Greatest Hits... Trucking Along

[mattSF]

Social Distortion has willpower to carry on
New guitarist Wickersham brings own punk punch to seminal band
By JON M. GILBERTSON
Special to the Journal Sentinel
Posted: July 1, 2007

If the clich?s are true, and it's difficult to fill another man's shoes, or to stand in another man's shadow, then imagine the shoes of a dead man, and the shadow cast by his ghost.

This was, in essence, what Jonny Wickersham had to contemplate in 2000.

That February, Social Distortion guitarist Dennis Danell - the longest-standing member of the punk-rock group besides founder Mike Ness - died at age 38 of what was evidently a brain aneurysm.

And Ness, after considerable and understandable deliberation about the band's future, decided by that autumn to carry on. Needing a new guitarist, he called up Wickersham.

Wickersham had played with Social D before, as Danell's replacement and at his request, during a 1996 tour when Danell's son was being born. Obviously, this was a different situation.

"The only way I could do it, to make myself feel better about it, was to think I was just filling in for Dennis," Wickersham said. "I had done that when he was still around, and now it feels that way, too. I'm paying him the respect he deserves."

Seven years later, Wickersham remains a part of the band, which, 24 years after its debut album and nearly 30 years after its formation, has just released a greatest-hits compilation.

"It was time to just get a collection out there, you know," Wickersham said. "And make way to start building up to do another one in 20 years."

A joke, but with a point: the death of Danell was not the first potential end Social Distortion faced.

During the 1980s, Ness was a serious heroin addict, which meant long pauses between albums and frequent lineup changes.

Furthermore, even truly great albums like 1992's "Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell" didn't take off to the commercial heights of, say, Green Day, although Wickersham considers that an accidental blessing.

"The band never broke through in a huge, major way," he said. "It's been trucking along at this level for such a long time that it's going to be taken seriously. None of us really have anything else that we're going to do. We play rock 'n' roll."

Social D plays it very well, too.

The greatest-hits disc is proof of that, from the punk blues of "Bad Luck" to the rip-roaring cover of Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" (recorded when Cash was almost out of favor, compared to the more recent lionization). Ness plies his buzz-saw rasp for maximum effect, and the rest of the band parallels his power.

For Wickersham, being a part of that power - thus far mostly during the band's heavy touring schedule, and in the studio for 2004's "Sex, Love and Rock 'n' Roll" - remains somewhat daunting.

He has considerable punk experience, mainly as a member of U.S. Bombs, but Social Distortion was the band he grew up hoping to be like, and now he's in it.

"When we were kids, me and my buddies, that was our band," he said. "It's such a great feeling that everyone's still interested and wants to see us play. Which is kind of rare for a band that's been around this long."

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=626351

[mattSF]

At first, I thought the same typical article, then... maybe I'm a cautious optimist for wanting to see how things may come... closing one door respectfully and opening a new one. Filling in(to) someone else's shoes is a monumental task, heavy, and very wearing. Sooner or later, I would think you'd want to be yourself or not forget who you are.

[wolfpits]

I guess you can say that Johnny Two Bags became a permanent member at the Dennis Danell "When The Angels Sing" benefit show. That was the first time I saw Charlie playing drums for Social Distortion also.

<font color="#FFFF00" size="1">[ July 06, 2007 07:55 PM: Message edited by: wolfpits ]</font>

[jen415]

hmm, pretty much the same new guy article they have been writing about Jonny for the last 7 years. Isn't jonny the second oldest member at this point? Not sure when Charlie was first involved with Social D (vs Mike Ness Band) and if you consider Jonny's filling in etc I think so.

[Glenn Cole]

Your right Wolfpits, Jonny and Charlie joined Social D. at the same time.