Interviews

Social Distortion

By X-Ray

   Orange County has long been the punk-rock holdout that no one had ever expected it to be. You see, the O.C. has a way of holding on to things that are a way of reacting to the organized and well-structured plan of this suburban kingdom. It is here that you will find a lifestyle rooted in the black-and-white world of the '50s where many of the teenagers have been suffocated and forced to either adapt or rebel against the institutions that are Orange County. A unique culture has been formed in the wake of the anger of disenfranchised teens who have refused to become the bland Xerox copies that fill this land known as the place where Mickey Mouse is king and BMWs are as plentiful as the oranges on the trees. It is here where one of punk's coolest bands originated.

    Mike Ness has always been the heart and soul of Social Distortion, and there is little doubt that he has been the reason for the band's career, which has spanned over two decades. It is due to Mike's evolution as a classic songwriter in the style of some of his early heroes such as Hank Williams, Sr. and Johnny Cash that has brought him up to a level of respect among his peers. Roots music blended with angst of punk has been the wealth of Mike's inspiration, as he continues to forge on the solitary pass that he chooses to walk.

    I had a chance to talk to Mike in between sessions at the recording studio where he is working on putting the finishing vocal tracks on the new album. (The album is expected to be complete sometime during the following months.)

SKRATCH: What were the changes to the band during the time after you released MOMMY'S LITTLE MONSTER and before PRISON BOUND?
MIKE: Well, I got clean. It was easier for me to make it to shows and travel. There was a restructuring of the band, with personnel changes. I was listening to a lot of roots music, and I think that PRISON BOUND was introducing my affection for American music. Looking back on it now, I think maybe we didn't have to do so much, but….

SKRATCH: Do you feel that coming clean and redirecting yourself and your songwriting was your next necessary step?
MIKE: I realized at that point that if I wanted to keep doing music, I needed to look at this kind of like a job. I'm going to get out of it what I put into it. That's when I really got serious about rehearsals and the direction of the band. The first five years of the band were a party, and that party almost killed me. I was grateful to be alive at that point, and I was looking at my life differently.

SKRATCH: Did being on a major label put more pressure on you as a songwriter to provide more commercially-appealing material?
MIKE: No, because I didn't get into this to be a commercially-successful act. I was just writing songs that I liked, the same way I always have and the same way I still do. The only difference is that after doing it for so many years, you do learn things: you do learn how to write better, you do learn how to sing better.

SKRATCH: What about the songwriting duties? Are they exclusively yours?
MIKE: No, not necessarily. Johnny Two-bags has been in the band almost three years now, and he helped write, like, three songs. Sometimes we'll have an idea and the whole band will collectively arrange the songs.

SKRATCH: Do you feel that Social D. has grown since Dennis Dannell has been gone?
MIKE: Yeah. I think that if you don't grow and you don't learn, you're dead. The point of this record is to show everyone our signature sound, and to show everyone that we've evolved, too—and I think we've achieved that.

SKRATCH: Why do you think that the group has become a bigger part of music over the years?
MIKE: Well, I could speculate, but I think basically it's just because I'm stubborn, in the sense that the thought of doing anything else was never an option. I play music, and that's what I'm going to do. I don't care how poor I get, I don't care how hungry I get—I play music.

SKRATCH: Do you recognize that you have given Orange County a part of rock history?
MIKE: Yeah, but it's just because I'm the last guy standing. But I support the other bands like The Adolescents, Agent Orange, and others. We have to support them, because they are just as much a part of it as we were.

SKRATCH: Who are some of your heroes that you were able to meet because you chose to be a musician?
MIKE: I would have to say for sure that the top three that come to mind would be Joey Ramone, Iggy Pop, and Johnny Cash.

SKRATCH: Why do you hold Orange County as a whole in such high regard?
MIKE: I don't know if I hold it in high regard. I have a love/hate relationship with Orange County. [Laughing] It's hard to say. I trip out when the media tries to pinpoint music scenes by city, like Seattle, like San Francisco, like Orange County. The reason that all these bands spilled out of Orange County was because of the fucking boredom and fucking ignorance. I mean, since 25 years ago things have changed, but sometimes I'm reminded that not a lot has. But, like anything, I use both sides for inspiration, the good and the bad. It's got its good points. I love the old parts of Orange County, but not the development and the strip malls. I mean, I grew up playing in the orange groves having orange fights. To see just change progress...and I feel there has been digression, too.

