Mike Ness guitar sling badge ?

**Slickevil** · January 5th, 2007, 03:25 PM

I just noticed a police badge clipped to Mikes guitar sling in the photo on the Social Distortion main page . Anyone know the story behiond that ? Seems a little out of place .

**PennState95** · January 6th, 2007, 04:01 AM

Here's a good explination from 2005.

lostheart
Old School

Rate Member
posted August 23, 2005 01:38 PM
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Went to see the guys in Wiesbaden, Germany yesterday...and I must say that, although the venue was kinda shitty, it's been the most energetic gig I have seen them play so far.
The venue was an old slaughterhouse and showtime was constantly delayed because they had horrible problems with the electricity.
At around 11 p.m. they finally hit the stage.
This time I kinda chickened out and opted for a place not all they way up front but a little further in the back.
It took me about 3 1/2 hours to get to the location and my neck was still hurting like hell from that 300 pound guy that crowd surfed in Bielefeld and hit me feet forward in the neck.
During showtime Mike was always up for a chat with the audience during songs and also went past his "routine" i.e. dishing out the same phrases like "We got some dreamers here?...."!
At one point Mike said "Germany's our second home now" which I haven't heard him say at any of the shows before.
Maybe he's really getting into playing for a shitload of people in sold-out venues here in Germany.
Could be...before the show, as Mike was sitting outside the venue he told me that after the Bielefeld gig they played some gigs outside Germany (Belgium and Holland I believe) and he just wanted to pack things up and head back to Germany!
Way cool...looks like he wasn't kiddin' when he said that he wants to come back to Germany in a year or so!
If my ears didn't fail on me, I believe that Jonny changed some of the guitar lines on "Diamond In The Rough" around...nothing too significant, but still.
Anyone noticed the badge that Mike is sporting on his guitar strap lately? I was told that some police officers who are die-hard fans of his music presented it to him at a show in the US and showed him around town...just thought I'd let anyone know who was kind of curious about it.
I also got me meet someone from this board at the show: Andre aka TimeToBurn who was a very personable and cool guy to meet and to hang out with!
All in all a brilliant and more than satisfying show...a bummer, though, that this was the last gig I am able to catch on this leg of the tour.

**Agent5556** · January 7th, 2007, 09:58 PM

When he play DC in 2005 he had an MPD badge from DC. I have given him a few things such as patches and coins. I told him once not all cops are bad and he came back with the"Hell...some of my best friends are cops" line.

**kustom55** · January 8th, 2007, 01:04 PM

I have a picture from 87 or 88 with Ness wearing the badge on his belt. Seems to be his thing for some time

**Glenn Cole** · January 8th, 2007, 11:59 PM

I read once before that at one of Social Distortion's shows in O.C. or L.A. (one of their infamous runs at the HOB) half of a police precinct was there to watch them perform and that they were die-hards too. Shit, my best friends are cops too and all of them love Social D!

**J.BOOGIE** · June 3rd, 2007, 01:53 AM

Actually folks, the real deal is not too far from what's being said here. Mike came to Poughkeepsie NY to play the chance for the first time ever two years ago?!. A LONG TIME SxDx fan works in that town as a Sgt in the PD, he'd been following Mike and the band since 1980, never getting to see the band till the roseland NYC show promoting Sex, love and rock n roll.

When Mike rolled into Poughkeepsie, this cop who was off duty, was lucky enough to finnally get to meet Mike and the band and gave them a ride to dinner at a shushi joint then on the way back to the venue, he gave Mike his badge, one that was no longer the current issue as of that year, but it his first badge and was the one he had been wearing on 9/11/01 when he lost a friend at the WTC who was working down in the City.

Mike gave the badge to his guitar tech and told him to put it on his guitar strap where it has been ever since (on the gold top with Orange County on it) Later that night Mike signed the cop's leg just below his old SxDx tattoo and the cop had the signiture tattooed on him the following morning!

So there you go... if you get close you'll see it is a City of Poughkeepsie badge and says SERGEANT in blue at the bottom! How do I know? I'm the cop! I'm looking forward to try and meet Mike again here in town when he returns next month and thank him for caring enough to keep that with him all this time, it's seen more shows than I've gotten to, that's for sure!
Thanks Mike!!!