Williamsburg

I was in Williamsburg last night and it felt very strange to be there. A whole new crop of kids are there. Young kids. Early twenties, or younger. Eric, Graham's friend, who it turns out is 33 and a little ashamed of this, was saying "I'm afraid the kids in this hardcore band that I've been hanging out with see me as a creepy old guy.... When I was fifteen and had just discovered punk rock me and my friends thought, 'Wow, I'm gonna be into this for the rest of my life!'" He put his hand to his forhead in a mix of mock and real astonishment. "I wish I didn't mean it."

Graham and I got on the subject of The Bloody Social, who've been appearing everywhere. We were trying to figure out a way of describing their music. At first Graham said, "Sort of American rock. I don't know." And then "Mellow Bon Jovi maybe." Laughter, because it was accurate. That was almost exactly it. Graham imitated the singer, who doesn't exactly sing lyrics, just more of an "Ooooh. Oooh." While playing a G chord. Graham's friend asked what we thought their fate as a band was, and we realized the phenomenon of bands simply getting more recognition that they suck by becoming "popular." Like Blink 182, maybe - who may have had a very successful and longterm run as a local LA underground punk band, had they not decided to go for it, and make it known to the American public how badly they suck. This, we thought, was the fate of the Bloody Social - to gain some kind of confused attention, mainly through the lead singer's contract with Calvin Kline, and then to be overwhelmingly despised by New York City's rock community, used as a kind of punching bag until they disappear into different bands, jobs, or states.

"Off the top of my head, I can't think of a betterr drummer in New York City. Off the top of my head, right now in this moment."
"What about Graham? Can you think of a bigger asshole in New York than Graham right now, off the top of your head?"
[Comic pause]
"No. Of the assholes that I'm thinking of, off the top of my head, Graham is the biggest one."