Favorite early Corrosion Of Conformity record poll wrap up and results

Every Christmas, I usually spend a few days at my brothers’ place. The usual itinerary is just to hang out, shoot the shit, consume things that are very un-DCXX and jam tunes. Five or six years back, I remember walking into his apartment after he picked me up at the train station and seeing a vinyl copy of Corrosion of Conformity’s ‘Animosity’ sitting in the front of the stereo. I picked it up and grinned from ear to ear. ‘Yeah, you know’ he said in his usual nasally tone, ‘I stupidly got rid of that record years ago. One came into the store a few weeks ago (That store being Princeton Record Exchange, the place that has employed my brother since dirt was invented) and I couldn’t resist.'

I had also stupidly sold my copy in a fog of trading in all my Hardcore records for Psychedelic rarities and hadn’t heard it in years. I insisted he put the disc on post haste.

What unfolded in the next forty minutes or so was a really beautiful and illuminating experience. As soon as the record blasted into ‘Loss for Words,' a flood of memories came shooting at me. I knew every word even though I hadn’t heard the thing in ten years. My brother and I head banged and made stereotypical ‘mean’ faces through the whole record. The night proved the fact that you can take the Hardcore record out of your collection, but you can never take the Hardcore out of yourself. I know it sounds corny as shit, but it’s true.

I remember sitting in my brother’s living room flashing back to interviewing the bands’ drummer Reed Mullin when I was 13 (!) and he made some remark about the recent ‘crossover’ trend going on in Hardcore at the time. He said something to the affect of ‘When we were signing with Metal Blade we thought, “Oh wow! We’ll turn all these Metal kids onto Crass and Minor Threat!’ Instead we got Nazi skinheads and S.O.D.” With a trajectory misinterpreted by the masses, I feel C.O.C. might be one of the most misunderstood bands in underground music history. But hey, that just might be me.



I remember the hype surrounding ‘Eye For An Eye’ was so heavy at the time of its release that it made you think you already found your new favorite band without even hearing them. When my brother finally scored a copy of it, I dug it almost immediately. The reasons for my initial love for it, I can’t conjure up in my twilight years. Listening to it now, it’s obvious why my thirteen year old self and others were losing their shit over it. Much like D.C.'s ubercore legends Void, there was a deliberate dilapidating vibe to it even though it was obvious these dudes could hold it together. Guitarist Woody Weatherman (what a great name!) made it clear his band were raised on heavy seventies sounds, not the Velvet Underground or post-punk; their cover of a cover of ‘Green Maharishi’ made it known. The only weak spot I can find on this record nowadays is Eric Eycke’s parched vocals. To think of Mike Dean bellowing through this record instead of him almost makes we weep into my ‘What If?’ bucket.



‘Animosity’ is often credited by many as the template for the whole ‘Crossover’ what-have-you of the mid to late 80's but I don’t know if I buy that. If it actually was, I’d be wanting to get a lot of really shitty records released on Death and Combat Core back into my collection...know what I mean? If anything, it might be a template that was used totally incorrectly. Even by today’s standards, it is a truly disturbing sounding record. I always loved the distinctions between the recording on either side. The ‘megaphone’ style vocal effect on Mike Dean’s vocals on the second side still sends shivers down my spine. And don’t get me started on what impact the lyrics made on me at such an impressionable age. Let’s just say scrawling ‘WHERE’S YOUR GOD? HE’S IN YOUR HEAD!’ on the front of my notebook while attending a Roman Catholic middle school was not the smartest thing I ever did in my life. Three weeks of detention and many years later, I still think of this record as the ‘piece de resistance’ of the bands catalog. 


I found ‘Technocracy’ to be a total dud back when I was in short pants and I still think that these days. The overall passion in which the music is delivered does not carry over into the record’s bland mix that makes it sound like a million other ‘crossover’ records from the timeframe. The less said, the better.

