When and how did The Adolescents form?
The Adolescents formed in September, 1979, I think it was at an Agent Orange show at a place called the Renaissance Cafe. Steve Soto asked me if I wanted to start a band with him. I was a fan of Agent Orange and was very excited to play music myself. He introduced me to Frank Agnew, and then started looking for a drummer. By January 1980 we had a drummer and a second guitar player and we began practicing.
What was the orange county California punk scene like back in 1979-80?
It was very small in the Fullerton/ Anaheim scene. Maybe 100 people. Everyone knew everyone else. It was like that Generation X song, One Hundred Punks.There was another Orange County scene in Huntington Beach which was much larger, but the scene the Adolescents came from was much smaller. It grew quickly, however.
What was it like recording The Adolescents 1981 blue album on frontier records?
It was done over a weekend and went by very quickly. I didn’t enjoy the experience at all. I hated how slow it seemed to be. It wasn’t, of course, but to a 17 year old it seemed to take forever. It was my 3rd experience recording and I expected it to fly by as quickly as the two previous demo recordings were.
What first brought major attention to The Adolescents?
Our demos were getting played on Rodney on the Roq radio show. Lots of people were showing up at parties we were playing. An independent record label- called Posh Boy (which was also the nick name of the man who ran the label, Robbie Fields) paid to record us doing the song Amoeba which we did in about three hours. It became a hit on the radio station KROQ. Shortly after that we were approached by Lisa Fancher/ Frontier Records.
Was Pat Smear a member of The Adolescents? How did you meet him?
Pat was a member of the Adolescents for a few months in 1981. I knew him from my friendship with the Germs crowd.
What was the experience like working with the Agnew Brothers?
I enjoyed working with them. Frank was closest to my age and in the band longest. Our relationship was typical of teenagers. His older brother Rikk joined later and I looked up to him. He was a multi-talented musician and I thought that was impressive. Alfie, the youngest brother was in the band for a very short period of time, he joined in 1986 or so and recorded on the album Brats in Batallions.
Tell us about recording Brats in Battalions.
Brats in Battalions was recorded in 1987 and was a nightmare. I had little input outside of doing my vocal parts. There were a couple of outside people who had more input than they should have had, and their opinions were taken as valid and were expanded. I hate the album and I think it’s a piece of shit.
What were The Adolescents live shows like?
Depends on the show, but generally energized and exciting. I enjoy our audience and always have. They are some of the most enthusiastic fans anyone could ask for. The earlier shows were very violent, however, and that was problematic because I hate fights and hated the violence associated with the early California hardcore scene.
What was the 2005 Comeback album like recording?
It was a lengthy process. I had a pretty good time. It was fun, and there were many great moments. It was great to work with Frank and Steve again, and I was impressed by drummer Derek O’Brien who was a former member of Social Distortion. Rikk was still in the band up to that point. He helped write one of the songs, but he did not play on the album. He left the band shortly after the album was recorded.
Who named the band The Adolescents?
I did.
When and how did The Adolescents form?
The Adolescents formed in September, 1979, I think it was at an Agent Orange show at a place called the Renaissance Cafe. Steve Soto asked me if I wanted to start a band with him. I was a fan of Agent Orange and was very excited to play music myself. He introduced me to Frank Agnew, and then started looking for a drummer. By January 1980 we had a drummer and a second guitar player and we began practicing.
What was the orange county California punk scene like back in 1979-80?
It was very small in the Fullerton/ Anaheim scene. Maybe 100 people. Everyone knew everyone else. It was like that Generation X song, One Hundred Punks.There was another Orange County scene in Huntington Beach which was much larger, but the scene the Adolescents came from was much smaller. It grew quickly, however.
What was it like recording The Adolescents 1981 blue album on frontier records?
It was done over a weekend and went by very quickly. I didn’t enjoy the experience at all. I hated how slow it seemed to be. It wasn’t, of course, but to a 17 year old it seemed to take forever. It was my 3rd experience recording and I expected it to fly by as quickly as the two previous demo recordings were.
What first brought major attention to The Adolescents?
Our demos were getting played on Rodney on the Roq radio show. Lots of people were showing up at parties we were playing. An independent record label- called Posh Boy (which was also the nick name of the man who ran the label, Robbie Fields) paid to record us doing the song Amoeba which we did in about three hours. It became a hit on the radio station KROQ. Shortly after that we were approached by Lisa Fancher/ Frontier Records.
Was Pat Smear a member of The Adolescents? How did you meet him?
Pat was a member of the Adolescents for a few months in 1981. I knew him from my friendship with the Germs crowd.
What was the experience like working with the Agnew Brothers?
I enjoyed working with them. Frank was closest to my age and in the band longest. Our relationship was typical of teenagers. His older brother Rikk joined later and I looked up to him. He was a multi-talented musician and I thought that was impressive. Alfie, the youngest brother was in the band for a very short period of time, he joined in 1986 or so and recorded on the album Brats in Batallions.
Tell us about recording Brats in Battalions.
Brats in Battalions was recorded in 1987 and was a nightmare. I had little input outside of doing my vocal parts. There were a couple of outside people who had more input than they should have had, and their opinions were taken as valid and were expanded. I hate the album and I think it’s a piece of shit.
What were The Adolescents live shows like?
Depends on the show, but generally energized and exciting. I enjoy our audience and always have. They are some of the most enthusiastic fans anyone could ask for. The earlier shows were very violent, however, and that was problematic because I hate fights and hated the violence associated with the early California hardcore scene.
What was the 2005 Comeback album like recording?
It was a lengthy process. I had a pretty good time. It was fun, and there were many great moments. It was great to work with Frank and Steve again, and I was impressed by drummer Derek O’Brien who was a former member of Social Distortion. Rikk was still in the band up to that point. He helped write one of the songs, but he did not play on the album. He left the band shortly after the album was recorded.
Who named the band The Adolescents?
I did.