds, S.S.D.

I never really listened to 7 Seconds or S.S.D.

At least not until recently. Recently being the past few years. Minor Threat was a staple.

I never knew much about 7 Seconds. A song here or there. Most of my exposure was through Sessions advertisements in the back of Thrasher. The rows of shirts. Bootlegs I'm assuming.

Now that I'm older. And aware of these things. Then it never mattered.

I knew a lot of people who liked 7 Seconds. Predating my ability to differentiate hardcore from punk rock. They. We. Were all into skateboarding. And pre-Nirvana. Anything out of the ordinary. Mentally lumped into punk rock.

At least in my pre-teen mind.

Youth Crew. Posi. Or Straight Edge for that matter. Not even blips on the radar.

7 Seconds - New Wind. Acquired from Livewire. For Mike A. Tune the children in beyond The Cure.

[Image via www.juicemagazine.com]

My New Boyfriend

If it wasn't for owning one track I would think they were a figment of my imagination.

Aaron from Seaweed. One of the ladies from Tsunami? About once a year. For the past fifteen years. Roughly. I will make inquiries about this project. Band.

Generally no one knows what I'm talking about. But if you mention Seaweed or Tsunami. Chances are I will be mentioning this.

There is the track from the seven inch. Which made its way onto The Machines compact disc.

I also believe there is a cassette. No compact disc. No record. A cassette.

Only once have I not been able to track down a hard copy of something. And this is that once. Even digital versions continue to elude me.

I must admit. My search has never been very intense. Beyond record stores. In various cities. The Internet? No help.

Someday I'm sure.

And I won't have anything to play it on.

Seaweed - Despised. Like Four. Bought. Sold. Re-acquired. For Livewire.

[Image via www.wiretotheear.com]

And I Thought It Was a Cool Picture

I thought it was such a cool picture. I must have been in tenth grade when the ep arrived in the mail.

My mom was a good sport when it came to ordering from labels and distros.

She developed a rapport with a number of them.

That said. I thought it was such a cool picture. Everything about it. Right down to the Vans.

Which I always assumed were blue.

I had been wearing Vans for years. But I had never considered that model. Until the picture.

I thought Aaron was the pinnacle of cool. In that photograph.

Looking back I have to wonder why? I can't blame age. I should have known better.

And looking at it now? It hasn't aged well. And I feel let down.

Made worse because I never bought those Vans.

Seaweed - Four. Purchased through Sub Pop. Sold. Acquired from Livewire. For Livewire.

[Image via www.subpop.com]

Visualize Tacoma Part III

Seaweed - Weak. Acquired from Livewire. For Livewire.

Visualize Tacoma Part II

Seaweed - Spanaway. Possibly acquired from NFM. Possibly Livewire. For Livewire.

Visualize Tacoma

Of all of my Sub Pop shirts. This was a favorite. Or the favorite.

Like everything in the era. It was an extra large. Sadly.

And in 1994. I was far less large than I am today.

My interest in Seaweed waned.

My brother inherited the shirt. Not for his love of the band.

But for something to wear on the beach.

Seaweed - Bill. Acquired in digital format on Livewire. For Livewire.

[Image via pix.epodunk.com]

It's About World War II

So I'm hanging out with Shafer but this time he has arguments.

"It's a concept album."

"It's about World War II."

"It's about the Nazis."

"It's about Anne Frank."

"Their singer went crazy."

The first four statements reeled me in. Who isn't seduced by history based rock records?

The fifth sealed the deal. I have always been a sucker for artists suffering breakdowns. Real or imagined. Mental anguish or drugs are acceptable catalysts.

Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea. From Shafer. As for any of the above statements being true? I don't know. I took his word for it. For Dave.

Let's Go Outback Tonight

I was watching DUTV.

It was a video program.

A video came on. Cathy was into it. I was into it.

"It must be Euro."

I was wrong.

Prior to this they were "Let's go outback tonight." Or so I heard on 610 WIP.

Prior to that. I hated them. Without listening to them. Based only on who did.

It wouldn't be the first time. And it won't be the last.

A bad habit. That I can in no way justify.

Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? Yes, Cathy. I know I shouldn't judge bands based on their listening base. For Dave.

But What About Billingsgate?

How much do you hate Victory Records? Current or past incarnations. A lot of people do.

I'm indifferent.

People say "I hate Victory Records."

(Regardless of how many Snapcase, Earth Crisis, Strife, Hi-Fi and the Roadburners records they purchased in their youth).

To them I say. "But what about Billingsgate? Or Worlds Collide?"

This is always a poor attempt at humor on my part.

It's also a big lie. I am always serious about Worlds Collide. But the Billingsgate statement is a total fabrication.

I never heard them until downloading this album.

Billingsgate - No Apologies. I know almost nothing about this band. The extent of my knowledge is in this post. For Marcus.

[Image via www.zokazola.com]

The Langhorne Strikers

In the summer before sixth grade I joined the first travel team of the Langhorne Athletic Association.

We were made up of defectors from the Middletown Athletic Association.

Controversial stuff.

I had the good luck of breaking my arm towards the end of the summer. I was playing manhunt. Not soccer. I did however trip over a teammate while playing the glorified version of hide and seek.

I missed some games.

After my cast was cut down. It was blue. Fiberglass. Had a fine odor. And I saved it for years.

Yes. After my cast was cut down. I could play again. I returned a far dirtier player.

I developed a taste for running my mouth. And physical play. Ian Wall was my partner in crime. With Brian Gaul a sobering influence at the back.

At the center of my rage? The Cure.

Not really. But Ian was a big fan. I was a big fan.

We would hound our mothers about taking us to see them.

It never materialized. And it still hasn't.

But we won the league that first year of existence.

The Cure - Pornography (Disc 1), (Disc 2). I'm in the midst of buying the remastered/rarity releases in order. For Mike A., his offspring and Erin S.

This Is Not a Fugazi T-shirt

I always wanted to own a "This Is Not a Fugazi T-shirt" t-shirt, but before I got around to it I developed a case of "principles." I admired their five dollar shows, cheap compact discs and records. How could I go against their punk rock ethos and wear such a shirt?

I was eighteen. What did I know?

I really wish I had one now.

And not for the irony. I'm just nostalgic.

I remember my friend Christian owning one. It was white, with a teal-ish print.

That is the one that sticks in my head.

I believe the last time I saw it was at Lollapolooza in 1994. It was paired with orange New Deal (Big Deal?) jeans. Over sized and oh so ugly.

Fugazi - Demo 1987. I only recently acquired this. I never owned the tape. Dubbed or otherwise. For Mike A.

[Image via www.sunshinejoy.com]