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Violent Femmes


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...the entire crowd can sing along every word to every song and have it not be annoying, but actually fun.

 

Hell, maybe the ONLY live band for which this is true.

 

I'm listening to a live recording of them doing a couple of songs off that first album and remembering back to when I saw them. We in the crowd

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Are these guys still around with the original lineup? I think they had a different drummer for a while, and I remember hearing about an unfortunate lawsuit between the band and Brian Ritchie.

 

I saw them in 1990 or 1991. They were supposed to play at the Fox (a 5000 seater), but the show got downsized to the Roxy (a 1000 capacity general admission venue). Definitely a fun show. John Wesley Harding opened. I've never cared for what I've heard from him since then, but I enjoyed his set that night.

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Saw them in the early 90's with a ton of other bands. One of those all day radio shows "Live 105" did in the bay area. Beck and Green day were there as well before they were really big. Those three bands just killed it.

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Okay, I have to relay this story (if I haven't somewhere, already):

Where I went to H.S. we had an every-other-year event called "Focus On The Arts", where people who made their living in the arts came to speak to the students about what they did. And, sometimes to perform.

 

Now, Milwaukee is only about an hour from my childhood suburb, and Brian Ritchie came down to perform and have a moderated conversation with a group of students. I was lucky enough to score tickets to the dialogue.

 

Brian ambled into the room, with about 35 students in attendance, and 3 teachers. He was amicable and took all the questions with a smile, and gave very thoughtful answers to all. Then the question came that all the teachers had been dreading:

"What about drugs? Are there a lot of drugs around when you're on the road, and stuff?"

 

(Keep in mind, this was in the middle of the Reagan, "Just Say No" 80's.)

 

He thought about it and said something like:

"Of course they're out there. And I'm not going to tell you NOT to do anything like that, because that would be hypocritical of me. Yeah, they're there and I've done some stuff. But the bottom line is, it's NOT good for you and I would probably be better off had I not done a lot of what I've done.

"You just have to know what you're getting into and be smart about it. The best choice, of course, would be to not do anything like that. But, ultimately, it's your choice. And you just have to make a good one."

 

The teachers were aghast; you could see that all of their jaws had dropped. But all the students were nodding thoughtfully, finally finding somebody that didn't just spout the usual bullshit about "Just Say No".

 

I've always loved the Femmes, but since that day, I have a whole new respect for them.

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Okay, I have to relay this story (if I haven't somewhere, already):

Where I went to H.S. we had an every-other-year event called "Focus On The Arts", where people who made their living in the arts came to speak to the students about what they did. And, sometimes to perform.

 

Now, Milwaukee is only about an hour from my childhood suburb, and Brian Ritchie came down to perform and have a moderated conversation with a group of students. I was lucky enough to score tickets to the dialogue.

 

Brian ambled into the room, with about 35 students in attendance, and 3 teachers. He was amicable and took all the questions with a smile, and gave very thoughtful answers to all. Then the question came that all the teachers had been dreading:

"What about drugs? Are there a lot of drugs around when you're on the road, and stuff?"

 

(Keep in mind, this was in the middle of the Reagan, "Just Say No" 80's.)

 

He thought about it and said something like:

"Of course they're out there. And I'm not going to tell you NOT to do anything like that, because that would be hypocritical of me. Yeah, they're there and I've done some stuff. But the bottom line is, it's NOT good for you and I would probably be better off had I not done a lot of what I've done.

"You just have to know what you're getting into and be smart about it. The best choice, of course, would be to not do anything like that. But, ultimately, it's your choice. And you just have to make a good one."

 

The teachers were aghast; you could see that all of their jaws had dropped. But all the students were nodding thoughtfully, finally finding somebody that didn't just spout the usual bullshit about "Just Say No".

 

I've always loved the Femmes, but since that day, I have a whole new respect for them.

That's awesome.

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I remember a great show in the mid 90's where I was introduced to two exchange students from Japan. I had smuggled in a pint of whiskey and we stood front row, center left and my two new friends drank all my whiskey!

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I remember a great show in the mid 90's where I was introduced to two exchange students from Japan. I had smuggled in a pint of whiskey and we stood front row, center left and my two new friends drank all my whiskey!

 

I'm not shocked by that.

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