Go blame it on the waves ! Cos there between the pounding surf and the yawning firmament where worlds collide the post war myth of endless American teenage fun found it's voice primarily in the guitar styles emerging and then codified by guys coming from the beaches. Grounding themselves in stuff like the Ventures, Link Wray, and Duane Eddy, guitar players East and West sped it up, pulled parts out and finally left just a heap of sharp edges (thank God !).Not too many years later the new bands kept on it. Again,bands from the beaches like Black Flag, Blast ! And TSOL continued where great names left off and made it their own.

Oh, speaking of great names (like those above) tack on one more : Ron Emory. His sounds, his style, his agility.... hallmarked on titles like Dance with Me,Weathered Statues, Beneath the Shadows, etc. redefined and offered a whole new way to go.Astute and fluid and somehow exploring whole new moods hardcore and thrash found a brand new standard by which to measure itself and develop. Emory is still active today and resides in the mid west. Suffice it to say he's been through alot both professionally and personally . I'm thankful that he found the time to answer a few questions .

What was the point for you behind TSOL ? What did you have in mind ? What were you reacting to ?

The point behind TSOL for me at the time was to create music that WE liked and to have fun doing it !!! Music to me was just meaningless until I heard the Weirdos , The Clash, X The Sex Pistols, Gen X, the Dammed and countless others that invaded southern California in the late 70's. I remember seeing The Clash in 1978 and knew that what they were saying was true , it wasn't watered down. It was real. I wanted to follow their lead as to expose the wrongs of the world as best I could. Nobody cares to hear one mans opinion, but when you get a group of guys that believe in the same thing and throw their own form of noise behind it, People seemed to get it !! The point is still the same 32 years later .... Have fun with my best friends and make people think about what's going on in the world!!! Especially Now !!

Is there a period or time frame in the history of TSOL that you prefer ?

I have had the pleasure to play with a lot of people and I'm completely blessed to had the opportunity. The part that I could do without is the time wasted with drug abuse and prison .... Time apart .... Don't miss it!!!

What made TSOL different from other punk bands ?

TSOL still to this day has a threat to our shows. People have been shot, bones have been broken , people have meet the loves of their lived at our shows !! I'm sure more than one child has been conceived at our shows, you just never know what you are going to get . We play as hard, as fast , as weird , as anyone !!! Plus we are all 6 ft plus !!!!

Do you think you can change society through music ?

Yes!! Especially now that we have survived for so long. We bound to make some kind of impression on somebody !!! Some good, some bad. The work we do now is to try and be a positive influence on anybody we come in contact with. I'm teaching kids guitar, the un orthodox way .... How I learned, by ear , and I get them writing as soon as I can!!!! About the things that matter to them !!!! 50 + students at the present time !!!!

Where you guys growing up then on stuff like Toys in the Attic and Physical Graffiti,Free for All ? What kind of stuff was Bucky playing to you or what did you hear creeping out of his room or whatever ? What made you want to get into guitar and not another instrument ?? Did you play guitar in The Hoods ??

Seeing the Clash in 1978 Made me want to play guitar!!! They had such a presence on Stage and the music was so Real !!!! There was all the local bands around Huntington Beach at the same time that were a huge influence on me as well .... The Crowd ,The Outsiders, The Flyboys, And many others in Orange County !!! Many LA bands as well.... The Germs and X were a huge part of my life.. Pat Smear, Billy Zoom, and the one who showed me my first Chords on the guitar .... Jim Kaa from the Crowd.. The Hoods was my first band and yes I played guitar !!!

So, for once and for all, who exactly was Pat Brown ?? Sure, everyone knows the song and in some histories his name pops up, it's something that again and again comes up (Godzilla's and the Cuckoo nest) ....But who exactly was he ? Was he one of these loyal order of the Buffalo guys- that punk gents club sorta thing ?Explain !

Pat Brown was a insane skater friend of ours . I actually first meet Todd Barnes from Pat !! We used to skate Lakewood skatepark all the time. There is a early issue of skateboarder magazine that had a "who's hot" section that featured Pat !!! He was one of the funniest, craziest people in the world ! Fun to be around !! Like driving down a one way street the wrong way straight through oncoming traffic dodging cars right and left and getting pulled over. When the cop comes up to the window and says you know this is a one way street ? He says of coarse, I'm only going one way!! We had a lot of fun !

Too sad about Todd Barnes...

Seems since I was a sprite, Todd Barnes' name is and was, like Jack's, synonymous with that element that people associate with the band's...dare I say 'crazy' side .AND his drumming was big part of your original sound.

Can you say something about Todd ??

Todd was one of the funniest people that i have ever met !!!! He was like a big kid his whole life !!!! He lived with his grandparents and we had our practice studio there in the guest house. I moved in there and Mike Roche soon followed. Todd was a crazy drummer, his stamina was insane and he played guitar and bass as well. So all of the early TSOL songs came from this setting.... We all lived in the studio (except Jack who was a stone throw away) and played all day every day. To Todd's credit, hands down every drummer I have ever played with has been influenced by Todd or strives to be like Todd was!!!! He was a great artist and an incredibly creative drummer !!!!