‘Six Songs With Mike Singing 1985’ is a gemstone many don’t pay attention to. A fierce and lean presentation of a band at its peak. But in all honesty, I’ll take ‘Animosity’ any day of the week for its sheer destructive sonics. But again…that could just be me. - Tony Rettman

Animosity - 136
Eye For An Eye - 98
Technocracy - 43
Six Songs With Mike Singing - 33

Scott Hill - FU MANCHU

Fu Manchu is one of my favorite present day bands, and their backstory is filled with tons of ties to the 80's California HC/punk scene (something I'm not sure is that well known, but I could be wrong). Singer/Guitarist Scott Hill is a long time major HC/punk fan, and it's evident in his answers. Check out their new LP, "Signs Of Infinite Power," on Century Media if you want to hear some Dan Armstrong fuzz riffs that will BL'AST! your brains out. Much more to come from Scott! -Gordo DCXX

What was your first punk/HC show and how did you end up there? What type of an impact did it have and what are the specifics you can recall?

My first punk show was seeing the Circle Jerks / Shattered Faith in February 1981 at a club in Riverside, CA. A friend of mine had played me some Black Flag, Circle Jerks (live), and The Weirdos. I remember we had a "punk" day in elementary school. This must of been 1979. Some kid had a homemade shirt with "punk is bunk" written on it. I would love to have that shirt now. I had been listening to Kiss / Deep Purple / Ted Nugent up until that point.

When I heard Black Flag / Circle Jerks I was hooked. I tried to get my hands on everything punk/hardcore that I could. Me and my friend took all his Judas Priest, Maiden, Sabbath, Kiss records and skipped them down the street. I was a little smarter and put my rock records in the back of my closet.


Scott with Virulence, 1987

Anyway, I was a young kid and I wanted to go see the Circle Jerks so I got a ride with some older friends and snuck out of the house. Thought I was going to get my ass kicked at some point that night but I didn't really care. I was on my way. Seeing the Circle Jerks was insane. They were sooooo fast and the crowd was going crazy. Picked up my first flyer at that show and started collecting them every week at the local record stores.

Seeing Greg Hetson from the Circle Jerks play guitar was amazing. Their set was over in about 30 minutes. He was jumping around playing fast. I wanted to buy a guitar and start a band the next day. Shaved my head a few weeks later. My parents made a deal with me that if I got good grades I could go see shows during the week. I didn't care about school, but I got almost straight As just so I could go to shows. That was my first live show ever.

Here is another major show for me:


The Faction were supposed to play instead of BL'AST!. We had picked up the original flyer with the faction on it. I really liked The Faction so I was looking forward to the show. I dug JFA and Die Kreuzen as well! We would go to a record store called Toxic Shock out in Pomona, CA to buy records every few weeks and we picked up this flyer with BL'AST! on it instead of The Faction. We were bummed. Bill Tuck (Pillsbury Hardcore) tells us that if we like SSD and Black Flag we should check out BL'AST!. Well, those are two of my favorite bands so hell yes we will check them out!

We are at the show and we see two full stacks being set up, a big drum set and both guitarist have clear Dan Armstrong guitars. Cool. Then we hear them make some noise and...BOOM, they start their set. Holy shit!!!!! We were floored. LOUD, fast, slow, tweaked breaks in the songs and everyone in the band moving around. I believe Pat Dubar from Uniform Choice sang "12XU" with them that night. This was at a point when the band I was in, Virulence, was starting to play at early Gang Green / Jerry's Kids / early DRI speed. Well, that changed after that night. UNREAL show. Still have the set on cassette and Steve, one of the original BL'AST! guitar players, said he would hook me up with a video of the show. This was in 1985 and I still listen to and reference BL'AST! all the time!!!!!!!!

Another huge show was seeing Government Issue in a small room with about 70 other people there. "Joyride" by Government Issue is a top ten record for me and they played almost all of it that night. They wouldn't stop playing that night thank God. Sound was perfect.



Here's another. Huge fan of the first Suicidal Tendencies record and Discharge was the heaviest!


Circle Jerks and Dead Kennedys...two of the best.


CH3 / Fear / The Stains...that Stains record is sooooo good. FEAR!


The list of shows could go on and on and on...everyone of them contributed to me starting a band.

Fu Manchu is clearly a California band. Tell us about where you grew up and how California shaped you as a person and within the realm of music. How did the landscaping of California (sun, cars, motorcycles, surfing, skating) play into being into punk at an early age?

I have lived by the beach in Southern California all my life. Surfing/skateboarding is still a huge part of my life. Kind of something you did living at the beach. Still surf everyday.

