First saw X for the first time in 1980 at the Whisky in Hollywood and many, many more times after that. Got to meet John at a book signing/meet and greet/Q&A at the Los Angeles Public Library when his book came out. He is, as I always knew he'd be, one of the nicest and most personable people you'd ever hope to meet. Really a top guy.
When I describe X's vocal harmonies to someone who has no idea of the band I describe them as the sound of "two cats mating on a hot tin roof"... and I mean that in the most reverent complimentary way I can!!!
I love this because it really illustrates that part of the fanspace-mind that where we think that we own our artists. I love all these guys so much. I tried for years to make a point of seeing X on every trip they made to Boston. I just wanted them to know how much we appreciated them. Here's something: I was listening to Double Nickels for a year before I even knew D. Boon was gone. Learning he was gone made me cry. I mean I had kinda-sorta heard of the Minutemen. Had heard the reference in I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts...knew the tunes If Reagan Played Disco and Party With Me Punker...had heard the strains of Corona once or twice but, they were gone before I had any solid appreciation for how Watt-Boon-Hurley would have changed EVERYTHING if he had been allowed to hang on the scene. Like PJ Harvey says in a very different context: "cruel cruel nature has won again". Reminds me of when my daughter was grooving to Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros' "Streetcore" six months after Joe had passed from this world to the big world beat stage in the sky. I'm from BOSTON! The Bean! The Hub! We had fucking Mission of Burma and the Proletariat. Like Neil Young says: "long may you run" all of you crazy punkers
Exene was particularly "on" that night ! Enough said !!! No one gave me chills like she (and this band) did in 79-80...THEY STILL DO ! How much of a fan was I ? I had an X shaved in the back of my head at 13 or 14 in about 1980. Ahhhh those were the days !
Having come up in that time and place, nothing makes me feel older than having an interviewer muck through contextual questions to "explain" that time and place.
Wow. John Doe has held up well over the years. He looks super healthy and he sounds as sharp and astute as ever. Not a feat often pulled off by ex punk rockers.
I saw X twice as a young adult in the early 80's. I still go back to their songs 30 years later, a very under-appreciated group of musicians and poets. Exene and her collection of bible pamphlets. I wonder if she still has them...
I am he. And I'm not shy; I'll walk right up to you and look you in the eye and tell you who I am. Because I lead an honest life, one that God might approve of, even amidst all of my sins and faults. That said, who may I have the pleasure of having been addressed so adroitly?
You're absolutely right, it's difficult to categorize music or bands under a specific genre. Nor is there a clear unifying consenus, this varies when and where a person is giving a position on it. Music and sounds overlap all the time.
Good interview. John Doe is the coolest cat ever. His book was great. I loved the anecdotal format of different people offering their stories and viewpoints.
I've always like John Doe & the band. The interviewer guy should have mentioned that Exene was born in Chicago & was primarily raised in Tallahassee, not St. Pete's. When she left FL she relocated in Santa Monica.
Was lucky enough to see X back in 1984 in NYC, they had Jason and the Scorchers open for them. Dave Alvin came out for the encore. Was a great show: raw, wild, fast and loud.
I appreciate hearing JD talk about his book and the early punk scene in L.A. Knowing, from hearing at least one other interview that Terry Gross did with JD, that she's obviously a fan both of JD's solo music and of X's music, I was skeptical that she'd in any way diss either Exene's singing or X's unique harmonies. You, Mr. Media, imply in this interview that she did. So I listened to the Fresh Air episode to which you refer, and all I heard was deep respect and gratitude on her part toward their music and their place in musical history. Exene, at one point, says that the way they sing together originated in her total lack of singing experience before X; actually, she says it's because she "can't sing." JD and Dave A object vocally to this contention. At no point does Terry Gross denigrate the singing. Obviously, she loves and respects their music.
Hi Richard. Thanks for taking the time to watch this interview. I did hear Terry Gross a little differently as I recall. I didn't think she was disrespectful, just a little unfamiliar when she made a comment about the band's harmonies.
Exenes off key singing was stylistically right. Anyone who knows music history knows that with Schonberg realization other harmonic tools were necessary to speak in now terms.NrwYorkDolls,Nico Siouxsie,Gang of 4 everyintelligent band of the 70s got this. the
I carried his base into the basement of a college residence hall for a show end 1979/early 1980, before Los Angeles the album came out. 100 people, maybe.
