Dear Friends,
I like numbers. They have always been my friends. I have used them my whole life, like a drug, to occupy my mind.
As a young fella, it was baseball statistics. I knew them all. I made them up in the games I would create to pass the time. Give me a couple of dice, a pad of paper, and I would be entertained for hours.
The numbers of a game like baseball were so pure and easy. I even totally understood how earned run averages were figured out. My brain has always been more at ease when I could run some numbers in it.
Some numbers are not fun, for sure. Some numbers are to be avoided. Being an adult means having to face the not so fun numbers, too. See: “Money Is All I Need” by The Kids.
But, putting those not so fun numbers aside for now, I can readily admit that I have always found them comforting. Numbers are what they are, but they are also completely and utterly open to change. Numbers are nature. See: “0+1=2” by Nomeansno
The most important numbers, though, are the ones that you hold in your heart. The number of people you love, for example. That’s a number that we don’t think of too often. I certainly wouldn’t want to obsess on that one. It could stop you in your tracks.
Besides, love is one of the very few things that you can’t quantify. At least not if you want to keep your soul. There is no quicker way to invite the devil for a little parlay than trying to quantify love. This is an argument you cannot win and a deal you won’t be able to break once you sign it.
This is why I embrace these number things. They are what they are, open to action, and ready to change shape and size if you know the right combination to unlock their full potential. See: “Sooprize Package for Mr. Mineo” by The Mummies for a completely unrelated but great song. Here is a Spotify list I made.
End Sunday number sermon. Go forth and multiply.
*****
What The Consumers record means to me is this: The spark.
They started it all in Phoenix where I live in 1977. Punk rock would have still existed in Phoenix if there was no such thing as The Consumers. It may not have been much different as some of the other people in town who were into such things were getting going around the same time, but hot damn if The Consumers didn’t set the bar high.
If you listen to All My Friends Are Dead, which was recorded back in 1977 but didn’t officially come out until 1995, you hear a great punk rock record. It is raw and vicious, funny and mean. It’s a slap in the face of rock and roll and that’s what I have always loved about punk rock. Punk rock IS rock and roll, but it also existed originally as a way of saying, “Fuck you, Mom and Dad. We’re here now!”
All My Friends Are Dead is definitely punk rock in the “Fuck you, Mom and Dad” variety. Some of the other early Phoenix punks were more of the “You don’t understand me, Mom and Dad” or the “Mom, Dad, I’m a weirdo and you can’t do anything to change me” variety. If you were there, you understand.
Variety, as you know, is the spice of life.
The is certainly the influence of early British punk in The Consumers. From what I have learned, David Wiley (vocals) worked in a local record shop around this time and had all the latest imports. There is something else happening here, though.
“Anti, Anti, Anti” is just so God damn good. While you can hear a little bit of Pistols and Damned influence, there just wasn’t anything else happening at the time that I am aware of that had this kind of attack. I’ve read how the LA punks were not super receptive of The Consumers early on and I can see why. The Consumers came from Phoenix and did punk rock just as well as they did, if not better.
A time machine really is necessary at this point in my exploration. I was seven or eight years old when this was all happening in Phoenix (and I really don’t know how many actual shows The Consumers did) but I need to go back in time and soak one (or all) of these shows up. Imagining it or hearing about it from those who got to see it is just not good enough.
If I had access to this record in the 80s, I would have probably joined a band much sooner in my life. All My Friends Are Dead makes me want to play these songs and songs like them. It makes me want to turn it up and play as hard as I can. I may not have the stamina for more than about 45 minutes of it, but if you were playing music like this, a 20-minute set is about as much as anyone could really handle.
All My Friends Are Dead is like an explosive device. “Consumers” into “Concerned Citizen” (which 45 Grave also did) into “Your Problem” is just punk rock brilliance. It’s a shame that more people don’t know about this record. Most of these songs have less than 20,000 listens on Spotify. I know that doesn’t really mean anything, but as they sing in “Ballad To The Son Of Sam,” “isn’t it a pity?”
“Dream Hits” is one that I really like off the B side. Mikey Borens bass line is pretty cool on it. It’s the pulse of the song, for sure, and stands out.
A lot of the B side is just not quite as good as the A side. It makes sense. The band only lasted for about 18 months or so, so it is understandable that they didn’t have the time to fully develop a completely amazing 10 tracks. “My Type” is still great, but not memorable like the A side songs. It’s kind of the same for “Get Out.”
“Media Ogre” is rad, though. Again because of Borens’ bass lines. Listening to it, you can hear how a lot of bass players from the early LA scene were paying attention to what Borens did. It’s 2024 and I’m paying really close attention.
The last track, “Punk Church” sounds like “Anti, Anti, Anti’ meets the Ramones. It’s pretty fucking fabulous, but the similarities are obvious in a very fun way. It’s Frankenstein punk made up of spare parts that happen to come to life when you put them together.
There is even a little “California Uber Alles” in there and it predates the song by a couple years. “Punk Church” ends strong, though, even with its blatant Ramones nod. Phoenix, 1977.
I’m so thankful for these guys doing what they did. I wasn’t there. I didn’t know about it until much later. The Consumers were like bigfoot or a unicorn when I first started learning about the local lore. They were spoken of but never seen, but I’m so glad they did what they did.
You have to appreciate the people who kicked doors open for you. Maybe The Consumers just rattled a few cages and kicked at the door, but it was enough to make other early bands want to do it, too.
It makes me want to keep doing it.
*****
See you tomorrow.
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