This last week I bought a CD I hadn't had for awhile. The Minutemen-Double Nickles on the Dime. It's one of my all time favorites.It reminds me of Kris. When we were in highschool Kris and I would hang out in this little studio where our taxi driver friend Chris lived. Jesse, Mike R., Clay and Bob were also there. Other stranglers like Robin, Chris A.and Mike S. with his brother were often in and out of there as well. We would listen to the Minutemen, Black Flag, Fear, the Avengers, the Vandels, TSOL, the Germs...etc...
Sometimes we would put Chris's matresses up against the walls and make our own little mosh pit.
It was from here that I started playing in bands with those boys. Kris was always the singer.
We had lots of good names: the Tombstones, Total ASSets, Bucket of Death, Catholic Fags in Trouble, and my favorite...Jesse Christ and the Apostlettes. I still have a cassette that I put together of all the music I taped. Because of course it ALWAYS had to be taped. We'd all listen back to it in Chris's little studio.
These are such great memories for me. Sitting around a dirty little table choking on cigarette smoke in a room with no windows, Punk Rock blasting on the little portable sterio, empty cans of cheap beer everywhere, all planning our escape's from Redding.
Chris eventually joined the Army, Jesse, Mike R. and Bob moved to SF. Clay --I don't really know. I think he stayed around up there. Eventually he died in a car accident on his way back to Redding from a visit to SF. Kris and I ended up going to BYU.
Now Kris is gone too.
It's funny how listening to music can remind you of so much and make you so sad and so happy at the same time.
3 comments:
Have you seen We Jam Econo yet? That brought memories back for me--just being in Utah, having those bands stop in and play on their way to LA, or SF. I saw the Minutemen at a dive called Alice's in downtown SLC. There was no stage. Everyone was on the same level, which was a great metaphor for the punk movement.
that's one of my favorite records, too. i never get tired of that one.
yeah, chris p. was such an enabler! can't believe he let us hang out so much and play obnoxious music all the time at his dinky cinderblock apartment. it's people like him that make art real for a lot of young folks. maybe even more than schools do.
when you gonna send me a copy of that tape? i need it!
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