Awesome article.

I last saw Social D in Chicago at a small venue. They blew the doors off it and these guys have GOT to be close to 50. One of my all-time favorite bands and great to read about them even at this late stage of their game.

The jealousy I feel knowing that you have a job that allows you to interview Mike Ness, write about it, then receive close to $17.00 in recompense cannot be adequately measured.
Thank you for this and I hope that your time with Mike inspired you to get a neck tattoo of your own.

As to ‘Bryan’: Sir, you are a moron.

Why?

Let me tell you:

1. You clearly do not understand sarcasm or cleverness in copy.

2. Even after realizing the article was not about your intended topic, you read it through, completely failed to comprehend it, and then took the time to comment negatively and erroneously on it.

3. You were searching for information about Tenacious D.

I could go on, but why? I am sure you have long since returned to playing World of Warcraft in your mother’s basement. If you DO happen to ever read these words, please go and buy yourself a Social Distortion album. Listen to it, then attend a concert and let Mike Ness or anyone in the audience kick your a**. Although painful, this will give you new insight into the world, different types of people and music, and very likely a sorely-needed dose of reality.

Regards,
BB

I am the biggest fan of Social Distortion I know. Saw those guys play half a dozen times throughout California and they are absolutely amazing!

Mike Ness’s raw power on the guitar and rough-around-the-edges lyrics hits you right in the stomach when you see them live. Or maybe that’s the big guy in the wife beater with the shaved head pitting the wrong way? One or the other, the point is that band is awesome.

And playing with The Boss? How could I let life go by me like that? Thanks for providing the video, it makes me feel a little less lame when I watch it. I’m going to miss seeing them every year at the House of Blues in Hollywood.

Cheers!

This is simply from a fan’s perspective: Social Distortion is timeless for me. Fourteen/fifteen years ago when I was entering highschool and a “rebellious” teenager, they were the soundtrack to that rebellion along with Bad Brains, dK, Black Flag, Operation Ivy, etc.

Now that I’m older, married, and my blood has slowed down tremendously, I still find myself tapping my foot along to Story of My Life or 1945, whatever. Just as I used to pull my dad’s old Black Sabbath and Jimi Hendrix records out and dust them off, I can see my own son (when I have one) doing the same with my Social D albums.

Either that, or you knew you’d get hits from people like me, and hoped we’d stick around.

On the off chance it was entirely accidental, I highly suggest you proof-read.

So you say Bad Religion and Social D are opening up for Pearl Jam? Damn, I gotta get on that but I probably already missed the west coast shows. (and if you have any articles on Pearl Jam’s Target ads, please point me to them, I almost fell off the couch when I saw that commercial).

Thanks for the youtube; I didn’t even know Bruce and Ness were friends; been out of it for too long. But seriously, why can’t a single new punk/hard rock band (if there are any) write a song with more than one riff? The “Limp Bizkit-effect,” I suppose, still ruling rock radio (and I use the term rock radio loosely, if you can call limp 80s New Wave homages to be real rock).

And good to see Bruce still isn’t a very good soloist but it doesn’t matter because he’s Bruce!

(hope I don’t sound too negative, this was inspiring and really well written, so thanks.)

I’m a movie/tv/screenplay guy but I’m proud of my blog so please check it out if you get a minute…
http://actfourscreenplays.wordpress.com

Anyway, she sat there looking bored and angry with her arms crossed in front of her, and I assumed her boyfriend/husband had dragged her unwillingly to the show. Then, when Social D played their cover of “Ring of Fire,” she stood up on her chair and started whooping and hollering and dancing and acting like a maniac.

As soon as the song was over, she sat back down, stony-faced, as she was before.