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<B>Social D reminds punk of its roots</B><P>
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<FONT SIZE=4><B>By Suzanne Raffeld</B><BR></FONT>Assistant Arts Editor
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Social Distortion was formed by Mike Ness in Fullerton, Calif., almost 17 years ago. Since then, the veteran punk band has had its share of success and tribulations. From the No. 27 entry into the Billboard charts with its newest album, White Light, White Heat, White Trash, to drug and alcohol problems that almost ripped the band apart, Social Distortion is almost a study in survival. I recently had a phone conversation with guitarist Dennis Danell about the band's past and progress.<P>
<B>Suzanne Raffeld:</B> Punk is now, more or less, an accepted and popular music form, and Social Distortion to me always seemed to be a band about fighting against the mainstream. Has the fact that punk or alternative is now in the mainstream changed the band's perspective at all?<B>Dennis Danell:</B> Well, yes and no. First and foremost, we've never really worried about what was popular or what was trendy, or what everybody else was doing. We've always kind of been self-centered and just done our own thing. We always felt that the whole punk movement back in the mid '80s was a real elite type of situation. It was almost a life style ... because to be involved with it you'd have to almost take physical or get into verbal altercations.
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Nowadays, it's cool and everybody's instantly cool and involved in it. It used to be like an anti-fashion statement, but now it's like part of the fashion world and everything too, so ... it's not so elite anymore.
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But we don't have a problem with it, becoming popular, becoming trendy ... just because it was bound to happen. We're not going to be ones to tell the kids that they can't do the same things that we do. (Punk) kind of lost some of it's credentials but that's just the way it is.
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<B>SR:</B> Was there any hesitation in accepting a major label contract?
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<B>DD:</B> Yes, but we weighed the options ... It almost made things more comfortable for us because then we could concentrate solely on the music. We didn't have to so much concentrate on the business aspect of the job.
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<B>SR:</B> So you would say that corporate support has not been a hindrance at all? Have you had to relinquish any creative control?
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<B>DD:</B> We've always worked extremely well with Sony in terms of creative control. Sometimes we find it hard though, we get negative remarks or something. People say, 'Well, you guys sold out anyway. Punk bands can't be on major labels.' In actuality, all the independent labels are distributed through the major labels anyway, so there's really not much difference.
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<B>SR:</B> What was it like touring with Neil Young?
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<B>DD:</B> ... At first we didn't know what to expect when we took the deal. We knew that it would be exposing our music to a lot of people who wouldn't necessarily listen to it. Sometimes that got kind of hard. First of all, we went on early so most of the seats weren't even filled yet.
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And then the people who are in the front row are these Neil Young fans who look like they haven't been out of the house in 20 years.
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And we're going, 'Who the fuck is this dude down there?' And he's probably thinking the same exact thing - 'Who the fuck are these guys? They suck!' And then we have one section of our fans who are like a million miles away, it seems like.
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It got kind of frustrating at times, but I think what it made us concentrate on what's going on stage, and not really worry about the audience.
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<B>SR:</B> You guys have struggled in the past with drug abuse and drugs, especially heroin; that seems to be making a major comeback in the rock world. Do you have any comment about that, about a road you've already been down?
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<B>DD:</B> It seems like every generation almost has to learn for themselves about the evils of drug addiction. I'm going to be the last person to tell someone what to do or how to live their life. Everyone seems like they have to learn for themselves, but I wouldn't recommend that sort of lifestyle on anybody or condone that sort of behavior either.
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<B>Photo: </B><B>BALL AND CHAIN</B> Social Distortion /plays tonight in Cincinnati at Bogart's. The show starts at 8.
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<B> Photo furnished</B> <BR>
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