Rancid, "Killing Zone"

Last post, I mentioned my friend Roxanne had used "Happy Up Here" as fight walk-out music.

I only got to walk out to music once in a fight - most of my matches were in a competitive system that didn't do that kind of stuff until you turned pro.

I didn't have a lot to pick from, because I needed a CD and I didn't have a burner. But what I did have was Rancid's B Sides & C Sides.

So I picked something rousing - in the end, it was a toss-up between "That's Entertainment" and "Killing Zone."

I went with Killing Zone:



To this day, I can't listen to the song. I love it, but I have to skip it when it comes up on the CD. As soon as it comes on, I feel all of the pre-fight tension. The nerves, the crowd noise, the tightness of the tape on the gloves the way I chew on my mouthguard, everything. It comes back in a rush and my heart beats faster and I feel my blood pressure rise. It's become a fight-or-flight cue. I can watch the fight without a lot of tension, but I can't hear the intro music. I tried when I wrote this post. But no, still not, more than 7 years out from the day I walked out to it.

Music is like that - it gets into you so deep that it becomes inextricably linked with what was around when you heard it, or the events you went through while listening to it.

It's a good song, though. B-Side quality at worst. I'd listen if I could.

Royskopp - Happy Up Here

One song I hear fairly often as filler music is Royskopp's "Happy Up Here."

I was introduced to this song when my friend Roxanne introduced me to it by using it as fight intro music - she's a professional MMA fighter. If this sounds pretty upbeat for fight music, just remember she's The Happy Warrior.



There is something to be said for live-action Space Invaders, too.

Ramones Walking Tour of NYC

My friend shared this with me today:

The Ramones Guide to NYC

It's a walking tour, basically, of NYC through the lens of the The Ramones.

And because Joey mentions it:

Sloan covering Gary Numan's "Cars"

In another installment of interesting covers, I found this:

Sloan Covering Gary Numan's "Cars"

Nice cover, and and a very interesting softer take on "Cars." You've got the tambourine, the synthesizer, and so on, but you've also got a nice variation on the chords on the guitar.

Belated Memory: AJ Pero of Twisted Sister

Back on March 20th, Rock-and-Roll lost a member of a band I really like: Twisted Sister.



You can see him in that video, hitting the glitter-covered drums. Great song, by the way - rocking beat, great lyrics, fun to sing along to in the car. Play it loud.

I always loved Twisted Sister, and I really enjoyed the fact that they played on the hard rock station's look in GTA3: Vice City. Dee Snyder snarling in that wig and awful makeup . . . it takes me right back to only the good parts of High School.