Punk was new and raw and for the "retreads" as some said-- the inference always being that a Punk Rocker was some miscreant that couldn't get attention any other (respectable responsible and therefor valid) way. The idea of living a truly alternative lifestyle was heinous. (baa baa, says the sheep)
Joey Keithley was never apologetic. Never quiet about his beliefs. Never one to blend in. He was loud, in your face, and challenging everything you thought you knew.
There is a reason that Green Day and Sum41 and Blink182 and a zillion other bands are able to take the punkpath. Joey and other guys like him were the ones out there in the jungles wielding machetes clearning the path. The new generation of punks generally don't get spat at as a matter of course, or slandered attacked and belittled for their beliefs.
Okay why I am ranting about this man?
An aging punk...
I used to have a sticker on my car for years.... a DOA sticker from the Bloody but Unbowed era
It said: Talk minus action equals zero.
It was just one of many.
Aint it cool that 2 decades later he is still just as energised, just as passionate, just as assessible?
If you want to get a taste of this passion check his website for Sudden Death Records or click on YouTube and type in his name or his bands name..
Buy his book and read about the life in the day.
Get informed, get involved, and even if you can't find common ground with him, find that place in yourself that can want to improve this planet for other, possible generations.
I salute Joe Keithley. He is nothing if not a true citizen of the world.
And my friends, they are few and far between.
Honour the journey.
