Lmst

@dansup What about this gem from 1999?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnFVMkTWaBw

I did a thing. Is this called procrastination? Or just nostalgia? 🤷‍♂️
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IJ5gTHbLys

#NOFX #music #musique #Montreal #Quebec #punk #TheDecline

No orchestra, but #TheDecline:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lwpl3dgVAg

Nice day, nice show, thanks #nofx!

Photograph of the stage from the final NOFX show in cologne. There's quite a crowd in front and on top of the stage.

Bought a ticket for the final #NOFX European Tour. Saw them many times and did not enjoy all of the shows, but looking forward to the last encounter.

Doubt they are accompanied by an orchestra, but would have liked to see this version of #TheDecline:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWhy8PCuGsk

#CircleJerks #Itchy #Scream #TheLastGang #NegativeApproach #Clowns #Tanzbrunnen #Cologne #Köln

For those needing an anti-Trump fix, allow me to introduce you to one of the greatest pieces of musical theatre you will ever see! Punk rock's magnum opus! A 19 minute epic rant against big corporations, gun culture, disingenuous government officials and a public too apathetic and self-interested to do anything about it all. A punk symphony! Enjoy.

Who’s Punk?! What’s the Score?!...Song #20/20: The Decline by NOFX https://tommacinneswriter.com/2024/02/29/whos-punk-whats-the-score-song-20-20-the-decline-by-nofx/ #Baz, #NOFX, #TheDecline, #WhosPunk?!WhatsTheScore?!

I began writing this punk rock series with a post about the San Francisco area band Jawbreaker. In that post (which you can read here) I talked about some of the characteristics of bands who claim to be punk bands, or else are said to be punk bands. Chief among those was a foundation of non-conformity. The manifestation of this non-conformist attitude tended to appear in the form of politically motivated song lyrics combined with an unwillingness to involve themselves with the corporate world by the signing of record contracts with major record labels. Much of the series has examined the careers of bands who eschewed such corporate sponsorship and what happened to those who did agree to suck on the corporate teat, as it were. Through it all, it appears as though the bands held in the highest esteem by punk rock fans tended to be those who stayed true to the DIY aspect of punk. Bands such as Rancid, Fugazi/Minor Threat, Black Flag and today’s featured band, NOFX, were all bands that kept it real and raw and minimalistic. For them and their fans, it was all about the music, the message and the connection that existed between the band and their fans. When a band stayed true to their fans by staying true to their punk roots, the fans remained loyal to them right up until the end. This is especially true with NOFX. I can talk about the easy rapport that NOFX had with its fans, but trust me, no words will be necessary once you watch the video for “The Decline” that is included in the links below. The strength of that connection is obvious and is a delight to see. I close out this series as it began, by showcasing one of punk’s legendary bands. By doing so, I will touch again upon some of the ways that true punk bands were able to stay relevant and financially solvent at the same time. The time for the final post has arrived. Here is the story of NOFX and “The Decline”.

NOFX: Smelly Sandin, Fat Mike, El Hefe and Eric Melvin.

NOFX formed in Boston in the early 1980s. Like many bands, there have been numerous lineup changes over the years, but the lineup for NOFX’s most successful days as a band was composed of singer/guitarist Mike “Fat Mike” Burkett, guitarist Eric Melvin, guitarist Aaron “El Hefe” Abeyta and drummer Erik “Smelly” Sandin. Right from the get-go, NOFX used sophomoric humour as a means of making political points. Over the course of their career, the band has released albums with names such as S & M Airlines, Heavy Petting Zoo, So Long and Thanks For All The Shoes, Pump Up the Valuum and their most commercially successful album, Punk in Drublic. In total, NOFX has released 15 studio albums and various EPs, singles and live albums (including one called I Heard They Suck Live) that have sold over 8 million units worldwide. This makes NOFX one of the biggest selling completely independent bands in the world. The fact that many of you reading these words have probably never heard of them speaks to the indie nature of how NOFX goes about their business. As “Fat” Mike famously wrote in the liner notes of Punk in Drublic with regard to signing with a major record label, “We’ve been doing fine all these years without you so leave us alone!” They have toured extensively.

NOFX have played venues large and small. But they have done so on their own terms and have never accepted corporate sponsorship along the way. So how have they done this for all these years and managed to survive? It isn’t cheap to travel across North America and around the world. Well, one of the ways that DIY punk bands like NOFX have eased their financial burden is by taking over the means of production and distribution of their own music. The primary vehicle for achieving this is to own their own independent record label. Companies such as Dischord Records, Epitaph Records and Fat Wreck Chords were all in the business of signing and promoting punk bands and other indie acts. All of these companies were started by punk rock musicians themselves as a way to centralize control of their music. In this way, they ensured that they had the independence to record what they wanted to, rather than having to use a formula to create “hits” to justify a major label’s investment and bolster the corporate bottom line. Dischord Records was started by Ian MacKaye of Minor Threat/Fugazi in Washington, DC. Epitaph Records was started by Brett Gurewitz of the band Bad Religion on the west coast. Fat Wreck Chords was started by “Fat” Mike of NOFX. That company operates out of San Francisco now. In addition to taking care of the business of producing and distributing albums for punk and indie artists, these record companies also served as a cross-country promotional network that helped book bands into punk-friendly venues and promote their appearances as they moved across the land. If not for this community of like-minded punk idealists, it would have been much harder for these bands to remain true to the spirit of their punk roots.

