NINE FOUR SEVEN ZERO FIVE.

23 August 2008

As an addendum to Benny’s post yesterday, and in keeping with the DIY ethos and the spirit of the bands he mentions, here is a photo of me, aged 14 at The Gilman Street Project –the place where many of those bands cut their teeth. I’m wearing a hand-painted one-off shirt of a then fledgling band who, at the time had no merchandise (or vinyl, for that matter) of their own. Their guitarist Lint, bugged me incessantly for this shirt of his own band.

Along with the local music scene and skateboarding, my other passion, ‘zine-making occupied a good deal of my energy as a 14 year old. I dug these out of storage.

Those of you who know me, know that I’m a pretty even-keeled guy. I live in Berkeley where I wear Birkenstocks, burn Nag Champa and shop at a food Co-Op; (you think I’m joking…) striving to maintain a level of equanimity in the day-to-day.

However, fewer things raise my ire and cause the bile and hatred to knot in my throat than people in cars whose disdain and/or lack of awareness of others on the road in turn impels them to stupid agendas and IDIOCY such as this.

The other persons high on my list-of-shit are BIKE THIEVES, or would-be bikeshop owners who KNOWINGLY TRADE AND SELL in stolen goods (Dude, S.W.A.T. raided your shop. Doesn’t that tell you something?!) –Mike and I talk frequently about fire-bombing this place– It’d (almost) be the worth the negative karma… ohm…

_garrett chow