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Social Distortion

Sunday, September 20th
8:30PM - 10:00PM

Interview with Lead Singer and Guitarist Mike Ness

Social Distortion has been around for three decades. When you look back on your music, are you happy with the various stages of its evolution? Are there any trends that you hear and think to yourself, "Man, what were we thinking?"

Well, I look at some of the outfits I was wearing and go, "Hmmm, I definitely wouldn't rock that now." It's all about the period of time, y'know. At the beginning of all this, yeah I look at it sometimes and it was just another state of mind, really. It's like looking through the yearbook and seeing what a dork I was, but at the same time it's our history and it's important.

You're a cowboy at heart; so much of your songwriting evokes sadness and longing. Is there a happy-go-lucky cowboy in Mike Ness somewhere? If so, what is he singing about? Does he have a different name?

No, he doesn't have a different name, but I find myself now definitely not taking everything so seriously. It comes with age a little bit, learning to... it's just nice to find yourself. It's a good place to be, when you stop worrying so much about what people think.

So called 'street credibility' is easier to maintain when you're an underground hardcore punk band in Southern California as opposed to a modern mainstream success. What were some of the whisperings you heard from detractors during the early 90s when you guys really became popular? Did it affect your future songwriting at all? Is that balance between mainstream success and keeping with your roots even an issue with you?

No, no, not at all. Back in day when it wasn't considered cool to become successful, I didn't buy that. Punk rock wasn't really like that; it had stereotypes too. Look at The Clash: they were professionals and had a global message to spread; they wanted to become big and reach people. We were more than just a punk band. We wanted to become better musicians and always move forward. I never bought into that whole thing like if you had more than 300 people at your show then you sold out. We didn't want to just play for punk rock fans; we wanted to play for everyone.

What is your current day 'Ball and Chain'?

Being an angry teenager worked for a long time because of the way I was raised, but as you get into adulthood, you don't want to be one of those people who is always angry at the world. I figure the anger is definitely part of my personality; that rebellious nature will never go away. In my personal life I started noticing it, and decided that I don't want to be an angry guy. My dad was an angry guy, so I kind of didn't know anything else, but being a father myself has played a role in wanting to get away from it.