Friday night Travis Barker, drummer of a few bands but “most famously” that of Blink 182, was involved in what I can guess was a rather serious plane crash. And at this time, well as of this morning at least, was still in critical yet stable condition.
Why do I care? Never much liking the bands he’s ever played/plays with. But he’s an individual much like any of us, who, I’ll assume, is in a great deal of pain. So en route to another point, I want to wish him all the best. He’ll need it.
Last week a friend and I were discussing musical influences on our lives. Which at first seemed like a very natural thing for me to explore. But it soon started to feel “odd.” In a sense that I, a person who grew quite used to expressing himself musically, hasn’t touched an “axe” that sits in the loneliest corner of his bedroom in a good 10 years? Then I was ever so casually reminded I look upon it each and every single day for whatever reason. And, I think, that fact alone speaks volumes about the music I listen to being such an important part of my life. And I don’t ever see that changing. Or I can’t imagine it being any different.
The reason I mention Travis is because on a somewhat related note — Blink 182 rode the pop-punk wave, started in large part by Green Day’s record Dookie, to the top — which was in the top 10 of my friends most influential albums.
As hard as I might try to not admit this record’s influence on me and on the industry itself it’s not really that bad an album. I broke it out after a long and dusty ride in the closet. And sure it has its low points, in as much as its songs I didn’t care much for back in the day, strike me as terribly boring now. But its songs I remember liking really are decent. I can see why I felt something for this record in ’94.Â
Green Day grew into a huge phenomenon. And no matter how hard “punks,” me included (of course when I cared), judged that success to be, Green Day never claimed (to my knowledge) to be something they were not. Granted they don’t resemble the kids I fell in love with, in October of ’93 opening the show for Bad Religion at The Concert Hall in Toronto, but I feel it’s somewhat problematic for people, not just still, but to have ever criticized. Based purely on punk rock ideals, at least. I’m not sure they were ever “punk.”
After all I was a kid who used to spend hours playing and singing along to a record I absolutely admired 3 people for recording. And as hard as it might have been to admit, it did and always will have happened. And seeing how the whole Green Day ride has long since left me, I still have that record to look back on. Though I still think 1039 is their best effort.
I guess given enough time things evolve or they die.
Speaking of things dying, ’bout time I made my point, eh? Jerry Ritz, the piece of shit apparently responsible for the inspection of food, at least, on a federal level here in Canada, should F.O.D…