Hanging out at the beach as a young kid, I got to see some gnarly stuff. Got to hear cool music at a young age. Blue Cheer, Sabbath, Zeppelin when I was waaay young. Saw every cool muscle car you can think of. The cover to our "California Crossing" record is something I remember seeing from when I was a young kid. I remember seeing a 1968 Chevy El Camino with surfboards hanging out the back and two girls talking to the guy driving it. I wanted an El Camino from then on. Might have been too young to bother with the girls at that point but...we did our cover art with that exact scene that I saw.



Ok, back to punk rock. Then in 1980 I started to see punks hanging out surfing, skating, getting into fights with the hippies. Things just got more aggressive. That faster music just fit in with skateboarding/surfing. Got you very amped up to go skate or surf. I think growing up in Southern California by the beach I was exposed to soooo much good local music.

Seemed like there were 2 or 3 great shows every week. When I noticed punk rock happening in 1980 there were a lot of great local bands. TSOL / Circle Jerks / Black Flag / Germs / Shattered Faith / Descendents / Adolescents / Hated. I would buy any record from a band that I saw on a flyer that was playing a show. Then I started buying zines and would read about bands from other parts of the country. So I would buy Minor Threat / SSD / DYS / FU's / GI / AOF / DRI / Gang Green / Agnostic Front / Poison Idea...a lot of great record stores that would carry everything.

Now with Fu Manchu I think we combine early 80's punk/hardcore with raw 70's fucked up rock.



When did you decide you wanted to play music and who were your main influences for wanting to pick up a guitar? Who continue to be your top influences? As a gearhead, tell us about your set-up and love for Dan Armstrongs.

Seeing Greg Hetson from the Circle Jerks play guitar at my first show and hearing what Greg Ginn from Black Flag was doing were the two major reasons why I picked up a guitar. I didn't see Black Flag until 1983 so I only saw pictures of Flag and they looked heavy!!!

Going to shows and watching the bands play is a main reason why I started a band. It just looked like so much fun. Get 3 or 4 of your friends to make noise together. Black Flag's "Damaged" is the heaviest record that I've ever heard and they remain a major influence! I learned to play guitar by watching the guitarist play at the shows. I would watch how they would tune their guitar, how they made chords with their hands how they set up their gear.

As far as my gear. Well, Greg Ginn is my favorite guitar player so I wanted a clear Dan Armstrong guitar. Then seeing the guitar player from Wasted Youth play one and finally BL'AST! use them...fuck, I wanted one. I finally saved up enough dough and bought one. They are fun as hell to play. Got lucky enough to be sponsored by Ampeg / Dan Armstrong so I have enough back-ups now.

Here's what I'm playing:


Amp wise, I plug into a Superfuzz pedal and run that into a splitter then into a Peavey P.A. head and Marshall TSL 2000. One head goes into each cab. I like a very fuzzy, fucked up tone.

Here's my amp setup:


There are so many great guitar tones / sounds form all those early punk / hardcore records. Black Flag / SSD / VOID / Minor Threat / Circle Jerks / DRI. I always thought each band had their own sound and didn't understand when people would say that all punk sounded the same. CRAZY.


Scott with Fu Manchu, 2007

Jay Krakdown part III

Krakdown mayhem at CBGB, Photo: Boiling Point

This is the third and final entry from our interview with Jay Krakdown. Thanks to Jay for giving us his time and answering our questions. Hope you guys enjoyed this as much as we did. -Tim DCXX

Favorite Krakdown shows and memories?

I don’t even know where to start with this question…wow favorite shows we played, let’s see. Again, not to sound cheesy but I just loved playing shows with my friends…especially SOIA, Killing Time, Absolution, NY Hoods, Rest in Pieces, Maximum Penalty, Nausea, Trip 6, SFA, Token Entry and on and on. I loved playing CBs, Anthrax, Right Track Inn, Pyramid, Squat or Rot, etc. I guess my fondest memories are of the shows we played with SOIA and the Alleyway. Those guys are like brothers to me and I will never forget those days...trashing the club in Bethlehem, PA when we beat the crap out of the local white power crew; New Rochelle…yet another fight and more arrests; all the CBs shows; let’s not forget Albany in the blizzard and Big Charlie (RIP my brother) taking up half the van. Those were crazy days back then and I will never forget all the good and bad that happened to me.

