MIKE NESS
SOCIAL DISTORTION
Singer-guitarist

ONE OF PUNK'S most enduring and revered veterans for over two decades, Social Distortion has finally delivered its first new studio album since 1996's White Light, White Heat, White Trash. The new Sex, Love and Rock 'n' Roll sounds pretty much exactly like the last record: raunchy, raw riffs driving catchy, hummable tunes. The band has since undergone some personnel changes, with the sudden death of founding guitarist Dennis Danell in 2000 and the loss of bassist John Maurer, who's taken a break to spend more time with his family. Despite the changes, one constant is lead singer-songwriter Mike Ness. While he's an unusually warm, introspective and emotionally sensitive guy, Ness is also the one to whoop your sorry ass if you were to start a fistfight. Ness checked in for a few questions by phone from the road between tour stops.

— Michael David Toth

Why so long between albums?

We followed White Light with a couple years of touring. We put out Live at the Roxy . Then I decided to go into the studio and do a couple of solo albums and toured those extensively. We've been touring to some extent every year. I started writing these new songs right about when Dennis died, when I decided to keep the band together. You try not to let this much time go by, but at the same time, we haven't been in seclusion not doing music either.

It's amazing how many people can live their entire lives successfully sheltered from significant pain, suffering and death of loved ones. You are clearly not one of those people. How does that affect and change you?

Looking back, I think I lost five friends in four years. Dennis wasn't the only one. It definitely changes your outlook on things and after you've made it through your process, I think you do gain a new strength. And like the song says, “Don't Take Me for Granted.” You have to try your hardest to not take your friends and family for granted and not let too many days go by without you telling them you love and care about them or that you're willing to do anything for them. There's just no guarantee that they'll be here tomorrow.

Listening to the new album raises the question, can you have lyrics like “wanna go without a care and pull gardenias from her hair” and still be “punk”?

I think it is, because it's probably rebelling against what's considered punk now. In my eyes, punk was a rebellion and a revolution in the late '70s, early '80s. It was obviously a discontent for the way things were — politics, fashion, music, whatever. It was about changing all that stuff, but like anything, it has its stereotypes. That's why I'm constantly referring to the first wave of punk, the New York and L.A. stuff where every band sounded different and looked different. It was very individual, and I miss that. To me, punk is an attitude of what's inside you, not being afraid to do something even if it's not popular. I challenge anybody who thinks they're such a badass tough guy that they're too afraid to say that four-letter word “love.” To me, that's a weakness. Just listen to Johnny Thunders. He wrote love songs, and if you said anything about it, he'd probably stab you. But you're singing about something that you are passionate about, so it's going to come across the same way, whether you're singing about a barroom brawl or trying to make things work with your lover.

Yeah, and you're in a different place now than you were 20 years ago. If you're honest about where you're at and what you're passionate about, your music's going to reflect that.

Absolutely. And that's what I think Social Distortion fans have always appreciated. The majority of my stuff is autobiographical, but every record has also been pretty symbolic of where I'm at in my life at that point. White Light was a pretty dark album. This one isn't as dark, but that doesn't mean it's not as hard or loud or doesn't have as much energy. I think it has just as much. It's just different, and you don't want every record to be the same. In some regards, I do take life more seriously now, but on the other hand, on this new record, I try to not take myself so seriously and have some fun with writing. Everything doesn't have to be so dark and serious all the time.

(Originally published in The Cleveland Free Times, November 17, 2004)