#going underground

Sean Murphy Hellblazer City Of Demons #5 Going Underground Original Cover (2010) Source

Colors by Dave Stewart

R.I.P. Rick Buckler, drummer for The Jam

Very sad news from the UK.

I've never been one for the concept of "tight" playing when it comes to rock'n'roll, especially punk. But Rick Buckler had the proverbial mosquito's ass ability while hitting deceptively hard and never over-rolling away the song. It's that suave savagery that the best Mod drummers pull off (and there are only a few of those).

A friend gave me a mixtape in high school that had "Going Underground" on it, which led me to soon find The Jam's sophomore album, This Is the Modern World -- I think the first or second punk LP I ever bought.

I knew that "underground" in London parlance was a reference to their tube system, but of course more than that. For me, this song jolted through my head right as I was becoming aware that the underground was where I was headed.

The Jam, 1977 (Rick Buckler, left)

These days, with America turning into a conman's dumpster, his digital cronies controlling mass media and spreading his garbage, it's best to head back to the underground again... though I never left...