I have played shows in backyards, squats, dance clubs, garages, open fields, you name it we played it. I guess the one show I will never forget was at the Batcave out on LI. It was this little Goth club that decided to do hardcore shows. I think it was the Psychotic Sons that opened for us. Anyway, the club DJ (punk kid...can’t remember his name but he was a cool kid) tells me their mic only has a three foot chord and unless I had a mic chord I would have to stand next to the DJ booth where it plugged in. Shit no chord…the Psychotic Sons tell me they have a mic and chord so no problem. They did not get the reception from the audience they were looking for so they got all pissed off and told me they were leaving so I was SOL. In the meantime Damon can’t find his bass amp. Turns out they packed it with their equipment. Damon catches them in their van, goes off and slaps one them around before taking back his amp. Oh well I played with the three foot mic chord. It kept coming unplugged, the sound system sucked, what a mess. Ahh the memories!!


Favorite Krakdown recording and why?

This question was a little easier since we didn’t record much! It would have to be the '87 demo we recorded at Don Fury. It just had the raw energy of the band. I think that demo really represented what and who we were at the time. I guess the demo was just us live so it had our heart and soul in it. Look, I realize I am not the most gifted vocal artist of my day so all I had was my live performance and that demo captured that sound and energy. When we did more studio type stuff I always felt I sounded boring or contrived. The energy didn’t sound completely real or honest to me. I am probably being overly critical but it was just how it sounded to me.

Damon really stood out in the studio but I never felt I did. As for Richie, I think he benefited from the spontaneity of live recordings rather than trying too hard in a studio. All that being said, I also liked the songs we cut for a split LP with the NY Hoods…shame that LP was never cut.

Any regrets or things you would have done differently with Krakdown in retrospect?

I really don’t have any regrets…I used to but now I am grateful for those days and love the memories. I guess I would have liked for us to have been more serious and went on the road more than we did. I saw bands going all over the country and even Europe, while we played good ole CBs and the other areas around NY. Hell, the farthest we got was DC. But that was all we could do at the time so we did what we could. I would have liked for us to have done some recordings, wrote more songs, but again we did what we could.

For me the band was an outlet. It got my anger out and released many of the demons I had from my troubled and violent youth. That is why I loved playing live. Every show we played was therapy for me and every show helped heal old wounds. I used to regret a lot of how the band ended and especially when Damon left. I never really gave Jaybird a fair chance as Damon’s replacement. If you are reading this Jay, I am sorry for my actions. The reality is Damon was and still is my best friend and brother so Jay was walking into a no-win situation with me and at that time I was still angry and resentful towards the band so it was destined to fail once Damon left. See that, more therapy!

Anyway, could we have done things differently? Sure but I played in a NYHC band…I played at CBGBs…I made demos and records…I met some of the best and worst of humanity…I made lifetime friends…I was part of something, a very special scene that just doesn’t exist anymore and will probably never exist again in any genre of music. So why should I have regrets?


The classic Jay Krakdown stage mosh, Photo: Boiling Point

What are you up to these days and what do you take from your experiences with the hardcore scene?

At the ripe age of thirty I decided to pursue a childhood dream. I actually went to college (not bad for a HS dropout) at Colorado State University. I am now a Colorado Wildlife Officer (game warden) and spend my days patrolling the mountains on horseback, ATV, truck, snowmobiles, and just hiking. Can you believe I am in law enforcement!? Well I protect those that have no voice so poachers beware of this ex-NYHC kid. Obviously, I am not your normal Colorado game warden and the other officers are really intrigued by my past.

As I said earlier, The NYHC scene had a profound effect on my life and really made me the man I am today. I found a place with all the other freaks and misfits. I truly believe that scene saved me from myself. All those experiences, both good and bad, have given me the gut determination that I now possess. Deep down inside I will always consider myself a NYHC kid no matter what. The scene allowed me to be who I was and believe what I believe. Before that I was a lost soul lashing out at the world. Again I know that sounds typical but it is the truth.

I gained a lot of strength from those days and learned to live my life as I see fit and on my terms. That is exactly what I do. Shit…it also helps big time in law enforcement…I can see through someone’s bullshit a lot easier than most. Also, all those experiences help me to deal with all the characters I deal with on this job. My past has given me a sense of justice and fairness that I use daily on my job.

Anyway, thank you for asking me to do an interview I am glad to know there are people still out there enjoying what I did so long ago (shit almost 20 years since I played a show). Peace and respect to all my old friends and to all the people I have known because of the NYHC scene, especially to those no longer with us…peace…we’ll see each other again.


