I’m not a gatekeeper. Hardcore is for everybody. But I just casually dropped that I saw Bane in a basement in Allston back in ’98, and nobody said a damn thing.
What? Because I’m 42 I’m not “scene” enough? The fuck? Do these kids not get it? Bane. BANE. And not on some weak-ass reunion tour bullshit. This was before “It All Comes Down to This.” And it was early ’98, so it was just 7 inches at this point. No EP. Was Turnstile even born yet?
Respect your hardcore elders, ya fucks. I don’t care whose party this is, or how many times I’m told “This isn’t a party, this is an open-casket wake and we are calling the cops.” I’m gonna make sure that everyone knows the significance of me cornering Aaron Dalbec in a musty basement while I tell him about the band I want to start. Just because I’m 47, doesn’t mean I’m not down.
Are you ready for this? My buddy Tommy from Brockton, god rest his soul, was also there, and he was talking about how he wanted to do something important with his life, and I said, “Tommy, you should GIVE BLOOD.” Bedard was definitely within earshot, and then 3 years later they released which album? You’re welcome. I’m not looking for credit, but somebody should recognize me for what I did.
Meanwhile, everyone at this party keeps telling me I’m being “disruptive” and “nobody knows who you are. why are you here?” And “please leave this Stop & Shop immediately.” Can you believe this shit? You know there was an age when guys like me were looked upon with respect. You could say “Yeah I saw Bane back in the day” and people would respond “That’s awesome” and “Tell me more stories about how you saw bands that are now very popular, long before they became so popular.” But now that I’m 51, everybody’s looking at their phones and telling me “You can’t show up to an elementary school production of the ‘Pirates of Penzance’ if you don’t have a kid here.”
Speaking of which, kids these days are so fucking soft. In my day hardcore was all about welcoming anybody who cared about the music, regardless of where they came from or what they believed. But now it’s all about being “inclusive”, whatever the fuck that woke shit means.
What was I talking about? Right, seeing the Cro-Mags at CBGB’s in ’85. Hell of show.