Tim, the 1983-84 GBSS yearbook calls you the
"son of the criminally insane Henry Rollins.”
Where's this coming from?
Tim:
Black Flag had a powerful hold on our imaginations in those
days, especially
Damaged
and
EverythingWentBlack
; they were also the
first punk band that I saw. They played Toronto three times between
December ’83 and December ’84, and I went each time. They were doing
[record label] SST package tours, so the opening bands were stellar:
Meat Puppets, Saccharine Trust, and St. Vitus.
Andrew:
[Dead Kennedys singer] Jello Biafra was another influence if for
nothing else than his politics.
How often did your politics get you
into hotwater?
DitchDog:
Our generationwas exposed to [the] Iran–Contra [Affair] and the
realization that our governments are and have been capable of massive
fraud and deceit. The inner rot was exposed to all the public then.
Andrew:
I can only assume the lyrics to “Social Drinker” and “Service
To Your Country” may have ruffled a few feathers.
Tim:
1984-85 was an interesting time politically but, by and large,
politics—whether Central American death squads, subway vigilantes,
cruise-missile testing, or Satanic panic—didn’t come upmuch in daily
conversation.
Were you guys shunned and VILIFIED by your peers?
Tim:
Not at all. By playing that music, we were shunning and vilifying the
monoculture—what was there? Three radio stations and if you lived in
townmaybe a dozen TV channels, one of them fromWingham. But I didn’t
feel shunned. Bored, angry, and alienated, maybe, but what teenager
doesn’t feel that way?
Andrew:
I was teased and harassed by more than a few teachers.
DitchDog:
There were a small group of punk/metal folks around. I did get
our soccer team to enjoy [Britishmetal band] Venom as a pre-game mood
setter. We were a violent team...
Kenny:
I don’t think that we were really that much of outsiders but our
tastes and preferences were rather distinct: loud, fast and aggressive
music when NewWave or mainstream hard rock was big withmost kids.
Finally, anymotivatingwords for today's
local teenagedmusical aspirants?
Tim:
Treat indifference with indifference. Find and connect with your people!
Kenny:
The trick is still finding the right audience—that’s where the highly
connected underground hardcore punk scene was helpful for us.
DitchDog:
Stay true to your course. Play it like youmean it.
Andrew:
Don’t be afraid to try harder than you think you can. Music is
hard work, so is factory work. Only one is rewarding.
To hear Sons of Ishmael and find out what they’re
up to today, chec
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