Jay on the job in Colordao 2009, Photo courtesy of: Jay

Walter Schreifels - December 4, 2009 - Studio B - Philadelphia, PA

Walter Schreifels (Full Set) from hate5six productions on Vimeo.

I really wanted to check this show out on Friday, but unfortunately I ended up getting stuck late at work and wasn't able to make it happen. A friend of mine sent me a link to this video tonight and considering it's the full set, I thought it would make for a good post. For those of you that have been wondering what Walter and Arthur have been up to lately, here's your answer. -Tim DCXX

JFA '85 Skate Tour shirt

I've been buying, trading and collecting hardcore shirts for a long, long time and like any collection, there's always that one piece that kicks it all off. My start came in 1986 from a small and short lived punk record / merch store in my town called Grot. Nestled in the back of a tiny and quite strip mall with it's main draw being a Chinese restaurant, Grot was one of those virtually hidden gems. Hanging over the door was a hand painted, totally punked out Grot store sign done by Philadelphia punk artist / Pagan Babies drummer, Bruce Boyd. Working in the store was a local mohawked punk rocker named Jon LeVine of Faith Fanzine / Records fame.

At this point in time I was 12 years old and for the most part, cared about very little other than skateboarding. The only thing that I was starting to take interest in other than skateboarding, was punk rock and that's mainly because at the time, the two went hand in hand. One band that made the skateboarding to punk rock connection so strong, was Arizona's own, JFA. I remember hearing JFA for the first time on the second Thrasher Skate Rock comp, "Blazing Wheels and Barking Trucks". Their track, the classic, "Beach Blanket Bongout" was one of my favorite tracks off that comp and I became an instant fan.


One day while scouring the Grot t shirt racks I stumbled upon this JFA '85 Skate Tour shirt and knew I had to buy it. Not only was it a t shirt from one of my newly found favorite bands, but it also had a skateboarding skeleton on it, which made for the perfect combination. For some reason or another I've been lucky enough to hang on to this shirt for all these years. On top of that, the shirt is still in great condition with no holes and stains. Granted it's a Screen Stars XL from 1985, so the fit is definitely a bit snug, but I can still get some wear out of it.

Expect more DCXX entries like this one based on other shirts pulled from my hardcore shirt collection. -Tim DCXX

H.R. - "The Youth Are Getting Restless / Love Comes First"

H.R. - "The Youth Are Getting Restless / Love Comes First" from Larry Ransom on Vimeo.

There's not much we could post as a follow up to Joe's H.R. piece, we accept that. With that being said, our friend and DCXX contributor, Larry Ransom, dropped this in our mail box and well… who better to follow up an H.R. piece than more H.R.? So here's H.R. performing "The Youth Are Getting Restless" and "Love Comes First" at The Detroit Bar in Costa Mesa, CA. November 21, 2009. These are the last two songs from his set at the Thanksgiving Jam. Take it away Paul… -Tim DCXX

Joe Nelson’s Thanksgiving Jam with H.R.

I don’t want to speak too soon, but this may be my favorite thing to ever appear here on DCXX. Dig into this one. Thanks Joe! 
-Gordo DCXX

When I was putting together “Thanksgiving Jam” in August I was having trouble coming up with an interesting headliner. The rest of the bill was set, Steve Soto from the Adolescents, Jeff Pezzati from Naked Raygun, Jonah Matranga from Far, and Walter Schreifels from Warzone, plus a couple other bands over the years. We didn’t have the headliner though. I had inquired about getting H.R., the dynamic, yet enigmatic singer for the great Bad Brains to come out.

Through some mutual friends, I had made contact with him, but had not heard back in over a month. We had exchanged one phone call, which was like talking to a martian. A nice martian, but a martian nonetheless. Then out of the blue at the end of September I received word via a third party of a third party that H.R. would indeed play. Of course like anybody who has followed the riddle that is Paul (H.R.) Hudson, I would believe it when I actually saw H.R. in the flesh on stage.

Well, low and behold, he did in fact show. The following is a Cliff’s Notes version of the 5 days that transpired over Thanksgiving Jam between H.R. and myself.


