I realize that there will be some young punk who will take exception to what I’m going to say. There are probably some older guys who had a better vantage point on the alternative music scenes that will also take exception. Nonetheless, this is how I see it.

Growing up in Southern California, skateboarding was a big part of my childhood. I remember being at a skateboarding competition in about 1983 and the Red Hot Chili Peppers were playing. After about two minutes, my impression - as a 12 year old - was that they stunk. Later, when I was in junior high, the older kids (16-18 year olds) listened to what would later be called skate rock. These were bands usually advertised in skate boarding magazines: Agent Orange, Minor Threat, Circle Jerks, The Faction, Dag Nasty, Bad Brains, Bl’ast, etc. So it was natural for us younger, impressionable juniors to follow along. This was my introduction to alternative music.

As I grew older, I started to appreciate music more. I can honestly say that seeing Bad Brains changed my life. Not only were these guys black and Rastafarians but they were playing punk rock music with socially-conscious and religious themes. For a white kid from Orange County, these were things that were not a part of my world-view and simply didn’t mix. Other bands - mostly from D.C. - that affected me were Scream, Jawbox, Fugazi, and Soulside. And, coming just around this time, was a band called Three.

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