Another thing: people used to say-perhaps somewhat ignorantly, that something about TSOL was in some way quietly kinda 'right wing'. That might sound dumb but it used to get kicked around and talked about. Your American flag tattoo, the band's name, Orange County Republicanism, etc. Is there anything to this ?

I love my country...... Just NOT the people who run it !!!! They are ALL crooks and They ALL lie .... Just the same as all the English bands that toured the states in the late 70's and early 80's wore their colors, I wear mine on my sleeve..... Defaced of coarse by the TSOL tattoo running through the middle of it !!!!! The TRUE SOUNDS OF LIBERTY !!!! Was the Damned a huge influence on the band ? We used to think so.... Jack's stage get-ups, his Vanian -like moves, etc. all of your musicianship. Yes .... How could you NOT be influenced by Rat Scabies on the drums !!!! Brian James or Captain Sensible on guitar!!!!! Dave Vainian's stage presence and voice ! Algee Ward or Paul Gray on Bass !!! Yes, Machine Gun Etiquette and the Black Album are two of the finest records ever made !!!! We had the pleasure of playing with the Damned in the early 80's and I learned alot of things from Captain !!!! We were also very pleased to here that Dave had a copy of "Dance With Me" on his nightstand !!!!! They were and still are a huge part of my life!!

Why do you think you've succeeded in a field where so many others haven't ?

That depends on what You call success !!!! It's more like we have survived when we have lost so many friends. The reason we have "succeeded" is because we never had the expectation that we were going to. We started playing together Because we are friends and wanted to have fun. My Grandfather told me when I started playing to learn everything I could about the guitar inside and out, stay true to it and have fun doing it and one day I would look back and would have made a career doing something that I love. It would never seem like work !!!!! He was right ! I am now returning it to Kids teaching them the little that I know about the Guitar!

Do you feel that music is the best way for you to express yourself ?

Yes !!! When you have made a "career" of something, hopefully You are doing something. To give back and pass on what was freely given to you. For me, as a child I was painfully shy, but loved to write and draw. When I decided I wanted to play guitar and the this type of music, it was a great way to express myself without having to be personal. In teaching the kids that I teach now, it's very important for me to encourage and motivate them in a positive way without getting in their way.

I know you've been through a TON of changes over the last ten or so years.By all reports, you're doing better :) What's been most important about these changes and how has it made things better ?

With out any question, getting clean (off heroin) was the one thing that has made all else possible !!!! I have been sober for over 12 years and owe my sobriety to my dear friends Mike Roche, Jack Grisham, and Mark Mahoney. They all loved me when I couldn't love myself. Since i have been clean I have been given another chance at being at good husband, father and son. I have been very blessed. I could have easily ended up like to many of our friends, dead or locked up!!!! Funny thing is, I quit drinking and using.... And I haven't been to jail since. I personally find that alot of the best music is projected from insecurity.Sure, choices/ decisions can be made about how to best harness that.

What do you think the drugs offered ? Did they make making the music easier ? Did they make the music better. At least at the time ?

Great music has come from the drug culture. But you don't have to be Intoxicated to make great music. For me drugs and booze took away the pain that life can be sometimes. It gave me courage. Before I got sober in 1999, I don"t think ever played a show without being under the influence of something. So playing Sober for the first time was intimidating !!! After the first song when people went crazy and were jumping off the speakers, tearing down the light bars and a guy was carried out on a stretcher, did I realize that It didn't matter if I was loaded or not !!! Actually, it has been much better playing clean !!!! I am very aware of what's going on around me now !!!

How much jail time did you do ?? Were you able to work on anything during that time you were locked up ?

The longest time I did in one stretch was one year. I did countless 6 month sentences. Lots of 60-90 day vacations!! Nothing too bad. As far as writing behind bars, You have nothing but time to think, so I wrote a lot and did a lot of art ! Weathered Statues and Beneath the Shadows were pretty progressive for their day and place in time.

Did you start from the very beginning knowing that you'd be offering changes like that ...sometimes to deaf ears ? Were you bored with a ton that was already going on in So Cal even before those things were recorded ??

No plan !!!! I equate the progression like this..... When I started riding a bicycle, it wasn't long until I wanted a motorcycle. Every record we did reflects growth and learning more about our instruments. Our influences were bands like the Dammed !! Weathered Statues and Beneath the shadows were just what happened after listening to the Black Album and Strawberries. That was 1981-82 !!! Funny enough, people didn't know what was going on with that record, yet songs off that record are the most requested today !!! It was one of Kurt Cobain's favorites! Listen to the guitar sounds

Do you feel like you experiment within music ... or are you maintaining a tradition of sorts, Where do you think this all is taking you ?

I'm doing all that I have known for the last 32 years..... Playing guitar in a Punk Rock Band ! No plan !!!! Where it's taking me is the same place it has always taken me.... Away from life's troubles!!!!

Are there other art forms that you work with these days ??

Yes, my wife Gia and host a outdoor sculpture show every September called "Artoretum" with artists from across the country showing there work in a natural setting all contemporary Modern pieces shown In the woods is a nice contrast !!!! We both are very involved in the art scene !!! You can google Our show at Artoretum Sioux City, Iowa !!! This will be our 4th year !!