Joe Nelson and H.R., Photo: Dan Rawe

Day 1

3:30 P.M. – I pick up H.R. from the airport. He is dressed in a suit, and is wearing a towel over his head. He gives me a huge hug, and addresses me as “Mr. Joe.” He has a warm, inviting presence about him that’s hard to ignore. Immediately I am aware of how softly he speaks, which keeps him constantly in control of the conversation. He’s made it though. He’s here. Thanksgiving Jam has its headliner.

5:10 P.M. - We drive down the 405 and talk about all kinds of random things. The history of Bad Brains, Danzig, his 13 years living in Long Beach and L.A., his 9 months living in El Paso, TX, the old cookie factory he lives in these days somewhere within Baltimore, Jack Grisham being a life coach (H.R. thinks it’s funny too), Napoleon Hill books, his family, Thanksgiving Jam, parasailing (he’s fascinated by it), the two times he saw Bob Marley live, his thoughts on Eric Clapton, etc. etc. He’s lucid though, and his stories are interesting. In between tales, he randomly calls dudes on his Blackberry and invites them to come play at the “Thanksgiving Jam with the Human Rights group.” He also removes a small bottle of cologne several times and perfumes himself. At one point I hand H.R. some spending cash for the weekend, which he perfectly folds into a Kleenex, and places in his coat pocket.


H.R. at Thanksgiving Jam, Photo: Dan Rawe

6:05 PM – H.R. says he’s hungry; we stop at Open Sesame on 2nd Street in Long Beach. H.R. (who is vegetarian) orders the Open Sesame Kabob, which is an all meat dish. I inform him he probably would prefer the “Veggie Kabob” instead. “Thank you Mr. Joe,” he says, “yes that would be appreciated.” He then proceeds to dip his pita bread into his hot tea, rather then his hummus.


7:25 P.M. – We stop by Rob Dubar’s house (Pat Dubar’s youngest brother). H.R. has never met Rob, but still gives him a huge hug, as well as his leftovers as some sort of gift. H.R. becomes mesmerized by Rob’s Dr. Seuss sculptures and other tripper art which decorate his house. We all watch a little of the Oklahoma State and Colorado football game together, well, at least Rob and I do. H.R. stares at the sculptures most of the time.

8:30 P.M. – I check H.R. into his hotel. He has no credit card, meaning all his incidentals are now on my card. I realize this is a huge gamble on my part, but it’s one I’ll have to take.


A close up H.R. at Thanksgiving Jam, Photo: Dan Rawe

Day 2

11:45 A.M. – I’m at work, and receive a random call from H.R. I can’t make out much of what he is saying.

“Did you just say you want to go Parasailing?” – I ask

“Yes sir...” He exclaims, although I’m not sure he understands me, or for that matter even said he wanted to go parasailing in the first place.

“I think that would be a really bad idea H.R.” I answer anyway.

“Excellent…Hallelujah, Rasta!”…click…dial tone.

3:15 P.M. - I receive another call from H.R. I cannot understand anything he is saying, not even 1 word. The call lasts 6 minutes.


Walter and Joe, Photo: Dan Rawe

6:20 P.M. - Rob Dubar, Walter Schreifels, Jeff Pezzati, H.R., myself, and several other Thanksgiving Jam guests meet at a restaurant in Huntington Beach for dinner. H.R. brings his guitar, and he is wearing a bulletproof vest underneath his suit. We all talk about how we should do a documentary on his life. He nods in agreement, but says little else. I tell H.R. dinner is on me tonight, so feel free to order anything he would like. He orders spaghetti with marinara sauce, and a glass of water.

8:55 P.M. - I drop H.R. off at band practice at Sound Matrix Studios in Fountain Valley. I tell him I’ll see him again in 3 hours.

“Magnificent” he exclaims.

12:00 A.M.- I return to Sound Matrix to pick up H.R. The band actually sounds really good. H.R. is dictating the session. He’s in command. One of the players, the keyboardist, has known H.R. since he was two years old. When practice ends H.R. hands each member a hand written receipt that says he owes them each $1000 for coming to practice. One band member informs me that he has tons of these, “ranging from $100 - $4,000,000.”

1:15 A.M. - We drive through downtown Huntington Beach together, looking at girls and MMA wannabees that are now pouring out of the bars. Several times H.R. laughs to himself at something he sees. The Cure’s “Wish” is our soundtrack. H.R. then informs me “tomorrow will be a Thanksgiving Jam”. Well, we shall soon find out.


