All Good Things Must Come To A Close I Suppose.

I'm reporting in to give my condolences and heart out to the fine folks at Punk Planet, who have just sent out the last issue of the magazine that I grew up reading. MMR and Heartattack were too centered on just the punk scene Punk Planet gave us younger folks in the Midwest (it was based in Chicago) a greater and wider world view. I'll miss waiting every two months for my issue in the mail.

The Unspeakable Lifestyle

Living in southern California is a really difficult proposal for a Midwestern punk. The other day someone looked at me when told by someone else that I'm a punk. After an odd look they said, "Well you don't look like a punk", to which I responded, "Where I'm from you don't have to dress the part to be a punk it's about your ethic and view of the world.". Their response: "Well here if you're a punk it's kind of about dressing the part", My response: "Well there's a difference here, (whispered) I'm a grown-up.".

That being said I came to a great realization. I'm living amongst a generation of punks in Southern California who never had to grow up with the persecution of an older more conservative generation. Think about it, the Republicans in California are akin to Democrats in Kansas. Shit, Republicans even have tattoos here. They support issues that Republicans in the Midwest think are "Crazy Talk", STEM CELLS CAN DO WHAT!?!, "We can't do that those are gods babies! Let's send some more of "god's babies" off to die in order to save some Muslim heathen souls y'all, yee haw!
I'm just waiting for the day that:
1.) Fred Phelps is convicted for child pornography and caught masturbating to tapes of gay men having anal sex.
2.) For the Daughters of Jim Ryun or Sam Brownback to have a child out of wedlock that they no doubt conceived after being drunk at some vomit stained frat party and having sex in a hot tub in front of a bunch of other guys (hey it happened to a Mayor's daughter in Texas). Let's see how they deal with that situation, when she can't tell them who the father is.

All humor aside, what I'm really trying to say I think is that this generation of punks in California never had anything to fight against. I'm not talking about their parents, or saving a beach (which is a very important fight nonetheless). In Kansas and the surrounding Midwest we are still fighting the most Conservative Republican crazy people in the United States we are the home of Sam Brownback, Paul Barkey, Fred Phelps, Jim Ryun, and John Ashcroft (he actually thinks Calico cats are the "devil). We fight for reason and intelligence. We come from a magical land where evolution is considered a "fairytale" and we are all going to hell for being ourselves and succumbing to human nature, and where the arts are supported by severely limiting them. It something we fight Yearly, Daily and Hourly in an infinite flux.

A very smart man once said "On the coasts you have these great rivers of culture flowing in, the Midwest however has no river, so you have to dig the well yourself" in essence we created our own punk culture one not held by the bias of fashion or music. But rather it's founded on ideals, and I for one am proud to call myself a Midwestern Punk, and to be able to say that I'm still a punk, not because I'm following the latest MTV fashion trend. I'm a punk and played in punk rock bands because I still have something that is important to me, something that I'm willing to fight for. The punks I know protested unjust wars, marched against Fred Phelps and the rest of the anti-gay conspiracy and went to bat for too many more issues to list here.

I'm not saying that these folks aren't capable, they just haven't ever been faced with the issues that Midwestern punks had to grow-up through, one day they'll be hit by a very rude awakening. Just remember everyone, it is not morning in America, it's Midnight.

Resisting Californiation

Getting used to a new place is always a difficult process, getting used to San Clemente, CA is no different. To a newcomer it seems as though in this part of the world the issues that cloud the political landscape simply disappear. Not in the literal sense, they just don't affect these folks. It's nice that there's a place that the negativity of the world doesn't affect.

However, what worries me is that if the "real world"(*1) creeps in it may destroy this view of the outside world that these great folks in this town have come to appreciate and embrace. This isn't to say that they don't have issues that are concerning to them. They just happen to be, the environment which is important to all and must be looked after. What I think I'm trying to convey is that they need to be gently exposed to the harsh realities of the world that surround them. or perhaps it's just me (*2) focusing on the negative. Perhaps I just need to be exposed to more of the residents of my little burg.


*1-I really dislike the use of the term the "real world" in negative context, my "real world" is quite nice actually. Where I'm nice to people and they're nice to me in return.

*2-I've always been slightly cynical and morbidly minded.

The Destruction of Everything Through Construction

I'm coming to the realization that the world is being destroyed by things such as construction and hyper-materialism. Al Burian said it best, "End it for me before it all becomes white walls and shitty carpet.".

Buildings are going up everywhere destroying the beautiful fragile chaos that is the world, and replacing it with astringent, ordered ugliness. Worlds made of glass and metal, pulled from the earth yet not beautifying it. While I was raised to believe that ugliness can be beautiful. Skyscrapers are hideous monoliths, false mountains. That's really it, isn't it? Mankind playing king of the mountain with nature. We've ostracized ourselves from nature. Maybe we never were part of the natural world, we just evolved into a virus, or a better analogy would be weeds. Pulling all of the nutrients from the earth and leaving nothing. I fear to say that it might be too late.