One of the positive benefits that comes from being your own boss, as NOFX is because they release their music on their own label, Fat Wreck Chords, is that the only consideration they have when it comes to their songwriting is creating new material that pleases them and their fans. There are no external factors or pressures that NOFX has to bear in mind when coming up with fresh material. If they have something to say that they think their fans will be receptive to, then that material becomes the fodder for a new album. It was this artistic freedom that allowed “Fat” Mike and the band to even remotely consider a song like “The Decline”.

“The Decline” is an eighteen minute long epic piece of commentary on the state of life in America. While it mines the expected anti-government/anti-corporation line, “The Decline” also takes time to rap the knuckles of ordinary citizens who display apathy and/or blind obedience to it all. The song is told in one-two verse segments that, when stitched together, form a damning indictment of life in the land of the free. Because “The Decline” is so long, it is rarely performed in public. It also does not appear on any album. It was released as its own EP and was pressed in a limited edition. The version of “The Decline” that I am featuring today is one that takes an already over-the-top song and brings it to an even higher level. The story is that one day while warming up for a concert somewhere in Europe, a French jazz drummer who goes by the stage name of Baz came to hear “The Decline”. As he listened to the EP version of the song, Baz immediately began to hear orchestral accompaniment in his head. When time permitted, Baz sat down and fleshed out his ideas and contacted “Fat” Mike and pitched it all to him. Now “Fat” Mike had never written or collaborated with anyone on a NOFX project but was intrigued by what Baz had to say and agreed to give it a try. The result of this collaboration can be seen in the video included in the links. That video shows “The Decline” as it was played at the lovely Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado with NOFX performing in front of the Denver Symphony Orchestra under the musical direction of Baz. When it comes to the history of punk music, this rendition of “The Decline” is its magnum opus. What a theatrical, bombastic joyride this is! A punk rock opera, of sorts. Simply astonishing and amazing and a completely satisfying way to end this series for me.

The irony of the punk genre’s DIY poster child, NOFX, standing in costume before a symphony orchestra in a setting like Red Rocks while playing a song that has as much in common with prog. rock songs that the original punk bands like The Sex Pistols formed to lampoon, is not lost on anyone, including me. But if there is one thing that has become clear as this series on punk music has rolled along, it is that one of the core rules of the punk world is that, in the end, the only rule that matters is being your true authentic self with not the slightest concern for what others might have to say. The only opinions that matter are those of a band and their fans. That’s it! The rest are pure bollocks.

Thanks to those of you who have followed the posts that made up this series. I hope that you enjoyed it, and maybe even learned a thing or two along the way. I had fun and even scored a Jawbreaker t-shirt out of it for my trouble! From MC5 and The Stooges in the 1960s all the way to NOFX and “The Decline” at Red Rocks in the 2020s, watching and listening to the evolution of punk music has been a blast! Tune in next week to see what happens next. I haven’t come up with a firm plan yet, but rest assured, the next series will be as interesting and informative as I can possibly make it, too. Take care, everyone. Thanks for reading my words.

The link to the video for the song “The Decline” by NOFX with Baz and the Denver Symphony Orchestra can be found here. ***The lyric version is not from the same concert. However, it is helpful to watch the lyric version so that you have a sense of familiarity with what is being sung on stage at Red Rocks in the live video. You can watch the lyric version here.

As I have said all throughout this series, the title of the series was taken from lyrics to a great song called “Boxcar” by the band Jawbreaker. I am most appreciative of having been able to use such a meaningful phrase as my series title. In response, I have always encouraged my readers to take a few moments to visit the Jawbreaker website and show the band a little love. They have a great music archive there. They also have the latest information on tours and ticket sales, as well as terrific merch for purchase. Remember, punk bands are often their own sources of income, so buying directly from a band helps that band directly. The link to Jawbreaker’s website can be found here.

***As always, all original content contained within this post remains the sole property of the author. No portion of this post shall be reblogged, copied or shared in any manner without the express written consent of the author. ©2024 http://www.tommacinneswriter.com

https://tommacinneswriter.com/2024/02/29/whos-punk-whats-the-score-song-20-20-the-decline-by-nofx/

#Baz #NOFX #TheDecline #WhoSPunkWhatSTheScore_

Well that was awesome.

This was the #NOFX final tour show in #SanDiego with #Descendants and the #Vandals and a few more bands.

Got to hear #TheDecline live so I can now die in peace.

#Punk #PunkRock #LiveMusic