008: Kevin Seconds – Part 1

Published On April 9, 2015 | I’VE KNOWN YOU TOO LONG, PODCASTS

Dave sits down with Kevin for a discussion that’s at least a couple of decades overdue. Kevin delves into tales of his early life and the formation of 7 SECONDS, including battles with a bully, Kung Fu, particular perils of positioning himself front and center at his first RAMONES show, the large role that women played early on in the band’s career, and how others mistaking his band graffiti for gang tags nearly led to a summertime gang war during the formation of the Skeeno scene.

Follow Kevin on Twitter: @kevinseconds

Follow 7 SECONDS on Twitter: @7seconds

Follow Nobody’s Nose on Twitter: @NOSEYNOBODY

Most of these conversations will contain shorthand speech and insider info that both parties will be familiar with and won’t necessarily stop to explain for the listener. Whenever possible, Dave will provide some after-the-fact definitions and descriptions. Like your own personal eavesdropping translator.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

7 SECONDS: The band Kevin has fronted for decades. Click HERE and HERE.

SUICIDAL: A reference to SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, the band. Click HERE.

THE SEX PISTOLS: An English Punk Rock band from the 1970s who existed for about 2.5 years and still somehow managed to become one of the most influential musical acts in history. Click HERE.

GENERATION X: Early UK Punk band that led to SIGUE SIGUE SPUTNIK and the solo career of BILLY IDOL. Click HERE.

Maximum Rock & Roll: Extremely idealistic and political Punk Rock publication out of San Francisco. Absolutely crucial for information in the days before the internet. Click HERE.

Thrasher Magazine: THE go-to skateboarding magazine and an early source of information for many on Punk Rock and Hardcore. Click HERE.

Walk Together, Rock Together: An album and a song from 7 SECONDS. Click HERE.

99 Red Balloons: The cover by 7 SECONDS of the classic 1980s song by NENA. Click HERE.

New Wind: The 3rd LP from 7 SECONDS. A slight departure in sound to the more melodic side. Click HERE.

MINOR THREAT: WA, DC Hardcore band who’s influence probably couldn’t be accurately measured. Click HERE.

Fallout Records: The best Seattle record store there ever was. Click HERE.

CIRCLE JERKS: Los Angeles Hardcore punk band that formed in 1979. Click HERE.

ALPHABET SWILL, SGM: It is hard to find any info on the mysterious ALPHABET SWILL, but at least 2 members went on to form SEAWEED. As for SGM, click HERE.

Community World Theater: A venue in Tacoma, WA that was the site of some important gigs in the 80s. Click HERE.

Java Jump: This was, or is possibly still, is a venue in Fife, WA.

KNAPSACK: Members of this band went on to form THE JEALOUS SOUND. Click HERE.

Timm Macintosh from TRIAL: He’s the fella playing guitar on the left side of the stage in THIS CLIP.

Grit: There used to be ads in the back of comics imploring kids to “Sell Grit!” Click HERE.

“Guy that looked like Kojak”: Meaning he looked like THIS FELLA.

Ted Nugent: Long time rocker and current right wing, near-domestic-terrorist-level douchebag. We just can’t seem to find good links for him, except for THIS SNOPES ARTICLE about the draft dodge stuff he talks about in the interviews Kevin references.

Cream Magazine: Rock magazine that actually coined the term “punk rock.” Click HERE.

CHEAP TRICK, RUSH: Classics. Click HERE and HERE.

JOHNNY CASH, WAYLON JENNINGS: Classics of a slightly different nature. Click HERE and HERE.

HENDRIX, The EASY RIDER Soundtrack: If 6 Was 9. Click HERE.

THREE DOG NIGHT: Los Angeles based rock band that had 21 Billboard Top 40 hits between 1969 and 1975. Click HERE.

THE MONA REELS: Current band from Olympia, WA. Click HERE.

GRAND FUNK RAILROAD: David Fricke of Rolling Stone said, “You cannot talk about rock in the 1970s without talking about Grand Funk Railroad!” Click HERE.

SABBATH, DEEP PURPLE, BLUE OYSTER CULT, FOGHAT: That is quite a list. Click HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.

Livejournal: Like an AOL chatroom, or Myspace, you might be surprised to know this sill exists. Click HERE.

Black Gibson Les Paul: A serious classic guitar. Might have looked like THIS.