To change the late 70s LA punk scene, is to define the direction of music to come, is to overturn stale culture, is to change the world. Punk, in spite of so many artists gaining accolades and awards and such, is still criminally underrated as some footnote of angsty losers who never grew up on time... When the reality is that punk is so profoundly influential that all the massive shifts it's made to society are actually just so big that you have to be very attentive to even see it ...much like if a coach bus made a rest stop at dawn in a park, most folks might notice the strange rock formation by the road, and only a minority would actually realize it's a mountain...
Why did the chicken cross the road? He was safety-pinned to a punk rocker. I like Jane; I spent one of her B-day nights with her, I thought she was nice. John describes our young life quite well.
Dear John. I'm giving up cuz the host just rattles on too for long. I love X and worked for them on the '83 US tour. John and I are probobly the only 2 people related to the band who are massive USWNT fans...Oh Wait..He's stopped and John is speaking.
I was 21 in 77 and the new music and look and feeling was so new and fun and I think im stuck in a time warp .it seems like yesterday. the mask, starwood, madam wongs .cuckoos nest
met john and exene before a concert here in houston a few years back. they stopped and talked with me and my wife and were very sociable. btw, i'm from florida. don't judge all of us the same.....f
yeah well I knew them when we were all 20-21 years old, saw their first gig (it was at a party in someone's living room) she was a bitch then, and a political crackpot now, but hey, I am a chick, she was always nice to guys, LOL I would hope that she has matured and mellowed in 40 years.
Argh...You can just see the internal cringe going on in John's head as he listens to this interviewer. It's not really obvious, but it's there. Hard to sit through.
Worst. Interviewer. Ever. You make John Doe sit and stare into his computer while you read bullshit for 3 minutes. Ugh. Have more respect for your guests. Have more respect for your audience. This is why editing was invented.
He seems rather bitter about hardocre, which somewhat surprises me. The first generation -- i.e. before the racists and the skinheads got into it -- was the ultimate DIY scene, and I would have thought he would have appreciated that more. It's a small quibble. X is one of my favorite bands of all time.
3:44 John Doe is allowed to talk,you're welcome
FUUUUUCK. I was about to turn it off because of this faux NPR bullshit announcer
Johns a cool cat, met him at the Casbah in SD as he was walking in to get ready for an X show and he took the time to stop and just say hello
First saw X for the first time in 1980 at the Whisky in Hollywood and many, many more times after that. Got to meet John at a book signing/meet and greet/Q&A at the Los Angeles Public Library when his book came out. He is, as I always knew he'd be, one of the nicest and most personable people you'd ever hope to meet. Really a top guy.
One of the best bands from SoCal ever!
"Everyone has their own truth". I've heard a few people say that, and they're all wrong. You can have your own reality, but there's only one truth.
John is great! I love the harmony of X it is very identifiable and distinct.
When I describe X's vocal harmonies to someone who has no idea of the band I describe them as the sound of "two cats mating on a hot tin roof"... and I mean that in the most reverent complimentary way I can!!!
Stiglr Yes, yes.
I must not think bad thoughts is one of the best songs of all time.
I love this because it really illustrates that part of the fanspace-mind that where we think that we own our artists. I love all these guys so much. I tried for years to make a point of seeing X on every trip they made to Boston. I just wanted them to know how much we appreciated them. Here's something: I was listening to Double Nickels for a year before I even knew D. Boon was gone. Learning he was gone made me cry. I mean I had kinda-sorta heard of the Minutemen. Had heard the reference in I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts...knew the tunes If Reagan Played Disco and Party With Me Punker...had heard the strains of Corona once or twice but, they were gone before I had any solid appreciation for how Watt-Boon-Hurley would have changed EVERYTHING if he had been allowed to hang on the scene. Like PJ Harvey says in a very different context: "cruel cruel nature has won again". Reminds me of when my daughter was grooving to Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros' "Streetcore" six months after Joe had passed from this world to the big world beat stage in the sky. I'm from BOSTON! The Bean! The Hub! We had fucking Mission of Burma and the Proletariat. Like Neil Young says: "long may you run" all of you crazy punkers
One of our greatest American artists. A treasure. Love always.
Exene was particularly "on" that night ! Enough said !!! No one gave me chills like she (and this band) did in 79-80...THEY STILL DO ! How much of a fan was I ? I had an X shaved in the back of my head at 13 or 14 in about 1980. Ahhhh those were the days !
