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Aging punk rocker still swears - but not near the kids
Reuters ^ | 5/8/07 | Belinda Goldsmith

Posted on 05/08/2007 7:37:13 AM PDT by qam1

As the singer in a punk rock band, Jim Lindberg faces the dilemma of many of his graying contemporaries - how to swear and lead a life of rebellion while raising children and paying the mortgage.

Lindberg, lead singer of California band Pennywise, still dyes his hair and plays songs at full volume but he also drives his three daughters to school, lets them listen to Britney Spears, and pays his taxes.

Lindberg, 41, is one of the aging breed of punk rockers from the 1970s and 1980s who are finding a way to reconcile a life of rebellion with parental responsibilities such as disciplining children and worrying about media violence.

"This is the graying of punk rock where a lot of people who grew up in the 1970s and 1980s are now at an age where they are having kids and getting mortgages. It is a new experience for us," Lindberg told Reuters in a telephone interview.

"The strangest part for a lot of my peer group is that we grew up championing the rights of expression but then you see some slasher movie and won't let the kids watch it."

Lindberg has just written a book about raising a family while staying true to his punk core which is called "Punk Rock Dad" - but he admits he probably won't let his daughters, aged 3, 8 and 10, read it due to the bad language and party talk.

Lindberg said he is one of millions of dads who grew up in the 1970s following Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols and Joey Ramone of the Ramones, adopting punk rock's rebellious attitude toward the establishment and distinctive clothing.

Pennywise, named after the monster from the Stephen King horror novel "It", formed in Hermona Beach, California, in 1988 and is still going, with plans for a new album this year.

In 1996 the band's former bassist Jason Thirsk shot himself at the age of 28 after battling alcoholism.

Lindberg said Thirsk's death was a real wake up call and then he became a father which really made him grow up although some of his peers have changed little from the early days.

"Generation Xers are suffering from prolonged adolescence. You have a lot of people aged 40 and up trying desperately to hold on to their youth, shirking responsibility," said Lindberg.

"It is almost certainly defined by those who do have kids and those who don't. Those with kids have cut down on the party circuit and try to limit time away from their family but those without kids still act like they are 18."

But Lindberg believes becoming a father, who promotes the benefits of vegetables and early bed, does not necessitate abandoning punk rock.

He argues punk music is more about freedom of expression than anti-social behavior - and punk rockers can be conservative and make good, role-model fathers .

"I probably began with the idea that punk rock dads are different from others but I came out the other side realizing that we are really all the same," he said.

"But I think as long as you stick to the ideals of punk music, you can be a grey punk rocker."


TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: genx; growupalready
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1 posted on 05/08/2007 7:37:17 AM PDT by qam1
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To: qam1; ItsOurTimeNow; PresbyRev; Fraulein; StoneColdGOP; Clemenza; m18436572; InShanghai; xrp; ...
Xer Ping

Ping list for the discussion of the politics and social (and sometimes nostalgic) aspects that directly effects Generation Reagan / Generation-X (Those born from 1965-1981) including all the spending previous generations are doing that Gen-X and Y will end up paying for.

Freep mail me to be added or dropped. See my home page for details and previous articles.

2 posted on 05/08/2007 7:39:02 AM PDT by qam1 (There's been a huge party. All plates and the bottles are empty, all that's left is the bill to pay)
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To: qam1
I'd actually start "Generation Reagan" with 1962, the youngest voters able to vote for him twice.

I actually voted for him, legally, at 17. >:)

-Eric

3 posted on 05/08/2007 7:41:00 AM PDT by E Rocc (Myspace "Freepers" group moderator)
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To: qam1
A lot of people who are really into "freedom of expression" don't have much to say. They just lack maturity and self-control and want to get away with whatever they can get away with. "Hey, I'm expressing myself. Back off."

Sounds like this guy has grown up a little. But not a lot.

4 posted on 05/08/2007 7:42:14 AM PDT by ClearCase_guy (Enoch Powell was right.)
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To: ClearCase_guy

I’ll take aging punkers over aging hippies any day of the week.


5 posted on 05/08/2007 7:45:31 AM PDT by dfwgator (The University of Florida - Still Championship U)
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To: qam1

Pennywise was OK, but I’m a Bad Religion zealot.


6 posted on 05/08/2007 7:46:12 AM PDT by Thrownatbirth (.....when the sidewalks are safe for the little guy.)
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To: qam1
Prematurely old and gray, refusing to admit the folly of his youth.

