In many cities, regions and nations, there are cultural figures and entities that are so deeply embedded and revered in the local history that the place and the thing can't be separated. In Orange County this heroic presence is found, indisputably, in Seth Cohen.
Just jokes, guy!
Nah . . . it is indeed Social Distortion, kings of Orange County punk rock. But you knew that, just like you know that Mike Ness and company's brand of “suburban punk” was the initial key to saving Orange Country from being only a bloody red pit by the ocean. However, we at OC Weekly are concerned with the cultural education of our young brothers and sisters—while Social D is branded into our collective consciousness, the kids might not know and/or give a shit about their county's essential contribution to the most immediate and honest art form ever (punk rock, der). We implore you to use the following cut-and-paste template for a little bit of guerrilla punk schooling. Consider it a civic duty:
In 1979, four guys got together to form a band. They were doing in a suburban atmosphere what had previously been done only in big cities, where dissent was more common and less polarizing. (Insert drawing of horrified OC moms encountering newly minted punks strolling the sidewalks.)
They spent a lot of time touring and building an impressive catalogue of now-classic material. Along the way they lost and gained several members. Life in a band is tough. (Insert montage drawing of Mike Ness getting his ear bitten off, the band onstage in front of a sweaty and hysterical crowd, Ness walking into rehab, and Dennis Danell's funeral.)
The band's fans celebrate Social D's decades of music and pride in their OC origins by buying all the tickets for a squillion shows up and down the California coastline. (Insert picture of “Sold Out” blazing across a marquee.)
Social Distortion with Fu Manchu at the House of Blues, 1530 S. Disneyland Dr., Anaheim, (714) 778-2583, www.hob.com. Wed., 7:30 p.m. $25. Sold out.
