I made a lot of questionable music choices in the mid-to-late 90s. Southern California was awash in 2nd generation punk, or melodic punk as I've heard it called, and I was all about it. ALL. ABOUT. IT. I bought the CDs, wore the t-shirts, attended the shows (multiple Warped Tours!). Punk was definitely not dead as far as this skinny little white boy was concerned, and I cruised around greater Orange County in my Mazda pickup, windows down, detachable face Pioneer stereo cranked up to offensive decibel levels to prove it.
But questionable music choices or not, I regret nothing. For while my foray into the punk scene may have introduced me to the less-than-stellar Unwritten Law, Strung Out and Guttermouth (among many, many, others), it also introduced me to The Clash, The Buzzcocks, Stiff Little Fingers, Descendents, The Stooges, Black Flag, Minor Threat, Bad Brains and The Jam. Just to name a few. All seminal bands in their own right that transcend any genre or "scene" - bands that have stuck with me and still grace my iPod today.
As for all the shitty bands along the way - I'd like to think I helped put some of their kids through college, because I bought an obscene amount of CDs back then. I'll probably get rid of them someday, but for now, they're still a reminder of a fun period of my life. And a little NOFX every now and then never hurt anyone.
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