I used to be very optimistc, angry, and outspoken. I had what I thought were formed ideals. They oscillated wildly around the idea of "compassion" or "unity." I used to believe Rousseau's idea that humans were inherently "Noble Beasts." Nowadays I am kind of an asshole. I think people are terrible. Maybe I have been mislead. Maybe I have finally seen things clearly. I don't know. But, those ideas had a soundtrack and I do know that the music I used to listen to had something to it. It was beautiful and angry and loud. The shows we went to were smoky and small and a lot of times they got canceled or bands never showed up or their vans flipped. Punk rock was still alive. And maybe it still is today.

Here is a quick tribute to my generation's hardcore and punk rock scene.

Good Riddance

The New Good Riddance band Only Crime

Ignite

Strife

Kid Dynamite

Bane

I was searching for Stretch Arm Strong clip for this post and cme upon a show that I attended. If you look close I am up front, getting the mic shoved in my face and singing along. I was 17. Steve Boomhower and I drove over to Melbourne in my Toyota pickup. We surfed all morning and then met the Stretch Arm Strong guys before the show. I was pretty good friends with the guitarist, David at the time. He surfed and was super jealous of our session. Seeing this blew my mind.