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June 11, 2004 #
 Growing up on the "Capital Corridor" (Route 50 which connects Annapolis, MD and Washington, DC) is bound to crap some politics into your cereal. At least it did for me, best represented by two poems I wrote that got published in the local newspaper. Thank Jehovah these were the days before online archives since I don't think I could even use the excuse of being a 12 year old to produce such abominations as "Unemployment" and "No Nukes." While the yellowed clipping exists somewhere in a shoebox, it will never see the light of day. (Hint: I rhymed Bob and job, nuke and puke.) This was 1983, significant since the Reagan era was in full swing by then and like any good conservative movement, it influenced some damn good protest music (and apparently bad youth-poetry) which took the form of 80's punk/hardcore. In 1981 Alternative Tentacles released the seminal compilation "Let Them Eat Jellybeans" with Reagan's cartoon mug on the cover. My favorite track, in a nod to regional pride, was "Pay to Cum" by the Bad Brains -- DC legends whose influence could never be overestimated. If NYC Hardcore was born from DC Hardcore (and it was), then the Bad Brains were the granddaddy of them all. The music speaks louder than any words I could write: Listen now, loud, often. Bad Brains - Pay to Cum.mp3 DC's punk scene has forever been tied to politics and it's no surprise that the mid to late 80's offered free annual summer concerts called "Rock Against Reagan" - a confluence infamous for uniting punks and herb-rallying hippies. And by "uniting" I just mean gathering in one place. I've seen pictures and it was an odd scene no doubt but at least there was a common enemy to direct all the anger. Drunk punks and super-high hippies easily out-numbered (and out-numbed) any threat posed by police presence. On this day of national remembrance I think my fondest memory was in 1981, the day Reagan was shot. I was in 4th grade and the announcement came over the elementary school's PA system. I recall the blank looks, the staring around, and the most important question that came to mind: "Does this mean we get to go home early?" Archives "The Other Page" powered by Removable Hype. RSS. Copyright © 2003 La Otra Página, Inc. All nights observed. Feel free to email "info(at)krucoff.com" for questions, comments, stock tips, and family gossip. |
