SEATTLE — Punk web designer Priscilla Prange published a new Chrome extension that stops Google from asking if you want to kill yourself every time you look up the band Suicidal Tendencies, sources wondering if this is super necessary confirmed.
“Obviously, it’s important for people struggling with their mental health to have access to helpful resources. But I think I speak for all punks and metalheads when I say I don’t need to see a popup for the crisis line every time I Google one of my favorite bands to find tour dates or new album updates or whatever. So, I decided to use my tech smarts to tackle this pressing issue,” Prange said. “It always just bummed me out, you know? I don’t want to be reminded of the harsh realities of the world when I’m just trying to relax and listen to songs about being violently depressed, nuclear fallout, getting stuck in a dead-end job, or being deprived of my favorite soft drink.”
Tommy Chacon, Prange’s roommate who tested her Chrome extension, isn’t certain making it was the best use of her time or talents.
“Yeah, getting that popup all the time can be kind of annoying for ST fans like us. But is having to scroll for an extra half-second to get to the results you actually want really the worst thing in the world?” Chacon pondered. “I think if Priscilla really wanted to make an impact, she’d come up with something to bypass the crisis filter on Facebook. That site won’t even show you any results if you type the band’s name into the search bar! So, if you want to get to their page, you have to open a new tab and Google ‘Suicidal Tendencies Facebook’ like some kind of animal.”
Suicidal Tendencies drummer Jay Weinberg found the extension quite useful in his day-to-day life.
“It’s really revolutionized my online experience,” Weinberg said. “I Google ‘Suicidal Tendencies’ once or twice a week just to make sure the guys didn’t fire me without saying anything. I’ve had to scroll past the crisis line popup plenty of times. Enough was enough. By the way, do you want some Slipknot enamel pins? I really need to get rid of these and Goodwill stopped taking them.”
At press time, Prange was reportedly having less luck coming up with ways to stop people from asking why her Suicidal Tendencies t-shirt has a picture of Charles Manson on it.