“Professor Punk” aka “Mr. Simpson”

I live music, quite literally. As a guy who has played in punk, rock, classical, and marching bands through most of his time on earth, has taught elementary music, beginning band/orchestra/guitar and private lessons for going on ten years and written reviews for Punknews.org for ten years as well, I spend 90% of my time in music-related activities. Other than music, I sleep sometimes and I watch TV, movies and read, but even those media types are mostly music-related for me. I’m pretty one-dimensional.

The one dilemma I think about once in a blue moon is the conflict between punk ideals and being a teacher. I was never a dirty, smelly, dumpster-diving, molotov cocktail-throwing anarcho-punk kid, but the basic tenants of punk since its inception in the ‘70s has been to “fight the system”, “question authority”, “fuck the man”, et al.

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Certain People I Know – s/t

When a band that features one of my favorite songwriters and one of my favorite drummers of all time flies under my radar for three years, something has gotta be up. I never get off the computer and leave the house! How could this happen?

Certain People I Know features Bob Nanna and Damon Atkinson, both well known around these parts for their past work in Braid and Hey Mercedes. Get these two guys together in a room and I will listen. I don’t care if it’s freeform jazz.

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