I’ve mentioned my love for Mommy’s Little Monster on this forum before, and I’ve also mentioned the time I met Mike Ness thirty-whatever years ago and he was a lovely person. Like FM RSMurphy, SD was my first punk show. They’ll always have a place in my heart.

With the exception of Rancid, I’ve seen all of these bands live, between the years 1988 and 1992. None of them put on a dull show, even if I didn’t care much for their music.

Gonna have to vote the Offspring, for what they became.

I thank god every day that I was too old to listen to any third wave punk.

Offspring, period.

I'm not a fan of any of them xcept for a couple of tracks here and there; Social distortion, NOFX and Green Day can be extremely repetitive and formulaic, Rancid have some horrible Ska vibes......

... But "pretty fly for a white guy"? That's WAY beyond CRAP, we're talkin' bout cringeworthy stuff. I haven't heard shit like that from the other bands.

I listened to a few songs by Social Distortion and I'd put them above the others ('cept Green Day ofc). More of a straight rock sound than that Cali pop-punk vibe. M.H.'s story was touching and I can see that happening, there really is a kind of rough sadness to those songs that speaks to me. Though I also agree with jfv that the songs tend to be too long. The Ring of Fire cover is great.

I've been going back and forth for years:

Does Tim Armstrong have brain damage from extreme alcoholism or does he just have a very eccentric manner of speech and body posturing?

Curious question: what's wrong with Social Distortion? I'm not a *fan* or anything but they always struck me as a fine little rock band who hardly belongs in this context since they never played "American pie"-soundtrack punk. I assume there are some context clues I'm missing as a swede... otherwise, I don't get it; I always heard them as a band more in the X/Gun Club/flesheaters axis of US punk but more slick/ bland and less eccentric.

Anyway, I hate all these other acts but "Pretty fly for a white guy" is enough to make Offspring "win". Btw, Green Day were *never* good; the revisionism from people with otherwise decent taste acting like Green Day one day had something to offer beyond bland pop-punk marginally better than Screeching Weasel (shit band too) is mind-boggling to me. Then again, I don't even like the Descendents so I'm probably not the right person to ask...

jakethesnake wrote: Sat Jun 03, 2023 11:53 amBtw, Green Day were *never* good; the revisionism from people with otherwise decent taste acting like Green Day one day had something to offer beyond bland pop-punk marginally better than Screeching Weasel (shit band too) is mind-boggling to me. Then again, I don't even like the Descendents so I'm probably not the right person to ask...

I like Green Day but this reminds me of a baffling fact - this kind of music has all the elements that should easily make me like it, but there's always some bs that ruins it.

Like, if it all sounded like this they would be set:

jakethesnake wrote: Sat Jun 03, 2023 11:53 am Curious question: what's wrong with Social Distortion?

The truth lies somewhere between classism and (to be completely fair) the fact that Ness (esp live) has a heavy-handed, hacky schtick as a performer that lies somewhere between Springsteen and Jeffrey Lee Pierce of the Gun Club (who is a much harder performer to tolerate, IMO). I can understand this will be a turn off for many. He's certainly not subtle.

In my head, at S.D's best, I hear something that sits close w/ the bittersweet, world-weary Motorhead songs and the RnR loser vibes of Johnny Thunders. Except Ness survived and wrote a song like 'I was Wrong', which hits me like Haggard's 'Branded Man' hits me. Maybe these performers and their songs mean nothing to you, and to that I say vive la difference.

M.H wrote: Sat Jun 03, 2023 12:59 pm

jakethesnake wrote: Sat Jun 03, 2023 11:53 am Curious question: what's wrong with Social Distortion?

The truth lies somewhere between classism and (to be completely fair) the fact that Ness (esp live) has a heavy-handed, hacky schtick as a performer that lies somewhere between Springsteen and Jeffrey Lee Pierce of the Gun Club (who is a much harder performer to tolerate, IMO). I can understand this will be a turn off for many. He's certainly not subtle.

In my head, at S.D's best, I hear something that sits close w/ the bittersweet, world-weary Motorhead songs and the RnR loser vibes of Johnny Thunders. Except Ness survived and wrote a song like 'I was Wrong', which hits me like Haggard's 'Branded Man' hits me. Maybe these performers and their songs mean nothing to you, and to that I say vive la difference.

But that's the thing, it's like xertain subsets of the post-hardcore milieu want every band to be like, I don't know, Tar or Jawbox or something where every member (including vocalist) is just another layer of the "sonic grind" or something...
While I dig Tar-NOT Jawbox-as much as the average FM you don't need to look much further than prime Misifits to find a band who were *instrumentally* mega-dull/generic but who had a vocalist/melodicist/lyricist SO distinctive and unique that he elevates the whole band into something awesome...

I guess Mike Ness is a bit like Danzig except that I don't find his earnest "heartland" rocker persona anywhere near as captivating as the sheer absurdity that is prime Danzig. Still, dude and his band surely deserves better than being mentioned next to NOFX and their ilk, no?

M.H wrote: Sat Jun 03, 2023 12:59 pm

jakethesnake wrote: Sat Jun 03, 2023 11:53 am Curious question: what's wrong with Social Distortion?

The truth lies somewhere between classism

Can you talk some more about this? Like what distinctive things about a band like Social Distortion engenders this reaction, and is there an example you could give of a band in a similar style that would not be subject to that kind of prejudice?