In the early 80’s when Suicidal Tendencies started, punk rock was not very welcoming to new ideas, especially from a new crew that were obviously not worried about fitting in. But Suicidal Tendencies was never there to be “accepted” and not only played their own STyle of Cyco Punk but reinvented the DIY attitude to a level never seen before with their distinctive look and sound.
For 35 years ST hasn’t worried about what other bands or people were or weren’t doing. About what was cool or trendy at the time. They didn’t ask for permission, nor did they care who it offended. They did what they wanted, but most importantly for the right reason, because it’s what they felt, not because they wanted to be liked.
That didn’t make things easy. They were banned in L.A., Police riots and harassed by various “Authorities” and even the Secret Service got into the act, “dropping in” and paying singer Mike Muir a “visit”.
Soon after the PMRC got into the act. As would many others, but the music played on, and ST became the soundtrack to an army of Cyco’s Worldwide…to Punx, Thrashers, Metallers, Skaters, Surfers, Moto and other extreme athletes all found motivation in the ST sound to stand on their own and blaze their own trail.
September 7th sees the release of ‘STill Cyco Punk After All These Years’ (issued through the bands own Suicidal Records), a re-working of an album recorded by ST’s frontman Mike Muir back in 1995. Released then under the name Cyco Miko and titled ‘Lost My Brain (Once Again!)’, the album featured Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones on seven of the songs.
‘Although the 13 years I was in Suicidal at the time, I did things I never dreamed I’d have the chance to, or could happen, there were still way too many times that were extremely difficult to handle’, explains Mike. ‘Basically, “Love Music, don’t Like the other stuff”. Anyhow, remembering that original love for music made me want to do a Punk STyle record and at the time I didn’t feel it was, could or should be an ST album. ‘
‘STill Cyco Punk After All These Years’ re-imagines these songs, newly recorded with legendary drummer Dave Lombardo leading the way. This is a full on Cyco Punk record, taken to a whole new level with Lombardo brutally beating the songs and a sound that is made to get your Slam On!
‘I felt it not only could be, but it should be an ST album. Not retro but taking it 25 years forward and make it a modern Cyco Punk record. Extremely dangerous after so many years, but damn, I love these songs and I feel them so much. Perhaps surprisingly more now than when I was 30.
‘The music hits me hard and the lyrics hit me harder,’ continues Mike. ‘Life takes you places sometimes you don’t want to be. I know that more than I would like to admit…but it led me here, right now and I’m so proud to be here! And the irony is a “non-Suicidal” album, has just made me more Suicidal than ever.’
We get to hear the first taste of the album in the shape of F.U.B.A.R., which you can streamed below!
Mike explains:
F.U.B.A.R.
Who are you?
I used to know someone that looked like you
F.U.B.A.R.
What’s wrong with you?
You’ve caused so many people to suffer for you!’
We all unfortunately know someone like this. Someone that changed for the worse and took a bunch of people down with them in the process. This is a punk rock “release” and “call out”.
ST also had everyone that came by the studio while they were recording to add in on the back ups and even had bass player Ra go as far as Brazil to add some of our Cyco friends from down there (but more on them later).
So blaST the track, hopefully add your “vocals” to the track and scream out along with ST and our friends to you and yours.
F.U.B.A.R.- the first track from the new Suicidal Tendencies album, ‘STill Cyco Punk After All These Years’