H.R. at Thanksgiving Jam, Photo: Dan Rawe

Day 3

3:20 P.M. – I stop by H.R.’s room to check on him. I find myself constantly checking on him through out his stay, asking him if he’s ok? Does he need anything? He always is, and never does. His room is spotless. He is watching the Home And Garden channel. I can see he has a journal of some sort on his desk that he’s been writing in. I am tempted to just take it, and get it published as is. H.R. makes me a seat out of beanbags that come in each hotel room.

“Are you comfortable Mr. Joe?”

“Yes H.R.”

He then proceeds to quiz me about the show tonight? Sound check? Several times the room phone rings, and it’s some random lady friend of his. He invites each one to the show of course. The H&G channel is just showing random blueprints, which H.R. stares at from time to time.

“H what are you watching?”

“Ohhhh just getting the latest information, the latest facts.”

“On what, floor plans?”

He laughs.

I then ask him for his Blackberry number, so we can stay in touch this weekend. He handwrites out a note that says “H.R. Human Rights, Good Brains, XXX – XXX - XXXX, Hallelujah, Rasta.” Two hours later I’ll call the number and somebody named Matt will answer who has no fucking idea who H.R. is.

5:00 P.M. – Less then 30 minutes after I have left his room H.R. calls to inform me the “band” may not be able to make it down after all. (Perhaps the $1000 I Owe You’s will not be enough?)

He then says, “We’ll need a drum kit for the show, just a standard reggae kit will do.”

“Soundcheck’s at 6:00 H, that’s in 1 hour,” I reply.

“You’ll make the call Mr. Joe, it will all work out. Hallelujah, Rasta”…click…dial tone!


H.R. at Thanksgiving Jam, Photo: Dan Rawe

7:00 P.M. – H.R. arrives at soundcheck, which will never happen. However I have found a drum set. He hands me his guest list for guests that will never show.

8:05 P.M. – I overhear this conversation between my mom, and H.R.

MOM – “Now where are you from H.R.?”

H.R. – “Baltimore M’AM”

MOM – “Oh…it sounds like you have a little bit of a Jamaican accent.”

H.R. – “My mother is from Kingston M’AM. My father was born in Atlanta, Georgia.”

10:10 P.M. – I check on H.R. who seems to be sleeping in the closet size dressing room of the Detroit Bar, where tonight’s show is taking place. Jonah Matranga is in the dressing room as well checking his Facebook account no doubt.

“How are you doing Jonah?’ I inquire.

Jonah flashes me a grin that says "this is awesome.”

I sit down next to H.R. Some random dude walks in. “H you should come check out some of this art, it’s wild,” he says referring to the art show, which is also part of “Thanksgiving Jam.”

H.R. whispers in my ear, “no thank you sir.”

“H.R. declines your invitation,” I tell the gentleman.

“No but H, it’s pretty trippy, you’ll dig it.”

H.R. laughs softly, and slowly, in sort of an erythematic cadence. “Hmmmm... Hmmmm. Hmmm… Hmmmm.”

“H.R. respectfully denies your request,” I repeat.

The man leaves.

“Thank you Mr. Joe,” H.R. says.

10:45 P.M. – H.R. approaches me as I am talking to a group of girls in the bar. “What time will the Human Rights group be performing this evening Mr. Joe?”

“12:00,” I answer

“Outstanding sir,” he says and walks away.

12:00 A.M. – H.R., and the Human Rights band play. The band has all shown up after all, and they play decent reggae. H.R. strums his guitar named “Lucile” and sings his songs about whatever. In between several songs he mumbles incoherent things, but his mood is upbeat, and their set is good enough. Thanksgiving Jam night 1 is in the record books. I let a runner take H.R. back to his hotel.


H.R and the Human Rights band, Photo: Dan Rawe

Day 4

10:15 A.M. – In front of my hotel room, returning from a morning Starbucks run with Walter. Suddenly H.R. has appeared, and is right next to me.

“Gooood morning Mr. Joe.”

“Hey H.R. how are you?”

“Ohhh most excellent sir.”

“Where are you going?”

“Ohhh just to get some oatmeal.”

We hug goodbye.

