Still Punk AF

Back in the 1980s I ran a pizza joint in Atlanta and I routinely had to run off Nazi punks. They never got much traction in Atlanta, unlike the West Coast. They mostly got beat up a lot and none of the cool kid hangout places would tolerate their presence.

Around 1990 I used to play the tune THAT’S WHEN I REACH FOR MY REVOLVER by Mission Of Burma as an acoustic guitar/upright bass duo. There was always some kid in the back of the coffee shop, by himself, in a black leather jacket that would come up after the show and thank us for playing MoB. It happened surprisingly often. The title of course is usually (wrongly) attributed to Hermann Göring but the actual quote is from a different Nazi. This seems like a good time to dust off that song.

Structurally TWIRFMR is a little jewel box of a pop tune and the bass solo is outstanding. I’m polishing up the rough edges on it to play with only percussion.

My “chaos” band is me and a couple of women about my age. We have been really sounding good recently with the format of vocal/acoustic bass/percussion and we’ve committed ourselves to being good enough by May to play a set at a local music festival. Maybe I’ll also cook up a benefit show or something. I’ve done it before.

Our set list is going to be some of the protest songs of our generation, along with other songs that seem innocuous at first but in such a gaunt and stripped down format get distinctly uncomfortable.

• Heroes (Bowie)

  • A song about how a kiss can help bring down a government

• Stuck in the Middle With You (Stealers Wheel)

  • A song about being increasingly uncomfortable in a situation you can’t escape, but at least you have company.

• Come Together (Beatles)

  • A song about a creepy charismatic leader.

• Rid de Janeiro Blue (Jazz standard)

  • A song about someone who went away. It sounds like a breakup song but we think it’s about someone who disappeared.

• That’s When I Reach For My Revolver

  • Nazi punks fuck off.

Suggestions for a band name are welcome!

Don’t make your move too soon… but make your move.