Social Distortion - Story of My Life

Time is Undefeated

1. A Social Distortion album is a 45-minute novella. Our writer and bandleader, Mike Ness, is the bard of the working-class dispossessed writing like his guitar (and/or car) is on fire. He takes us to gutters and stained bars. Every lyric is a confession, every chord is shot at redemption. Mike’s seen a lot and has felt even more. He filters the images of his heroes (Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Carl Perkins) through a Punk and Rockabilly prism and what emerges are tales of bad luck steeped in hard-earned resilience. The man has spent a lot of time navigating the alleyways of his flawed existence and emerged on the other side as a tattooed survivor and a devoted family man. He still turns wrenches, still tunes guitars, and still writes songs about lives on the precipe of damnation.

2. Story of My Life is top-tier Social D, and it had better be with a title like that. It’s a sonic confession, unvarnished and utterly relatable. Understandably, Ness and Springsteen are pals. The kid who couldn’t care less about the school day and dreamed only of rocking out on the weekends goes back to his old neighborhood to see industrialization and capitalism’s inexorable march has claimed his childhood too.

   And I went down to my old neighborhood
   The faces have all changed, there's no one left to talk to
   And the pool hall I loved as a kid
   Is now a 7-11

   Social Distortion, Story of My Life

   The finest songs in the American songbook are the most accessible, written in a plain-spoken language people understand. This explains the enduring nature of Joni Mitchell and Hank Williams. Mike Ness and Steve Earle are songwriting cousins in the same family that unites Johnny Cash and Joe Strummer. I suspect they would all happily share a drink. Not that Hank needed drinking partners. Story of My Life is an anthem, a declaration that it’s possible life might be a doomed journey, but by God, it's going to be a hell of a ride.

   So I sit at the edge of my bed
   I strum my guitar and I sing an outlaw love song
   Thinkin' about what you're doin' now
   And when you're coming back

   Social Distortion, Story of My Life

3. Youthful energy is responsible for the greatest songs. There’s volatility there, rage, sexual tension, and a naive search for the Capital T Truth - powerful ingredients for songs that last. Mike’s 61 now, owns several businesses, and just got into a fight with cancer. Time, like industrialization and capitalism, marches on.

   Life goes by so fast
   You only want to do what you think is right
   Close your eyes and then it's past;
   Story of my life

   Social Distortion, Story of My Life

   Only young folks can write songs like Story of My Life. The chorus is a repeated mantra, a refrain that reveals just how earnest he actually is. Life doesn’t turn out as planned. Whodathunkit? For a long time, it seemed Social Distortion - through all the struggles, deaths, and line-up changes - simply stayed on the road. They’ve performed more than 1,500 shows to date. True to form, Mike won the fight and is taking Social D back on the road come April. He had tonsil cancer. A lead singer had tonsil cancer, and he’s going back on the road. It’s unlikely he’s got another monster like this or Ball and Chain in him, but the fans (of which I am) will still come out in their Sick Boy style - all cuffed jeans, engineering boots, and greasy pompadours. Waistlines have expanded, we need insoles now, and the hair is thinning, but we’ll be there because we know exactly what Mike is singing about and we commiserate.