Never Mind the Bus Pass

May 7, 2016 6:26 PM

Where are they now? The Guardian UK catches up with a few aging icons of the Punk Rock scene.
posted by Smart Dalek (37 comments total)

Kind of neat, although the Grauniad seems to have gone out of their way to pick people who settled into nice middle-class professions, for the most part, with the investment banker and lifeboatman as not-too-distant outliers. Nobody's on the dole or having problems with substances. I mean, we've already read that story, many many times, but still.
posted by Halloween Jack at 6:39 PM on May 7, 2016 [8 favorites]

The cat in the "after" photo with Jordan has a very punk rock look in the eye. I like to think Jordan encourages that.
posted by GenjiandProust at 6:40 PM on May 7, 2016 [16 favorites]

For the darker outcomes, there's deadpunkstars.com.
posted by gwint at 6:45 PM on May 7, 2016 [1 favorite]

Investment banker, fine -- but chiropractor? Talk about joining the dark side.
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 6:56 PM on May 7, 2016 [24 favorites]

a mellow thighed chick put his spine outta place..
posted by jonmc at 6:59 PM on May 7, 2016 [10 favorites]

Terry Chimes from the first Clash record is now a chiropractor... I wonder if he ever pounds out "Career Opportunities" while working on a patient?
posted by BigHeartedGuy at 7:26 PM on May 7, 2016 [2 favorites]

Since Steve Ignorant is still touring, and playing regularly, I'm not sure how he's managing to be a fulltime lifeboatman.

I didn’t feel right afterwards. It frightened me and got the cogs turning with the question: what if there is something else out there? So I picked up a copy of the New Testament that had been on the shelf for years, collecting dust, and I felt better after reading it.

Remember, kids: only take safe drugs in moderation (not at nightclubs, obviously)
posted by Mezentian at 7:37 PM on May 7, 2016

Obligatory in any old punk thread: Country Life Butter.
posted by Mezentian at 7:46 PM on May 7, 2016 [4 favorites]

Personally, I mowed my lawn yesterday.
posted by mwhybark at 7:47 PM on May 7, 2016 [3 favorites]

Did you have to remove kids from the lawn?
posted by Mezentian at 8:03 PM on May 7, 2016 [11 favorites]

not in the least! however, a previously unknown neighbor's smallish 1yr husky pup romped on over and through my screen door. I gave him love and punk rockish grumpitude.
posted by mwhybark at 8:11 PM on May 7, 2016 [2 favorites]

And, of course, The Damned drummer Rat Scabies became a sort of real-life Indiana Jones, even kind of sort of finding the Holy Grail at one point.
posted by Joakim Ziegler at 8:20 PM on May 7, 2016 [6 favorites]

According to the comments, Max Splodge is a bingo caller by day, and there is at least some video evidence to support the claim.
posted by Mezentian at 8:34 PM on May 7, 2016 [1 favorite]

I love Jordan.
posted by padraigin at 8:48 PM on May 7, 2016 [2 favorites]

And, of course, The Damned drummer Rat Scabies became a sort of real-life Indiana Jones, even kind of sort of finding the Holy Grail at one point.

Seriously. That's actually a pretty good book.

You might say it's Neat Neat Neat
posted by robocop is bleeding at 9:04 PM on May 7, 2016 [6 favorites]

As an old punk it is my dream to someday have a job, and possibly a lawn I can tell the damned kids to get off of.

I've been practicing for the job, listen:
"Would you like fires with that?"
Ok not so good, let me try again:
"Would you like fears with that?"
Once more, I know I can get this:
"Would you like fights with that?"

Guess I have some more practicing to do...
posted by evilDoug at 9:07 PM on May 7, 2016 [8 favorites]

Jordan's massive, unconquerable, cat-proof forearms - with spiky, brightly colored hair and Buddy Holley glasses? At 60?

