The PlimsoulsRed Devil Lounge, San Francisco
December 2, 2006
"Friday night I'd just got back, I had my eyes shut.. was dreaming about the past.."
For better or worse this "blog" is dominated by METAL... However, truth be told, I haven't listened to METAL 24/7 since I was, like, 20-21 years old. I'm probably METAL, like, 46% of the time these days. With a percentage like that I should be called a Poser, and I wouldn't argue with that label.
(Note: A complete audit of just how METAL I am can be requested via those organizations and authorities who oversee such things on behalf of Satan.. Google-it 'cause I don't have the contact info..)
After the tragedy that shot out of the fog of my Old Metal past recently, it was ironic that I saw The Plimsouls the same day I received that sad news. The Plimsouls were one of the bands I gravitated towards when I drifted away from the Metal Scene circa 1986. I trip on crap like that... Ironies, connections, coincidences... My mind can obsess on them. Nope, I don't smoke pot.
Circa 1986-87 I was at a point in my life where I wanted to listen to musicians who wrote songs about stuff other than Satan (WHAT?!). I also found it refreshing to listen to songwriters who were literate and whose political songs didn't use analogies about nuclear warfare and / or nuclear holocaust in every other song (WHAT?!).
Not Metal.
I couldn't get into the Punk Scene (although Big Wayne tried to convert me). I didn't have a need to fuck shit up anymore and I felt too old to get into The Pit AGAIN... plus I still liked guitar solos.
Yeah, I became a pussy.
Long story short, most of the shit that's found on the Rhino Records Children of Nuggets box set is what I dove into during those post-Metal days. I traded a screaming Jackson for a twangy Rickenbacker.
Metal was the soundtrack of my innocent youth; the 80's "alternative" bands were the soundtrack for me as I got my shit together. I gave college another shot (although I eventually dropped out again). I started reading books other than Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Horror (WHAT?!).. I grew up intellectually while digging these bands.
What? Oh yeah, The Plimsouls gig.. Sorry 'bout that...
At this point I should say I didn't see The Plimsouls in their 80's heyday. Normally I'm dubious about seeing an "old" band 20 years after the fact, but a Music Geek co-worker who saw them in 1983 said the reformed Plimsouls were still worth seeing... so I took a chance.. and he was right.
Miatomic and I jumped into my DeLorean and arrived early to secure a decent spot in the bar. As a result, we had to suffer through a horrible opening act who actually told the crowd "We're a cross between Black Sabbath and Kraftwerk".. Ooookaaay... For the record, they were NOT as they claimed.
The Plimsouls hit the stage with 'How Long Will It Take' (sans skinny ties) and damn if they didn't sound great. Tight musicianship. Spot on lead guitar from Eddie Munoz. Seasoned frontman duty from Peter Case. Solid. I'm still a sucker for that Power Pop sound. I blame Cheap Trick.
Sometimes when you see an "old" band you wish you hadn't; that's not the case with The Plimsouls. They're still the real deal and you'd swear Julie and Randy were standing next to you as their guitars jingle jangle.
I forgot to do a merch tally for The Plimsouls, but I did get a silk screened gig poster (limited to 100 copies) for a mere 10 bucks (I got #16 /100... I know, you don't care..). On the way back to the car some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. While the 5 years I spent being hardcore Metal still has a strong influence on my life, The Plimsouls are one of those bands that reminds me of everything that happened in my life after my Metal Days.
I'm a million miles away.
