Born to Lose

From the archives of 1997: Check out the price (and service charge) of the ticket. And my hair growing in from when I shaved it off

When the Bouncing Souls announced they’d be playing discography shows in New York, I was a bit giddy. The years surrounding  The Good, the Bad and the Argyle and Maniacal Laughter marks the period in my life where every morsel of discretionary income when to buying and seeing music. And the Bouncing Souls were one of my favorite bands of that epoch. Though I never heard their music after these albums, they had already been cemented as a band that summated my youth and my emerging values: Antiestablishment but with a tongue in cheek. .

Now, more than a decade later, it was time to revisit these two albums with a friend who was there with me back then. Since, we’ve branched off into two separate universes. But for the night, we were back–sharing glances of excited recognition as we heard the first notes of the songs that meant so much; songs that had shaped; songs that had offered a kindred, a momentary escape from an alienated youth. 1999 with Josh, on one of the many photoshoots on my purple carpet.

Shows are hard in your 30’s. Especially with so many overgrown man-children “moshing” near the stage. I couldn’t see much of it, just fleeting glimpses of still-dreamy Greg Attonito who thankfully perked up in-between the two albums. The set was only about an hour, as both albums consisted of punk-short 2 minute wonders. Catching New Shirt/Heather Lewis from Weston‘s Got Beat Up was a nice start to the show but uptight, rampant security made it difficult to forget where you were, how old you are and how differently things were “back then”.

At shows now…there’s always a part of me that wants to be home, listening to the songs in comfort. Like Frankie and his Califone headphones.

But I made it through the show, thankful to the proximity of the venue to the L train. With a fished out Metrocard ready as I descended the stairs, I thought of how much has changed. And how much was the same.

An aside: Leadsinger Greg Attonito and his wife wrote a children’s book.