Aw man, were you that X-Head kid from The Decline And Fall Of Western Civilization once upon a time?✌🏼
Having come up in that time and place, nothing makes me feel older than having an interviewer muck through contextual questions to "explain" that time and place.
You and me both my friend. Peace.
Yes.
X always X. Thank Fucking GOD! John and Exene are the real deal. Sooo glad that I got backstage a few times at SLIMS SF
Wow. John Doe has held up well over the years. He looks super healthy and he sounds as sharp and astute as ever. Not a feat often pulled off by ex punk rockers.
I saw X twice as a young adult in the early 80's. I still go back to their songs 30 years later, a very under-appreciated group of musicians and poets. Exene and her collection of bible pamphlets. I wonder if she still has them...
John Doe. John EFFING Doe. Wonderful bass player and vocalist. That's all I got.
Andrew Cassey who is he ?
I am he. And I'm not shy; I'll walk right up to you and look you in the eye and tell you who I am. Because I lead an honest life, one that God might approve of, even amidst all of my sins and faults. That said, who may I have the pleasure of having been addressed so adroitly?
That's all we need.
X and The Gun Club were my favorites...
Not enough love for Gun Club out there. Fire of Love and Miami should be in every music lover’s collection
X is the only Punk band that hasn't become a parody of itself over time. But honestly, X was never solely a punk band. They were always so much more.
You're absolutely right, it's difficult to categorize music or bands under a specific genre. Nor is there a clear unifying consenus, this varies when and where a person is giving a position on it. Music and sounds overlap all the time.
X still sounds a punchy, harmonic and fresh today as they did in 1980 when I first heard them here in the UK.
Billy Zoom is the White Chuck Berry.
if any band deserves the r&r hall of fame X does
OMG - LOVE!!! Best part is watching you listen to the prelude........ . Love.
Good interview. John Doe is the coolest cat ever. His book was great. I loved the anecdotal format of different people offering their stories and viewpoints.
I met John too- what a nice guy. I admire him.
X FEAR and the Crowd DEc 1979 at the whiskey agogo 5 buck admission, what a gig!
HELL YA!!! Lee Ving was bomb! LOL
Best Real Estate Hey,all you swilling the cheap shit in back,come down front where I can see ya.
I've always like John Doe & the band. The interviewer guy should have mentioned that Exene was born in Chicago & was primarily raised in Tallahassee, not St. Pete's. When she left FL she relocated in Santa Monica.
Was lucky enough to see X back in 1984 in NYC, they had Jason and the Scorchers open for them. Dave Alvin came out for the encore. Was a great show: raw, wild, fast and loud.
Good lord I just adore this man..
I once was up late one night.... I caught the movie Roadside prophet.... Thank you for that movie.
I never felt X was a punk band. Their songs are very melodic & sometimes popish.Great Band !
“Marshal Earp! Give me a gun! For God’s sake, let me protect myself”- Tommy behind the deuce AKA John Doe
Love his insight, and his music
X Great show last night in santa cruz!
i was there too! -- really dug the new arrangements and the chill mini-set with dj bonebrake on vibes - cheers!
I appreciate hearing JD talk about his book and the early punk scene in L.A. Knowing, from hearing at least one other interview that Terry Gross did with JD, that she's obviously a fan both of JD's solo music and of X's music, I was skeptical that she'd in any way diss either Exene's singing or X's unique harmonies. You, Mr. Media, imply in this interview that she did. So I listened to the Fresh Air episode to which you refer, and all I heard was deep respect and gratitude on her part toward their music and their place in musical history. Exene, at one point, says that the way they sing together originated in her total lack of singing experience before X; actually, she says it's because she "can't sing." JD and Dave A object vocally to this contention. At no point does Terry Gross denigrate the singing. Obviously, she loves and respects their music.
Hi Richard. Thanks for taking the time to watch this interview. I did hear Terry Gross a little differently as I recall. I didn't think she was disrespectful, just a little unfamiliar when she made a comment about the band's harmonies.
Exenes off key singing was stylistically right. Anyone who knows music history knows that with Schonberg realization other harmonic tools were necessary to speak in now terms.NrwYorkDolls,Nico Siouxsie,Gang of 4 everyintelligent band of the 70s got this. the
The book is spot on. And it's follow up. It was an amazing time in LA in the 80's. Early 80's...
Good review. Thanks John.
X is great music.
