1993 Called…

There was a post on Punknews recently about Equal Vision Records putting together a sister label that will deal exclusively with Krishna-core bands. I didn’t even know this was still a genre. Someone else on the boards must’ve felt the same way and simply commented “1993 called” (or maybe it was “1993 is stoked”, shit I can’t remember now but you get the idea). Now here’s where the cosmos takes over. Since that day the year 1993 keeps popping up on my radar. Maybe I’m just thinking a lot about it and noticing it or maybe the Universe is pushing me to make a grand comment about that year on the FSS. Assuming the latter here we go.

In 1993 I was a Freshman-Sophmore in High School. I was just finding my way with the Punk Rock and life in general. I started smoking cigarettes. I had purple hair for a little while (I think, maybe this was ’94?). I thought Adam Sandler was the funniest man on the planet. I was in love with Riot Grrrls, PJ Harvey and MTV VJ Kennedy. Chicks didn’t want to give me the time of day. 95% of the kids I went to school with loved Snoop Dogg. No one got that Beavis and Butthead were making fun of them (including me). Grunge was dying and “alternative rock” was being ushered in as labels signed bands at a rapid pace. The Lower East Side was actually a cool spot to hang out. You could drink on the streets (even if you were underage). Coney Island High, The Wetlands, CBGBs, and Tramps all still existed (even if me and my friends didn’t start going to shows until the following year). It was a pretty odd but cool time that still involved a certain measure of flannel shirt.

Some really great music came out this year. In fact my favorite album of all time was released. “Gentlemen” by the Afghan Whigs. Other favorites like Fugazi’s “In On The Kill Taker”, Dinosaur Jr.’s “Where You Been”, New Bomb Turks’ “Destroy Oh Boy!”, Rocket From The Crypt’s “Circa Now”, and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones’ “Don’t Know How To Party” also came out at this time (but more on the Bosstones later). Like I said grunge was on it’s way out. Both Nirvana and Pearl Jam came out with releases that were well received but didn’t match the impact of their breakthrough albums. MTV actually still played videos. Alternative Nation was on Monday through Friday, Saturday night was Headbanger’s Ball and Sunday night was 120 Minutes. Record stores were all over the goddamn place. Pier’s Platters in Hoboken was a favorite and in Manhattan you couldn’t swing a stick without hitting one.

You see I can go on and on about 1993. But it’s fucking 2009 and I’m all outta segways, which brings me to the second part of my article. I went to see The Mighty Mighty Bosstones in Asbury Park this past weekend and had a hell of a time. Another 90s Ska favorite of mine, D.C.’s The Pietasters opened. It would’ve been easier to sit at home and talk about all the great Bosstones shows I’d gone to over the years. And I’m sure it would be easier for The Bosstones themselves to sit at home and rest on their laurels as well. But they’re still out there and still making new music too (their new album comes out this Fall). I also got to hear them play The Pirate Ship as their encore. If you don’t know, The Pirate Ship is the vinyl only bonus track off “Question The Answers” and an FSS favorite. Brother P and I once wrote some of the lyrics to it on the back seat of a city bus when we were something like 16. Around the same time we talked with Joe Gittleman outside the Tradewinds club in Sea Bright, NJ one night before seeing them play. A good portion of the conversation involved bugging him to play The Pirate Ship that night and him trying to convince us they didn’t really know how. So now some 14 or so years later I got my request and incidentally it’s at another Jersey Shore show. The key part to what I am saying is that my story would have ended in the 90s if I didn’t go to the show this weekend.

So where’s the grand comment? Here it is. Why waste time being nostalgic about the past when you can get off your ass still have a good time? It’s fun to talk about the good old days, but if that’s all you do then you’re wasting your life. And let’s face it, who knows what waits for us when we’re gone. Could be nothing. And wouldn’t it suck if you did nothing but nothing leading up to an eternity of more nothing? The present only sucks compared to the past when we let it. Let’s save being nostalgic for when we’re old and bed-ridden, in the meantime let’s keep on living.

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