KUNG FU: The 1970s TV show that Bruce Lee probably should have starred in. Click HERE.

Rock & Roll from LED ZEPPELIN: Click HERE.

Steve Youth: Kevin’s younger brother. Long time bass player for 7 SECONDS.

RAMONES: Often cited as the first band to define the Punk Rock sound. Click HERE.

Never Mind The Bollocks: “Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols” is the first and only studio album by English punk rock group Sex Pistols. Click HERE.

X-RAY SPECS, CHELSEA, EATER: Early British Punk bands. Click HERE, HERE, and HERE.

Rocky Horror Picture Show: I don’t know if anyone still does this anymore, but people used to dress up in costumes and go see midnight screenings of this film. Click HERE.

EDDIE MONEY: He’s in GEICO commercials these days. Click HERE, and HERE.

THE MISFITS: A band that spawned abominations. Maybe that was the plan all along. You just can’t touch THIS though.

THE RUNAWAYS: 1970s all-female rock band that featured Joan Jett and Lita Ford as members. Click HERE.

THE DILS: A 70s punk band from California. Click HERE.

IGGY: Iggy Pop. Singer for THE STOOGES. Even if you thought you didn’t know who this was, I guarantee you’ve heard at least one of his songs in commercials. Click HERE.

MC5: An old guy once told me that if I didn’t know MC5, I didn’t know the first thing about music. He might have been right. Click HERE.

CHEECH & CHONG, Up In Smoke: Their 1st movie. Couldn’t find the scene with THE DILS though. Click HERE.

Ian Mackaye: Owner of Dischord Records, Singer from MINOR THREAT, EMBRACE, FUGAZI, and others. Coined the term Straight Edge. Click HERE.

THE CLASH: Classic British political Punk band. Click HERE.

“On the front of Skins, Brains, & Guts”: Skins, Brains, & Guts is the first 7” from 7 SECONDS. Click HERE.

PRIMUS: The band that does the intro music to South Park. Started getting attention around 1990 with THIS SONG.

JANE’S ADDICTION: If NIRVANA spiked the ball, JANE’S ADDICTION set it up. Click HERE.

“Red and Black”: A song off the album “The Crew” by 7 SECONDS. Click HERE.

D.R.I.: Highly influential 1980s Thrash band. Click HERE.

Greg Ginn: The main guy behind BLACK FLAG and owner of SST Records.

Joey Shithead: Real name Joe Keithley. Singer and guitarist for Canadian Punk band D.O.A.

D.O.A.: Early Canadian Hardcore Punk band. Click HERE.

The Canadian SUBHUMANS: There are two fairly well-known bands by this name. THIS is the one Kevin’s talking about.

DEAD KENNEDYS: Hugely popular early American Hardcore Punk band, known for political lyrics, troubling artwork, and a distinctive sound with a surf music vibe. Click HERE.

Jello: Jello Biafra. The singer of the DEAD KENNEDYS and owner of Alternative Tentacles records. Click HERE.

BLACK FLAG: An absolute American classic. You’ve sen the tattoos at the very least. Click HERE.

MIDDLE CLASS: Released the classic Out Of Vogue 7”. Click HERE.

Pay To Cum: The first single from BAD BRAINS. Click HERE.

THIS IS WHERE TO GO FOR THAT HOT SAUCE.

I’VE KNOWN YOU TOO LONG

David Larson is a screenwriter from the Seattle area who ran an independent record label called EXCURSION for many years. Over the course of the last three decades, Dave has formed friendships with a large number of people who have made an artistic impact, mostly in the world of Punk Rock and Hardcore music. Many of these people have gone on to greater and more varied adventures in the worlds of art, film, music, politics, and activism. In this podcast, Dave uses the timeline of their first meeting to explore back and forth through their histories to try and gain a better understanding of how they came to be the people they are today.

They say history is written by the conquerors, and while none of these campaigns are complete yet, it is time to get some of these tales nailed down before they are lost to time and age.

Check out Dave’s episode of the WORD ON THE STREET podcast HERE.

Check out Dave and Ron Guardipee’s episode of the EDGELAND podcast HERE.

DIG THAT INTRO MUSIC?

That’s Polymorph, a project by my friend Bryar Herrick. He has a ton of stuff you can check out here:

https://polymorph.bandcamp.com/