Check out the YT of X live at the Rock Garden in 2019. Sounds like 1982. Unbelievable.
thanks for the reply...I always think if I knew what I know now when I was younger , but I wouldn't change a thing. some very fond memoties
John is smart AND hot! 🔥❤️🔥🔥
I really think White Girl and The Have Nots are the best songs I never heard. I am so grateful for the music and intelligence of X.
Jane Weiland was on a reality show on VH1 where she pretty much spilled the beans back then.
?
john is so intelligent and articulate in his point of view, diplomatic and humble as usual... punk rock's nobleman-extrordinaire !!
Careful, kid. Don't hurt yerself ...
Hey Raymond, shut up moron. lol
Swear people think if a person can put a sentence together they're a genius these days
I like John's acting. He was great in Roadhouse and Great Balls of Fire.
He was also great in Pure Country.
I carried his base into the basement of a college residence hall for a show end 1979/early 1980, before Los Angeles the album came out. 100 people, maybe.
To change the late 70s LA punk scene, is to define the direction of music to come, is to overturn stale culture, is to change the world.
Punk, in spite of so many artists gaining accolades and awards and such, is still criminally underrated as some footnote of angsty losers who never grew up on time...
When the reality is that punk is so profoundly influential that all the massive shifts it's made to society are actually just so big that you have to be very attentive to even see it
...much like if a coach bus made a rest stop at dawn in a park, most folks might notice the strange rock formation by the road, and only a minority would actually realize it's a mountain...
Enjoyed this immensely.
Why did the chicken cross the road? He was safety-pinned to a punk rocker. I like Jane; I spent one of her B-day nights with her, I thought she was nice. John describes our young life quite well.
Haha love the joke
So many great songs
Good lord the long winded host is just unlistenable. I give up.
Seems like a cool guy... his book is really a really good read...
If he would ever do a signing on IG live of his book I would buy that shit in a heart beat
Dear John.
I'm giving up cuz the host just rattles on too for long.
I love X and worked for them on the '83 US tour. John and I are probobly the only 2 people related to the band who are massive USWNT fans...Oh Wait..He's stopped and John is speaking.
Legend
What happened in San Antonio?
So the take away is that Christine has no respect for the medical profession. Is that correct?
I was 21 in 77 and the new music and look and feeling was so new and fun and I think im stuck in a time warp .it seems like yesterday. the mask, starwood, madam wongs .cuckoos nest
same here--21 in '77 hung out at the Masque knew most of these people and still talk to some of them on facebook I feel lucky that I was there
HEY JOHN
John looks like Val Kilmer.
DUDE, get on with the interview. I would have turned you off unless I really wanted to hear the interview.... IF IT EVER Happens!!
Brought up Doe's solo stuff but no mention of the Flesh Eaters?
the guy from the movie roadhouse
X is the fucking shit
Well The Doors DO sound pretty DATED actually!
Ian Findly how do you mean that?
@@gregv8690 I mean the old RECORDINGS sound very mid 60s. Nothing really WRONG with THAT anyway though.
wow, exene was from st. petersburg, FL, never knew, haha.....f
I knew her, not a pleasant person and pure Florida I assure you, LOL
met john and exene before a concert here in houston a few years back. they stopped and talked with me and my wife and were very sociable. btw, i'm from florida. don't judge all of us the same.....f
yeah well I knew them when we were all 20-21 years old, saw their first gig (it was at a party in someone's living room) she was a bitch then, and a political crackpot now, but hey, I am a chick, she was always nice to guys, LOL I would hope that she has matured and mellowed in 40 years.
Argh...You can just see the internal cringe going on in John's head as he listens to this interviewer. It's not really obvious, but it's there. Hard to sit through.
the interviewer talks too much.....
Punk-a-billy.
Worst. Interviewer. Ever. You make John Doe sit and stare into his computer while you read bullshit for 3 minutes. Ugh. Have more respect for your guests. Have more respect for your audience. This is why editing was invented.
He seems rather bitter about hardocre, which somewhat surprises me. The first generation -- i.e. before the racists and the skinheads got into it -- was the ultimate DIY scene, and I would have thought he would have appreciated that more.
It's a small quibble. X is one of my favorite bands of all time.
worst and most tense interviewer ever holy hell I think he's going to pee his pants oh my God
Sex Pistols, The Clash and........Madness??? Madness?!! Really?!
Worst interview ever.
I can't listen to this guy Andelman...I'm out....much better interviewing / showcasing elsewhere...