I look to the past for inspiration. I revere history because you can’t know where you’re at unless you know where you’ve been. I’m up front about my fears of being perceived as nostalgic. Wistfulness is a pathetic refuge from the real, a place to hide from the now. Only a coward or a fool would insist that the best of all times happened in the past and nothing that could happen in the present or future could compare. I’d rather be dead than to believe some stupid shit like that. But if I’m being honest I also don’t want to be perceived as a nostalgia hog because I don’t want to believe that my best years are behind me and I have nothing left to contribute. Fuck that shit.
I aspire to be relevant, in some way shape or form. Otherwise what’s the point? Why not try heroin? It feels good I’ve been told. These are fleeting concerns as I’m sure you’re aware if you’ve followed any of my tangents. I’m thankful to have figured out how important it is to be relevant, pertinent, apropos… true, only to myself. Which makes me cocky, arrogant, I’d go so far as to say annoying. But I like make myself laugh. I’m equally thankful to have learned that my own laughter is enough for me since I usually laugh at the truth. We could all use a bit of both right now.
My opinions are merely that. If you don’t agree, I won’t be staying up late to argue with you, and I don’t give a shit about bringing you over to my side. Some truths are self evident. If you can’t see that then there’s something wrong with you.
I’ve written with a jaundiced eye, ever critical about the triviality of the Las Vegas Hardcore scene. Maybe I’m embittered because I’m disappointed in the shortcomings of a childhood where I was told I could make a difference and yet I feel I haven’t made enough of a difference? I’m still working towards that. Maybe I’m motivated by a love of music and the excitement and passion to be found in pushing boundaries to forge a new path? I’ve found most people are afraid of the new, and I’ve met too many people who are tightly bound to the orthodoxy of hard edged music. It’s not just weepy nostalgia that brings about that attitude, I’ve met teenagers who are still fighting "punk rock" culture wars which were pertinent in the 70’s. (It's comical to think how close I was to strangling this punk ass kid wearing a Vibrators t-shirt who wouldn't shut up about how much he hated Fleetwood Mac. Morons.) That’s why I often think those who worship inane shit like punk rock are reactionary d-bags unworthy of respect. It’s funny to think how an iconoclastic style such as hardcore could foster a rabid devotion that clings to tropes and sounds that stopped being clever, let alone cutting edge, 30 years on.
After all this shit talking I admit I don’t mind thinking back and finding memories and drawing inspiration from that time in my life, but I draw the line at invoking rose colored glasses to paint a picture of something which was more than it was. I’ve been guilty of adding to that facade I confess.
The old days sucked. It was not as good as you or I remember and the business of making the world, and ourselves, better never ended. Doesn’t that sound self righteous as fuck? Borderline straight edge preaching. That’s my current mood, so I’m running with it.
With these lofty concerns addressed by flowery bullshit I submit the following interview with a man who was quite the inspiration to me as a young man. I was lucky to convince Danny Breeden to do an interview with me a month and a half before the pandemic kicked in and ended civility as we know it. Danny was the lead singer of the influential and pitifully obscure LV hardcore band Fuck Shit Piss. For my money (actually I never paid them a red cent in all this time) Fuck Shit Piss was the best musical group to be founded in Southern Nevada and a clear archetype of what hardcore punk was as a sound and a “movement.”
Their history is fraught with turmoil, angst, hilarity, and tears. Bent to nuances of history and fate, they were the last nail in the coffin of what can be known as hardcore punk. Sure there were shitty bands similar in tone in their wake, but Fuck Shit Piss was the ass shaking, graffiti writing, conscionable, reflection of violence and desperation that summed up the 80’s and gave way to the mediocre 90’s. Music in the LV underground sucked after they broke up, and while I commend them for getting back together to try it again in the 90’s I think they would agree it was a lost cause. Pun intended.
I remember them as I first encountered them. The life of the party at a packed show at the Elks Lodge in North Las Vegas. While they were popular they were also intimidating which added to their charm and myth. The schism created by half the band come under the spell of fascism ripped apart the Las Vegas underground, a scar from which the Las Vegas underground never fully recovered. As devastating as that was it’s not something I hold in contempt for them. They were bellwethers as the national hardcore scene became increasingly under attack from the forces of right wing manipulation. And while it sucked to see it fall apart it was just another ripple in the history of a country divided by powers thought to be beyond our control. But if anything can be learned it’s that UNITY is more than just a catch phrase. Something we as a nation need to come to grips with. I’ve never been patriotic but I keep saying shit like that with more frequency as of late. Go figure.
I wanted to interview Danny because I thought it would be fun. It was fun. He provided insight and laughs for me. I hope you might get the same way if you listen. I thank Danny for participating and I thank Checko Salgado for helping to facilitate the interview and for making it that much more entertaining by being involved. We’ve discussed the possibility of more interviews, and I won’t shirk from the opportunity if it presents itself again in the future. I’d love to interview Johnny Bangs, if you read this Johnny holler! I guess the future will reveal itself eventually.
I’m remain skeptical of people who celebrate the old times too forcefully. There’s still life left to be lived, Danny has been a good example of that ideal put into practice. I continue to be inspired.
There are two clips for this interview, be sure to listen to them both. About 2 and 1/2 hours.
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- Chad Simmons
- portland, oregon, United States
- I grew up in Vegas. East side by El Dog. It will always be my hometown for better or worse. Currently living as a labor activist in Portland, Oregon. For better or worse.
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