3:35 P.M. – The phone rings. H.R. talks in a code that I cannot break for about 5 or 6 minutes. I also realize he is calling from the hotel phone. I proceed to check on his phone calls with the hotel. He’s at $88 worth so far. I have them turn his phone off.

4:20 P.M. – I stop by H.R.’s room. His entire band is in the room with him. They are all in great spirits. H.R. is cracking inside jokes that bust all of them up. He’s 10000% together, and on point. He asks me how “The festivities are coming along?”

“Good” I answer.

“Magnificent.”

He then removes from his suit pocket the small bottle of cologne that he carries, and sprays it in his mouth.


H.R. at Thanksgiving Jam, Photo: Dan Rawe

5:30 P.M. – H.R and I head to Alex’s Bar in Long Beach. As we cruise down Pacific Coast Highway the sun is setting, H.R. is laid back in the seat, towel on his head, smile on his face, motionless the whole 30 minute drive. Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” is on the radio.

6:25 P.M. – H.R. informs me that he would like some pizza, which I run and grab. He says a prayer, and blesses his food, as he does before every meal.

8:10 P.M. – H.R. motions for me to come see him. When I arrive he places in my hand an extinct roach, and smiles. He will do this at least 4 more times throughout the evening.

9:45 P.M. – As I am talking to my sister and her friend, H.R. comes up and asks, "when will the Human Rights band will be performing?”

“12:00.”

“Excellent Sir,” he proclaims, and walks away.

12:00 A.M. – H.R. performs with his band for almost an hour. They get in a great groove, and H.R. gives a solid performance. He’s in great spirits the whole set. The people who stay and give them a chance are stoked that they did. The band can play.

1:30 A.M. A bunch of Rastas who came are outside free styling to a radio. H.R. watches from a distance, smile on his face. People come up and ask H.R. for an autograph or a photo and he honors every request, although we’re talking like 5 or 6.

1:45 A.M. – H.R. becomes concerned that he lost a plastic bag he hid inside one of the Thanksgiving Jam merch boxes. It contains his phone, and his tape cassette Sony Walkman, "which is the last one of its kind," according to him.

"Like, the last one of all Sony Cassette Walkmans on Earth?” I retort.

"Ohhhh yes sir, the last one of it's kind," he repeats.

I assure him it’s all in my car. When it indeed is, he hugs me, and says “Thank You Mr. Joe.”

2:30 A.M. – H.R. and I are flying down PCH again this time blasting “Regulators” by Warren G. At one point on the drive he starts talking to me again about Rob’s Dr. Seuss sculptures from 4 days ago.

3:10 AM. – Back at the hotel H.R. asks me if it would be alright if he gets some food. I tell him to order room service, but not to order more then $30. “Ohhhhh thank you kindly sir” he says. He then asks when we should leave for the airport? I tell him “I’ll be at his room at 7:30 A.M., so 4 hours from now.” “Excellent sir… I’ll be ready at 7:30 to go to Los Angeles International Airport.”

He then proceeds to inform me of the airline, flight number, gate number, and time of departure 9:58 A.M. All are true.

We say goodnight.


H.R. riding shotgun in Joe's car, Photo: Joe Nelson

Day 5

7:30 A.M. – I knock on H.R.’s door. He opens it almost instantly. He is immaculate. Ready to go, dressed in his suit, guitar on his back, backpack in his hand. I look to see the condition of his room. It’s spotless. He’s even made his bed. On his nightstand is the King James Bible opened to the Book Of Psalms. There is a room service receipt neatly folded on his desk; 2 pieces of sourdough toast, and some hot tea. Total cost $8. The gamble on his incidentals was worth it.

8:15 A.M. – We are driving up the 405 freeway together, The radio is playing “Gimmie Shelter” by The Rolling Stones. H.R. hands me some random business card. “This is the man who has rare footage of the original group (Bad Brains), interviews with my mother and father. Call him, and let him know you are my official biographer, and he’ll provide you with the footage, and the facts.”

“I Am?...Awesome.”

“Yes indeed sir.”

We talk about making the documentary about his life. I tell him it would have to be brutally honest to be any good. He nods in agreement. He says to me, “Ohhhh it’s been a crazy life Mr. Joe.” He’s not lying.

8:40 A.M. – At the airport we hug goodbye.

“Friends for life,” I tell him.

“Yes indeed sir…yes indeed.”


H.R. says goodbye... indeed, Photo: Dan Rawe