The Descendents saved my life. When I was a fat kid and super nerd in high school, like many fat kid super nerds, I used to get really depressed. I had my little chubby heart broken a few times and definitely wanted to throw in the towel on occasion. Fortunately, I found the Descendents, or I should say, the Descendents found me. Inventors of pop-punk, they sang songs of break up minus the whiny “What am I gonna do without you?” Instead, these rocking punks embraced their nerd culture and still wear that badge with pride. These guys, especially their lead singer Milo Aukerman, kept me kicking and had a extremely heavy influence on the person that I would grow up to be. They basically taught me that there are a lot of things that are out of my control so I should be a good dude, do the best I can, and pursue what makes me happy.
The band hadn’t played a live show in over 10 years and were billed to play a couple of months back in Long Beach. Not only had I just moved to Long Beach, but after doing a comedy album cover for my buddy Ed Galvez, he bought me some tickets. Massive score!! I went to the show and found out that my tickets were far left nose bleed seats, but that was only after I had dim-wittedly wandered past security and found myself 50 feet from the stage. I had gotten separated from my friends so I stood there amongst strangers. I waved a closed fist in the air singing, screaming along to every song and feeling 16 again. It was the best. I went home and did an illustration for myself of Milo. On a whim I emailed the Descendents sending the image along with a letter thanking them and expressing what an important role their music has played in my life. About a week ago I got an email response from Milo himself thanking me for the image, telling me that it was awesome and that it really made his day. He invited me out to FYF Fest on September 3rd to watch them play and get to meet him in person. I’ll be taking some pictures for sure!!
Asking myself “Why not?” has opened more doors than it has closed for me. After Listening to the Descendents, I’ve found that being a good dude, doing the best I can, and pursuing what makes me happy doesn’t always get me what I want, but it does have it’s own rewards. Thanks Descendents!!