I'm pretty sure Social Distortion ARE known worldwide, Jackass. Go back to listening to Sigur Ross.

Props to Mike Ness, he is is the real deal. IMHO the only truly great punk rocker to come out of the state of California (sorry DK fans).

He's also come a long way since "Another State Of Mind". Check out their later stuff. It's just good balls out rawk. The kind you can't play loud enough in your car.

Soon as they learn that third chord, everybody's gonna hear about 'em.

just because you don't hear them on HOT 97.9 Adult Contemporary doesn't mean they're not well known world wide.

Maybe he should try the internet, I hear that's world wide.

Their new drummer Atom is old friend of mine. so that pretty much makes me a name dropper.

Did they come up with that name in grade eight?

is Mike Ness still singing about how cool things were when he was young and how much they suck now?

Social Distortion were responsible for the exact moment I became disenchanted with the Rock Community at Large.

1990 or so, the Renselaer Polytech Institute fieldhouse: Neil Young playing with Crazy Horse, with opening acts Social Distortion and Sonic Youth.

First act: Sonic Youth, who were coming off two of their best albums ever, Daydream Nation and Goo. The attendant hippies aggressively boo the hell out of them.

Second act: Social Distortion, coming off of their "Ball and Chain" bullshiat: Every hippie in there bobs their heads to the completely bland, two-chord pabulum.

Third act: Neil Young and Crazy Horse, who come out and do pretty much what Sonic Youth did. The hippies go into a collective orgasm.

Yeah, I know; cool story, bro.

Social Distortion is the blandest collection of the same song to ever be recorded.

"We're finally realizing that the US is such a small part of the world," frontman Mike Ness tells Spinner. "After touring in Europe and hitting a lot of markets we haven't hit before, we're realizing we want to be known worldwide, not just be a big American band."

I got my Another State of Mind DVD somewhere, get it, awesome documentary. I am glad he's still alive and kicking, I mean we are talking more than 20 years in the world of rock-n-roll.

The Dynamite Monkey: Props to Mike Ness, he is is the real deal. IMHO the only truly great punk rocker to come out of the state of California (sorry DK fans).

ahem....


/hot

The Dynamite Monkey: Props to Mike Ness, he is is the real deal. IMHO the only truly great punk rocker to come out of the state of California (sorry DK fans).

I've always liked Keith Morris the best, personally. But then, what makes a punk rocker truly great? I shouldn't ask -- there's far, far too many split hairs in 'punk rock.' Anyway, I'd probably agree with whoever said Social D's songs all sound alike.

The Dynamite Monkey: Props to Mike Ness, he is is the real deal. IMHO the only truly great punk rocker to come out of the state of California (sorry DK fans).

He's also come a long way since "Another State Of Mind". Check out their later stuff. It's just good balls out rawk. The kind you can't play loud enough in your car.

I hope you're kidding. The Dead Kennedys were miles better. I own every Social D album, and am a big fan......

.... that being said, Mike Ness is probably the worst lyricist in the history of punk. Hilariously bad stuff. If the music wasn't so damn fun, the band would have been/be a disaster.

I wouldn't say I'm a big Social D fan, but I love the few songs I know of them. I find "Story of My Life" rings true for me more and more as I go into my late 20s. That song was DEEP. I also love "I Was Wrong" and their cover of "Ring of Fire".

I'm not even into that American 80s punk thing, and I've heard of them - here in NZ.

Almost any band with a cult following is known worldwide. It's the massive bands with no discernible talent that aren't known outside their own countries (Creed and Nickelback aside).

MC900ft_Elmo: ahem....

The Minutemen are incredibly great and hugely influential but even tho they were part of the scene I put them in their own category. There really isn't another band like them.

bighasbeen: Born in Wisconsin, but moved to LA when he was 12. So he's more ours than theirs.

Dr. Graffin is cool and an true intellectual (and punk rock is primarily an intellectual movement) but he doesn't have the visceral edge to match that Mike does. Just my opinion. Great artist and great band, tho, of course.

bighasbeen: Oh yeah, and the Vandals too.

Matter of taste but I never loved them.

CoonAce: I've always liked Keith Morris the best, personally.

Another cool guy, but really more of a nihilist and provocateur than an artist... again my opinion. I'd rather hear him interviewed than hear him sing.

seabass242: I hope you're kidding. The Dead Kennedys were miles better. I own every Social D album, and am a big fan......

