Another Dissatisified Customer.

Greetings All.
We're all deep in the holiday season now. Los Angeles has been cold (well, the LA version of "cold") and the city is slowly emptying out, like an over-grown and slightly psychotic College Town. Pretty soon the only people left to battle it out on the freeways will be the locals and those who don't have the means to escape. It does get weirdly quiet here... especially if, like me, you're also looking for a job at this time o' year. Everyone's mantra seems to be: "Nothing is going to happen until after the Holidays" so the whole Christmas/Hanukkah/New Year's Eve package is something you just want to get PAST so that something new can happen. But enough about me, let's see what AAP's happy readers have to say this week...

DEAR Ask An Alleged Punk-
When was the last time you even played out? When was the last time you even touched a guitar? I don’t know how you can call yourself punk, that picture is 1000 years old. It would be like me, at 24 still calling myself a toddler. You never talk about music or bands that are actually NEW. Are you just living in the past? It seems like just so much bullshit. Why don’t you call yourself something else? –Deke

Dear Deke-
Do you know anybody named “Boz” ? Yeesh. Sometimes I don’t quite understand where this sort of animosity comes from. Even though I don’t yet have a blog roll on this page, I DO read a lot of blogs and personal websites and I write a lot of comments (that IS the whole point of this interactive medium after all.) …but if I disagree with someone’s post or point-of-view I usually just ignore it and move on, unless there is some specific point I can dispute in a rational and/or factual way. Anything else is really just name-calling, and kind of silly. I mean, I’m sure you’re a busy punk, why waste your time firing off a question like the one you asked? You couldn’t possibly think I was going to read your email and say to myself “ooooh he’s right, who am I kidding? I have to shut down this site!” If it was just to get “a response” well, mission accomplished, well done. Here it is.

I’ll even answer your questions, even though I’m sure they were rhetorical.
The last time I played out (in an actual band) was, admittedly, a while ago. More recently I used to do a weekly jam at a local coffee shop where I would play with friends – “old” punk rock covers and new material. Whatever anyone felt like playing. The last time I jammed with anyone was after Thanksgiving last month, and the last time I touched a guitar was this morning. …and last night I spent 90 minutes practicing on the banjo… Yes I got a banjo last month, and if you think a banjo isn’t punk rock then you haven’t been listening closely to the sound of revolution.

which allows me to hear new music every day in the comfort of my own home. a ‘Punk’ channel on I saw “X” play a few months ago, but I suppose you would call that an ‘oldies’ show. I’ll admit that I haven’t been out to see many shows in recent years. I owe this to having to work a lot for little money and for living in a biiiig city where a legit ‘local scene’ is really hard to have, and yeah, I’m getting a little older and I needs my rest. That said, there is this wonderful thing called the internet. Pandora.com will randomly pump new music into my living room non-stop. and there is always myspace music and hundreds of other outlets. How else would I find myself listening obsessively to “CopCar” …a band that I don’t think has ever left their native New Zealand?

As I’ve said from day one, to me, being “punk rock” isn’t solely about what band patches you have stitched to the back of your jacket. It is about DIY, taking care of yourself, supporting your scene and trying to get through life with your independent spirit intact…without becoming a total douche bag about it.

I hope your band (assuming you have one) rules the world soon and someday soon fills my livingroom with 100% pure punk rock power.