SKRATCH: What are your thought on your solo record, UNDER THE INFLUENCES?
MIKE: That was just a chance for me to do what I was doing on PRISON BOUND. It was a great platform to do this. I mean, I couldn't put violin on a Social D. record. It was very liberating. And it made coming back to Social D. very fun again; it made punk rock very fun again. When you do something for 20 years, you want to try something new.

SKRATCH: Now that have solo projects, will you still want to back in a band?
MIKE: Well, I think so. I can handle one thing at a time. I'm lucky that I do have two avenues that I can go down. Maybe after a couple of records and touring the country a half a dozen times I'll be ready to play a little bluegrass and country. It's a nice balance.

SKRATCH: Do you tour that much anymore?
MIKE: With this record we will. We will do four cycles of the States.

SKRATCH: What size venues?
MIKE: I'm not sure yet. We'll just have to see. My favorite [type of] venue is still the theatre.

SKRATCH: You guys have done long stretches at the House of Blues over the past years. Is that your favorite local place?
MIKE: Well, I like it because it's a small room with excellent gear. It's a close drive home. (You know, that's always nice to be able to do that.)

SKRATCH: Would you ever tour with one of your music idols, even if they weren't from the same genre?
MIKE: We tried that once when we toured with Neil Young for 12 weeks. I mean, it was cool, but we learned a lot on that tour. That fell under the category of "dues paid."

SKRATCH: Who are some of your favorites that you would consider doing it again?
MIKE: I would say that my number-one choice would probably be Tom Petty. I love his songwriting, I love his sound, and he's a big influence on me.

SKRATCH: What about songwriting collaborative efforts with big names?
MIKE: I'm open-minded to any of that; I'm just not very good about "networking" myself.

SKRATCH: What's your favorite part about songwriting?
MIKE: Probably when it's finished! It's really stressful sometimes. I write the music first most of the time, and then I have to listen to it over and over again, and I ask myself, "What does it feel like? What does it remind me of?" And the singing in the studio could be a head-trip. It's hard work, you know.

SKRATCH: Does it drain you emotionally?
MIKE: Yeah, a lot. One thing is stuff like singing on-key. But what you really have to try and deliver a performance of a lifetime on an album. So, the pressure is there to do the best you've ever done right then. Some days it's clicking, and some days it isn't. Some days you just got to go home and come back the next day.

SKRATCH: What about when you perform songs on stage that are packed with emotion—say, for example, "When the Angels Sing"?
MIKE: Every now and then I'll be doing a song live and it will mean as much to me as it does to the kid in the crowd. And that's a good feeling. It's huge, and it moves me.

SKRATCH: I've watched you when you've done that song at it seems there's a little bit more of you.
MIKE: I think that it's important not only to be in touch with that side, but to show that side, too. I mean, I'm not the best communicator in the world, so, to me, songwriting helps me to do that. What is tough? Life is fucking tough! And I think that's what being a man is. It's being able to live on life's terms. I think that sort of came with age, being okay with exposing that bit of myself and not being afraid to do that. People respect honesty more than the façade you're projecting. Everyone has an ego and an image of themselves they'd like the people to see. I think that being honest is the best, because it's real.

SKRATCH: And to be "honest," does that mean you've owned up to mistakes that you might have made in the past?
MIKE: Sure, absolutely. If I was to go right now, I feel I've made peace with myself and the world, because I wasn't afraid of my feelings or because I wasn't afraid of not looking like a cool guy by doing this, but if it's the right thing to do, I've got to do it, anyways.

SKRATCH: What is the song that best represents you?
MIKE: Up until this record, I probably would have said "When the Angels Sing"; but I think now it's "Don't Take Me for Granted" on the upcoming album. You don't know the importance of friends and family until you lose them. I wrote that song when Dennis died, and it was one of the easiest songs to write. All I had to do was to close my eyes and remember when I was growing up, walking down the railroad tracks, drinking a six-pack of beer and going to watch this local band practice and saying to him, "Someday we're going to have our own band."

Social Distortion is currently finishing up their next album, which should be released sometime this summer. They plan to follow up with a tour, and you can go to www.socialdistortion.com to find out the latest news. You can also check out Mike's newest venture at www.blackkatkustoms.com (which also features custom cars, bikes, and clothing).

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