Yes I know I am in the minority here, but to me the DK's were always a bit fake to me, and I've always had mixed feelings about Jello as an artist and a person.

I have always been strongly biased to the CBGB era punk and that approach, and many of the west coast bands seemed, to me, to only be getting part of the point. Not that some guys weren't cool, like John Doe and Lee Ving, but too many of them were like Darby and just bought into the disorder and chaos.

Ness always struck me as the literate, insightful junkie poet in the vein of Richard Hell and Johnny Thunders.

The Dynamite Monkey: MC900ft_Elmo: ahem....


seabass242: I hope you're kidding. The Dead Kennedys were miles better. I own every Social D album, and am a big fan......

Yes I know I am in the minority here, but to me the DK's were always a bit fake to me, and I've always had mixed feelings about Jello as an artist and a person.



Dead Kennedys were the real deal. Jello is just farking crazy. I give him some leeway since he WAS pretty much sued into bankruptcy over a farking poster included in a record album (altho, let's be honest, "Penis Landscape" probably shouldn't have been in the album. He shouldn't have been sued over it, but what the fark did that ugly ass Giger painting have to do with the record OTHER than being offensive?). I suppose if you are already anti establishment, that kind of nonsense can make one TRULY paranoid.

Social Distortion is bland and Mike Ness is a cheeseball with maybe the most annoying voice in punk rock. Best California punk band?



/Hotter than boobs
//would've posted a pic of the band, but then I saw boobs
///boobs

They suck.

Don't drag them down, submitter

titwrench: Their new drummer Atom is old friend of mine. so that pretty much makes me a name dropper.

You and Atom have some catching up to do. Link (new window)

El Freak: "Some Metalheads". Hmm, I'm confused: is subtard saying that Social Distortion is a metal band, or is subtard claiming to a group of persons that enjoy metal? Either way, subby is a tard and fails at life.
I second that. Way to be dumb, subtard.

With subbys like you who needs enemies?
You ain't right, you ain't never gonna be.
You're soul is toxic and you ain't no subby of mine.

CaptainFatass: Social Distortion were responsible for the exact moment I became disenchanted with the Rock Community at Large.

1990 or so, the Renselaer Polytech Institute fieldhouse: Neil Young playing with Crazy Horse, with opening acts Social Distortion and Sonic Youth.

First act: Sonic Youth, who were coming off two of their best albums ever, Daydream Nation and Goo. The attendant hippies aggressively boo the hell out of them.

Second act: Social Distortion, coming off of their "Ball and Chain" bullshiat: Every hippie in there bobs their heads to the completely bland, two-chord pabulum.

Third act: Neil Young and Crazy Horse, who come out and do pretty much what Sonic Youth did. The hippies go into a collective orgasm.

Yeah, I know; cool story, bro.

Right there with ya. That pretty much summed up my experience when the three came to Portland, ME back in 1991 or so. Neil still rocked the house, though, and so did Sonic Youth.

Mike Ness is such a hack. When I was 17 I worshipped the guy and his guitar skills - then I learned the pentatonic scales and was incredibly bummed about how he basically did the same thing a thousand times over. I am still a fan, there are some good songs by Social D... but still.

alphabet: Mike Ness is such a hack. When I was 17 I worshipped the guy and his guitar skills - then I learned the pentatonic scales and was incredibly bummed about how he basically did the same thing a thousand times over. I am still a fan, there are some good songs by Social D... but still.

Yeah, he's just like that hack Chuck Berry. Prick only plays Chuck Berry riffs.

"Yeah, he's just like that hack Chuck Berry. Prick only plays Chuck Berry riffs."

I wish he did play like Berry, I might like the band more.

Kevthecatslayer: titwrench: Their new drummer Atom is old friend of mine. so that pretty much makes me a name dropper.

You and Atom have some catching up to do. Link (new window)

That was quick. These days I only see him every year or so and the last time was back in June. He is notorious for getting bored and quitting bands.

meh. story of my life hit me at just the right time. good times with the music. props to him and good luck.

Don't discount the bass player. See Whiskey Chimp. Just sayin'.

I saw Social D at Fairmont Hall in San Diego in the Summer of 1981 and they have been my favorite band ever since.

I love Social Distortion but I would never confuse them as being brainiacs.