Growing up's a bitch, huh?

7 posted on 05/08/2007 7:46:37 AM PDT by Kenton (All vices in moderation. I don't want to overdo any but I don't want to skip any either.)
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To: qam1
"But I think as long as you stick to the ideals of punk music, you can be a grey punk rocker."

Yes, but to the kids, you'll always be a poseur. 18-year-olds are going to live forever, after all, and have no desire to take cues from some geezer. ;)

8 posted on 05/08/2007 7:47:39 AM PDT by Mr. Jeeves ("Wise men don't need to debate; men who need to debate are not wise." -- Tao Te Ching)
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To: qam1

9 posted on 05/08/2007 7:47:45 AM PDT by LongElegantLegs (<--- "Crazy Aunt" Conservative)
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To: qam1

Sell out!!

Nah, just kidding, life is a series of stages, you can fight it or go with it. Moving past one stage into another doesn’t make you a sell out or disqualify what you may have accomplished in an earlier stage, it’s just a natural progression of life. Peter Pan is a fantasy and folks like his dead bandmate illustrate that point.
Experience changes a man for the good or bad and experience makes it impossible to return to one’s youth no matter how hard you try.


10 posted on 05/08/2007 7:50:09 AM PDT by TheKidster (you can only trust government to grow, consolidate power and infringe upon your liberties.)
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To: Thrownatbirth

Pennywise is largely a Bad Religion ripoff anyways.


11 posted on 05/08/2007 7:52:25 AM PDT by MinnesotaLibertarian
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To: qam1
"Generation Xers are suffering from prolonged adolescence. You have a lot of people aged 40 and up trying desperately to hold on to their youth, shirking responsibility," said Lindberg.

Y'know--completely unlike the baby boomers. Where does he think we learned it from?

12 posted on 05/08/2007 7:55:02 AM PDT by Cogadh na Sith (Banning Bread and Circuses is the New Bread and Circuses....)
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To: qam1
Pennywise is as about as punk as my toddler.

NTTAWTT...but it's a misnomer.

13 posted on 05/08/2007 7:59:20 AM PDT by Sam's Army
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To: qam1; dfwgator
Never listened to Pennywise, they may be a good band, but I just lump them in with the quasi punk bands that came out in the 90s. If they weren't around in the 70s/80s, I can't really consider them punk--but that's a personal thing.

But this guy sounds pretty cool. And yes, aging punks are preferrable to aging hippies. The sad thing is, punks tend to die early, whereas the hippies just cling tenaciously to this mortal coil.

Punk moms rule... well, at least I do! ;-)

14 posted on 05/08/2007 8:15:27 AM PDT by RepoGirl ("Tom, I'm getting dead from you, but I'm not getting Un-dead..." -- Frasier Crane)
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Comment #15 Removed by Moderator

To: RepoGirl

They don’t rule nearly as hard as headbanger dads!!


16 posted on 05/08/2007 8:42:39 AM PDT by T.Smith
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To: T.Smith

Okay, before I cede to that comment, I’m going to need a list of bands that qualify as headbangin’ music. For instance: Kiss, Metallica, JP, Maiden and Danzig — acceptable. Poison, Winger, Cinderella...not. :-D


17 posted on 05/08/2007 8:53:36 AM PDT by RepoGirl ("Tom, I'm getting dead from you, but I'm not getting Un-dead..." -- Frasier Crane)
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To: qam1

“Generation Xers are suffering from prolonged adolescence. You have a lot of people aged 40 and up trying desperately to hold on to their youth, shirking responsibility,” said Lindberg.

Not all of us- By the Grace of God, I am 38 and have been married for 19 years and at the same job for 15 years.

I went through the 70s and 80s, too, but didn’t learn EVERYTHING from pop culture. We also learned from The Gipper himself.


18 posted on 05/08/2007 8:53:51 AM PDT by trillabodilla (Jesus Saves)
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To: qam1

Sigh. Beacuse of this article, I’m going to have “Punk Rock Girl” stuck in my head for the rest of the day.


19 posted on 05/08/2007 9:14:03 AM PDT by Starter
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To: T.Smith; RepoGirl
Punk moms rule...

They don’t rule nearly as hard as headbanger dads!!

True, and my little girl has one of each! :)

20 posted on 05/08/2007 9:39:00 AM PDT by To Hell With Poverty (If this city were any 'bluer', it'd be spelled 'bleu'.)
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