Doe says X still about the music

By JIM TRAGESER - Staff Writer | Wednesday, April 2, 2008 11:18 AM PDT ∞

When punk rock stormed onto the international stage in the late 1970s, it was as a form of protest against what the young set felt was a betrayal of rock's birthright of rebellion by the popular bands of the day. Everything the Eagles and Fleetwood Mac stood for, the punkers stood against.

And above all, it was the music of youth.

So does John Doe, the bassist for the legendary Los Angeles punk band X, touring with the original lineup of Doe, lead singer Exene Cervenka, guitarist Billy Zoom and drummer DJ Bonebrake, see any irony in middle-aged punk rockers?

"No, because there are at least two different, probably three different, levels of punk rock," Doe said by phone from his Bakersfield home recently before heading out on the road (the band plays at the Belly Up in Solana Beach on Wednesday).

"There's the above-ground commercial punk, some of which is good, like Green Day, and some of which is bad, like Good Charlotte. Then there's the whole underground punk scene, which will have seven or eight bands on the bill and 200 or 300 people from 18 to 35 going nuts in a kind of a right of passage.

"And then there's us and a few other bands, maybe Blondie, maybe like the Buzzcocks, that have been around and still have the original lineups. We're in an odd class of our own."

When X was first breaking through to the national success that allows it to tour whenever it wants to these days, it was part of the burgeoning Los Angeles scene that also spawned the Blasters, Circle Jerks and Black Flag, among many other bands. But San Diego also had an active rock music scene, with the Beat Farmers, Mojo Nixon and Cindy Lee Berryhill all getting national recording contracts then. Doe said there was a pretty intense rivalry between bands from the two cities in the early 1980s ---- and their fans, too.

"When X first started, it was a pretty strong rivalry. I remember a lot of people in San Diego hating X and trying to screw up our shows ---- setting off fire extinguishers on the dance floor and getting into riots. There was a lot of animosity.

"It was kind of weird, because San Diego hadn't really come into its own. I think it did with Mojo and the Beat Farmers and Cindy Lee and all those people.

"I think once we were playing with the Blasters and there was a little more of a roots movement, say '82, '83, I think then there was more connection between San Diego and L.A. It's always good to be influenced by different people, to spread the community.

"Nowadays, I can't really claim to be part of one city or another. I live in Bakersfield, Exene lives in Missouri. X just kind of tours when we have the opportunity to have a good time and bring X's music to people who want to see it."

While many established bands are being hurt by the collapse of the music business as it moves from retail to online digital, Doe said X hasn't been hurt as much as other nationally known bands.

"We're very lucky that Rhino has released all of our records, and we're very lucky to have all that stuff still in print. because you can be forgotten.

"The major-label decline has only created an opportunity for independent labels. It affects everybody, but less so with independents because their business is not so upside down."

While X is celebrating the 31st anniversary of its founding in 1977, Doe said the band still attracts new fans when it's on tour.

"There are a lot of young people who are into sort of older music because they're kind of historians; they want to see something that was real that was created at a different time, something they may have romantic notions about what it was like back then.

"Honestly, it was pretty romantic. It was very a unique era."

X with Skybombers

When: 9 p.m. Wednesday

Where: Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave., Solana Beach

Tickets: $25-$27

Info: (858) 481-8140 or bellyup.com

Web: xtheband.com

First name only. Comments including last names, contact addresses, e-mail addresses or phone numbers will be deleted. Attempts to misrepresent your identity or impersonate any person will not be approved. All comments are screened before they appear online, so please keep them brief. Comments reflect the views of those commenting and not necessarily those of the North County Times or its staff writers. Click here to view additional comment policies.