The kids are all right.
posted by Slap*Happy at 9:17 PM on May 7, 2016 [12 favorites]

This is rad. That is all.
posted by Existential Dread at 9:29 PM on May 7, 2016 [1 favorite]

The last time I read one of these, they had all become farmers.
posted by mantecol at 9:31 PM on May 7, 2016 [1 favorite]

See Also
posted by Navelgazer at 9:31 PM on May 7, 2016

I liked this piece and contemplated making an fpp (too lazy!). I was going to add a link to the recent radio interview with John Doe, Exene, and Dave Alvin, on the occasion of the publication of John's memoir. Excerpt (text excerpt and download link).
posted by rtha at 10:08 PM on May 7, 2016 [7 favorites]

I would have liked it more if the headline had been "You Grow Up and You Calm Down: Elderly Ex-Punks Working for the Clampdown."
posted by scratch at 10:13 PM on May 7, 2016 [7 favorites]

This is great, but my mind is being blown by the fact that Terry Chimes quit music in 1988.
I don't understand what's happening here.
posted by bongo_x at 10:39 PM on May 7, 2016

I'm just annoyed aka Tory Crimes didn't change his name yet again to Tearing Spines.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 12:19 AM on May 8, 2016 [10 favorites]

Steve Ignorant might be a lifeboatman, but he's still in the scene - he does excellent work alongside Dublin punk legends Paranoid Visions.
posted by GallonOfAlan at 1:23 AM on May 8, 2016

Terry Chimes menacingly torquing that spine kind of sums up chiropractic for me.
posted by MillMan at 1:43 AM on May 8, 2016 [1 favorite]

These are great. I'd love to read dozens more, including people who have stayed in music and as someone noted above, people who haven't had things work out so well.

I liked that it was in the people's own words and that the people they chose to profile were kind to themselves.
posted by Dip Flash at 4:14 AM on May 8, 2016 [3 favorites]

I liked that it was in the people's own words and that the people they chose to profile were kind to themselves.

That's why I love the Guardian.
They'll have readers' Witness columns soon, too.
posted by Mezentian at 6:01 AM on May 8, 2016 [1 favorite]

Were you a punk? If so, we’d like to hear your story. Share your pictures and tell us about them at gu.com/witness

Go ahead, make my day.
posted by chavenet at 6:10 AM on May 8, 2016 [1 favorite]

Since Steve Ignorant is still touring, and playing regularly, I'm not sure how he's managing to be a fulltime lifeboatman.

If it's run anything like lots of emergency services in the US (like firefighters), they work 12 or 24 hour shifts, so full-time is 2 or 3 days per week; lots of time left to do gigs.
posted by soundguy99 at 7:01 AM on May 8, 2016

Steve Ignorant might be a lifeboatman, but he's still in the scene - he does excellent work alongside Dublin punk legends Paranoid Visions.

Has to pay the bills, I guess -- Google tells me the Sea Palling Lifeboat rescue service is manned by unpaid volunteers on a pager rotation.
posted by effbot at 7:13 AM on May 8, 2016

Punk isn't dead, it just goes to bed at a more reasonable hour
posted by photoslob at 7:31 AM on May 8, 2016 [7 favorites]

Almost all lifeboat crew in the UK are unpaid volunteers.
posted by reynir at 7:32 AM on May 8, 2016

Punk isn't dead, it just goes to bed at a more reasonable hour

I am, sadly, relating.
posted by Mezentian at 7:50 AM on May 8, 2016 [9 favorites]

"Punk showed me you could be whatever you wanted to be, and that’s the way I’ve lived my life. I haven’t changed."

This can never be said enough.
posted by KingEdRa at 9:45 AM on May 8, 2016 [2 favorites]

The cat in the "after" photo with Jordan has a very punk rock look in the eye.


I was thinking exactly the same thing. That cat's expression is very much "The fuck you looking at?"

Even moreso than most regular cats, I mean.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 1:54 PM on May 8, 2016 [1 favorite]

Yay for Leslie Wood! The Au Pairs were very underrated and she is brilliant.
posted by GospelofWesleyWillis at 6:27 PM on May 8, 2016 [1 favorite]