I became a fan of The Vandals upon discovering Ricochet contributor Joe Escalante was a band member (even though I must admit to listening to his great LA radio show on my way into work most mornings). Perhaps he can share some insight with us and let us know if Mike Ness of Social Distortion is Ricochet material.
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Re: Today's L.A. PUNK SongS of the Day: The Vandals (If the Government Could Read My Mind) & Social Distortion (Story of My Life)
Social D! Saw them back in the 80s. Great show.
Feb '11
Re: Today's L.A. PUNK SongS of the Day: The Vandals (If the Government Could Read My Mind) & Social Distortion (Story of My Life)
Loved Social Distortion from day 1. Still going strong after all these years, although I am a little disappointed at their new release. I saw a ton of California bands in the heyday of punk, not sure about the Vandals, although I definitely remember them. I didn't know that Joe Escalante was a member. Pretty cool.
Feb '11
Re: Today's L.A. PUNK SongS of the Day: The Vandals (If the Government Could Read My Mind) & Social Distortion (Story of My Life)
Verily, your post rocks.
Do you take requests? My favorite band when I was in high school was Rush. They have some great songs, and some are particularly Ricochet-worthy. (Red Barchetta springs to mind.)
Re: Today's L.A. PUNK SongS of the Day: The Vandals (If the Government Could Read My Mind) & Social Distortion (Story of My Life)
Thanks Lance. Mike Ness would not exactly fit in around here but he is a dear friend of mine and I wouldn't change anything about him. He's the Fonzie of our generation. Not the Bowzer, but the Fonzie. I had the pleasure of doing the "Another State Of Mind" DVD commentary track with him, at his urging.
I love that you picked that Vandals song. We had a huge bump in our noteriety when Chris Carter featured our music and logos in an episode of the X-Files so you will notice the same whistling sounds in that song that you hear in the TV show's theme. I think the sample is called "Whistling Joe" (useful trivia)
The lyrics are quintessential Vandals. When the rest of the punk scene was worried about government abuses, we weren't bothered. "If The Government Could Read My Mind, They'd Know I'm Thinking About You" is the chorus.
anyway. Thanks for the shout out.
Jun '10
Re: Today's L.A. PUNK SongS of the Day: The Vandals (If the Government Could Read My Mind) & Social Distortion (Story of My Life)
Saw Social D a couple of months ago. Mike Ness still rules. If he's not Ricochet material, he should be.
Nov '10
Re: Today's L.A. PUNK SongS of the Day: The Vandals (If the Government Could Read My Mind) & Social Distortion (Story of My Life)
Joe Escalante: Thanks Lance...The lyrics are quintessential Vandals. When the rest of the punk scene was worried about government abuses, we weren't bothered. "If The Government Could Read My Mind, They'd Know I'm Thinking About You" is the chorus.
anyway. Thanks for the shout out. · May 5 at 5:53pm
The chorus is why I picked it. Its like a wink and a smile (certainly not a sneer) to pop. That and I couldn't find a live performance that didn't kick off with a Code of Conduct threatening expletive.
Its really an honor, Joe. 103.1 was a big influence on me. I enjoyed KROQ, but I wanted to be introduced to new music. And interesting personalities. I'd listen to your morning show on the commute from El Segundo to Beverly Hills. Your perspective on the random bits discussed was refreshing. I appreciated it without knowing your story. Now that I do, I recall it with even greater fondness. We are lucky to have you amongst us here.
Regarding Mr. Ness, please send my thanks for that album. Its one of my favorites and I am lucky to have listened to it.
Nov '10
Re: Today's L.A. PUNK SongS of the Day: The Vandals (If the Government Could Read My Mind) & Social Distortion (Story of My Life)
Albert Fuchs: Verily, your post rocks.
Do you take requests? My favorite band when I was in high school was Rush. They have some great songs, and some are particularly Ricochet-worthy. (Red Barchetta springs to mind.) · May 5 at 5:42pm
Thank you, sir. I really appreciate suggestions. Inspiration for today's post came from a conversation on punk that stemmed from, of all things, a Dave Matthews Band showcase this past weekend. Let's see where Rush rears its head down the line a bit.
May '10
Re: Today's L.A. PUNK SongS of the Day: The Vandals (If the Government Could Read My Mind) & Social Distortion (Story of My Life)
Awesome Vandals tune. It screams LA Punk (in a good way).
Re: Today's L.A. PUNK SongS of the Day: The Vandals (If the Government Could Read My Mind) & Social Distortion (Story of My Life)
Ah, Social Distortion. Great band. Here’s my favorite song of theirs.
Nov '10
Re: Today's L.A. PUNK SongS of the Day: The Vandals (If the Government Could Read My Mind) & Social Distortion (Story of My Life)
Ball and Chain! Such a great song. I could have just as easily selected that one come to think of it. Here is a fantastic live version off their 1998 Live at the Roxy album. Another great is their cover of Ring of Fire.
Jul '10
Re: Today's L.A. PUNK SongS of the Day: The Vandals (If the Government Could Read My Mind) & Social Distortion (Story of My Life)
I remember the first time I heard "If the Government Could Read My Mind". I thought, "I have a new favorite band." I mean, who could resist lyrics like:
I could stockpile food and join a militia,
But I'd rather stay at home and kiss ya