Tuesday, March 18, 2008
don't tell me what to eat or what to say:
Posting's going to be light today, as I'll be at an Iraq-related program activity and then I have to stare down not one but two deadlines. (Damn you, war, why did you have to turn five years old, you fucking asshole, you should have been smothered in your crib.) So until I get back, here's a discussion question.

On "For The Punx," the Casualties song that kicks off the classic 1994 (1995? it's been awhile) NYC-scene compilation Pogo Attack, Jorge lets out some kind of anguished yell right after Rachel ends her monologue. Question: Is Jorge actually saying anything? Whatever phoneme he's uttering depends on a long "Uh" sound. The combination of his accent and vocal style makes understanding him difficult in any circumstance, but I always thought he was just yelling, as yelling is punk rock, and the song is about being punk-rock. But Sammy Generic has contended that Jorge is saying "punks" -- as if to rally the punks for a song about being punks on an album celebrating the Mode of Being-as-Punk. (Or, to put it differently, a Fucking Way of Fucking Life.) I'm late to my thing, so discuss.
--Spencer Ackerman
I haven't heard "Pogo Attack" since I moved out of my mom's house in 2001 and she threw out a bunch of my stuff. I remember it as more of just a "UHHHHGGGH" sound rather than a word, though.
Blogger Liz Baillie | 9:31 AM

I always dismissed the Casualties as being Smurf Punk. Just way too hyper and incomprehensible.

Then Finkler had a story about a friend's experience with Jorge, and I decided that I hadn't been missing much.
Blogger Gaston | 9:50 AM

Actually that was the sound of Jorge's tortured soul, as it tried to escape his liquor-ravaged 35-year old body. Metaphorically though, it was seen as a rallying cry to punks everywhere.
Blogger Erica | 1:07 PM

Well, I continue to insist that he's saying either "PUUUUUUNK" or "PUUUUUUNKS". You can hear that there's a consonant at the beginning.
Blogger TheWaldganger | 8:06 AM