Mike Ness has led Social Distortion for more than a quarter century. After eight years off, Social Distortion returned to the recording studio last year for Sex, Love and Rock 'N' Roll. The disc is dedicated to Dennis Darnell, Social Distortion's guitar player since its debut disc in 1983, Mommy's Little Monster, until his death in February 2000.
Why does it always take so many years between discs for Social Distortion?
We are not the most prolific band, but this album, for instance, we replaced Dennis shortly after he died. And then we spent a couple years playing together, because it was kind of a new band. We also had a new drummer. I don't feel we could have made this record earlier. We needed those two years of everybody finding their role in the band, and their comfort zone, and their abilities, and their highlights, and the things that they are going to bring to this band. We had to establish that, and then make the record when there was the confidence.
Did you ever think of calling it quits and doing more solo albums?
I never intended on stopping, even though when Dennis passed away, obviously, it was a consideration. But before that, I just needed a break. I never had any intentions of stopping Social D. No.
When did you start writing the songs on Sex, Love and Rock 'N' Roll?
Actually, I started writing them right around when he died. It was bittersweet. I wrote "Don't Take Me for Granted" three days after we buried him, and that was when I pretty much made the decision to keep it going rather than letting a negative situation turn negative all around. I tried to use it for inspiration to keep going forward. He and I started this when we were kids.
Have you seen the footage of yourself in the DVD release of Another State of Mind (a 1983 documentary of a do-it-yourself punk rock tour that Social Distortion participated in)? What did you think of yourself in it?
Yeah, I did. He looked like a confused kid. People ask me what I would say to that kid now, and I would say, "Grow up, you little punk."
How much have you changed since then and how are you the same?
Not much has changed in terms of me wandering off from the crowd and picking up a guitar and kind of reporting what I've seen. My disdain for the way the masses are forced to think. Those ideals that I had are never going to go away. They are just part of my personality. If anything, they might get magnified as you get older and get more crotchety. I think that what people appreciate about Social Distortion was that we were not afraid to evolve. To me, punk rock and the punk scene was the beginning of something. I mean, I was a punk rocker when I was 17 years old, but I am a grown man now. I've taken everything with me that I learned along the way and kept a lot of those ideas intact. However, I learned a lot on the way, too, and for some of us, that lifestyle was destructive. It had a lot of false promises as much as probably joining a gang; as those types of lifestyles promise.
When did Social Distortion find its sound?
I think we started to define it with Prison Bound (1988), more so than Mommy's Little Monster, for sure. Because my affection for American roots music really was pronounced on that album (Prison Bound). I started writing that in the mid-'80s, and by then the punk scene in LA had really stereotyped itself. We've been covering Johnny Cash songs since 1985. When we started playing "Ring of Fire," people were like, "You're doing a country song?" We were taken a little bit aback by that. But it is one of our strongest songs. By 1985, you had jocks from the high school shaving their heads, and all of a sudden, they were in punk bands, too. We didn't want to be like everybody else. That is why bands like the Chili Peppers, Jane's Addiction, Social Distortion and No Doubt all had to carve their own niche. We had to define our sound if we wanted to stick out.
How is it different now going out to play a show from back in the day?
I enjoy it just as much as I did at the very beginning. It is awesome. I love playing. The traveling gets rough sometimes, and sometimes you don't feel like going on the stage and entertaining a room full of people. But at the end of the night, you are stoked because it was fun.
Any good Vegas stories?
The early years were a blur. But I remember Vegas was one of the only places that would have us in the early '80s, that much I remember. We have been going there for 25 years, whether it was in a club or in a warehouse.
Will you be doing any more Mike Ness discs?
I would like to. But right now I need to concentrate on Social D. I think we have a great start on another record as soon as this tour cycle is done. We had a lot of songs we didn't use and we are definitely still feeling the inspiration from a positive studio experience this last time. There is just a very creative vibe right now amongst us. We are really into writing right now, and want to do another record. It won't be another eight years.