Hideout: Bibliodiscoteque #37
For Boston: Todd Robinson's the Hard Bounce
- Back On The Map - Slapshot
- Caps and Bottles - Dropkick Murphys
- Shadows On The Street - The Trouble
- Two Angry Kids - Street Dogs
- Allston Mass - The Allstonians
- Drunks And Children - Mighty Mighty Bosstones
- Who Cares - Showcase Showdown
- Wolfpack – DYS
- No Heroes No Justice - The Pinkerton Thugs
- Ballad of the Forgotten – The Ducky Boys
- Spymaster – Jerry’s Kids
- Little Tiny Pieces – Bullet Lavolta
- Boston’s Finest – F.U.’s
- Chunks – Last Rights
- Boiling Point - SS Decontrol
- Eye For An Eye – Eye For An Eye
- Nothing At All- Darkbuster
- Still Fucked Up – Blood For Blood
- Misguided Memories - The Freeze
- Moment of Truth – Molly Maguires
- Live Your Life - Negative Approach
- Quicksand – Dinosaur Jr.
Back on the Map – Slapshot
Slapshot has always been true Boston hardcore in my eyes. It was what the tough kids listened to in my school. Although, Boo is beyond caring about the music blaring from The Cellar I can imagine he’s the type of bouncer that these places brought in for Slapshot: aggressive but with a sense of what’s fun and what’s violence.
Caps and Bottles – The Dropkick Murphys
The Dropkick Murphys are Boston streetcore, oi punk, or commercial sell outs depending who you speak to. I don’t really care. I’ve seen them numerous times under both singers and Caps and Bottles is a song for all the kids who grew up in the shadow of the punks before them.
Shadows On The Street – The Trouble
The Trouble put out one album and numerous 7″s. Each defines growing up and trying to carve a place of one’s own; trying to be more than a number and accepting mortality. This track is about sticking together and being more than just an unknown.
Two Angry Kids – Street Dogs
“Hey You/Do you remember when/We were two angry kids” I’m not too sure that this song wasn’t written about Boo and Junior. At St. Gabriel’s Junior and Boo fight constantly for survival and place on the food chain. That line about sticking a finger and the chest and saying, “This is not a test” is pitch perfect for the novel.
Allston Mass - The Allstonians
From Quincy to Allston.
Allston is a great town. Boo lives there.
I admire a town that has a police station and hospital next to several Irish pubs. It’s like the civil engineers simply prepared for the worst.
Drunks And Children – The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
Boo drinks. He loses his head. He’s made mistakes, had his in’s and out’, his share of bad breaks, and, like most heroes, pushes through the crap.
Who Cares – Showcase Showdown
This one goes out to the bouncer side of Boo who has seen the crappiest of bands and humanity while leaning against a wooden stool stamping people’s hands and the unique situation of hating it and vowing to keep them all safe.
Wolfpack – DYS
Boo and Junior run deep but without their own version of Doyle’s ‘Irregulars’, their search for the missing Cassie would have run dry early on. This one is for G.G., Underdog, and the rest.
No Heroes No Justice - The Pinkerton Thugs
Boo discovers that no matter which side of the economic line you’re on dirt stains just the same.
Ballad of the Forgotten – The Ducky Boys
Boo does a fair amount of self reflection
Spymaster – Jerry’s Kids
In order for violence to have an impact it needs to be tempered with comedy: A low the balance the high. Boo and Junior’s attempts are surveillance are hilarious and probably the way most of us would actually do it – arguing over places to piss and everything.
Little Tiny Pieces – Bullet Lavolta
As the pressures of the case beat down on Boo, his rugged facade begins to crack and the narrative of his life in at St. Gabriel’s and his sister begin to break through.
Boston’s Finest – F.U.’s
This track may be hyper critical of the powers that be, but Boo has no love for the police and they don’t really return any favors.
Chunks – Last Rights
Boston HC has always focused on brotherhood and unity. I’m not sure if its a Boston thing in particular or simply a hardcore ideal (a chicken and the egg argument at best), but the bonds of friendship go deep in this novel and friends do significantly more than they ever should.
Boiling Point – SS Decontrol
This goes out to Boo’s anger control issue. This is the place I imagine Boo goes to when he enters berzerker mode.
Eye For An Eye – Eye For An Eye
I guess this set is all about revenge and rising above the restraints of our past. As Boo gets closer to finding who took Cassie and why she’s missing, he grows increasingly violent. He becomes a human wrecking ball forsaking any attempt at investigation for a path of most destruction.
Nothing At All - Darkbuster
The first lines of the track are how Boo spends a large part of the novel…until the no friends line. Boo’s got tons of friends and some are scarier than he is. Of course, Boo does seem to have an issue keeping his pants free of human waste and blood (rarely his).
So Fucked Up – Blood For Blood
“Not everybody grows up the same/ Some have to deal with oppression and rage /When you know you’ve got no escape/ you find a way to deal with the pain”. Right?
Misguided Memories – The Freeze
I’m not going to lie – Boo has it pretty fucking rough, but in every case he’s got people watching his back. This track is more for the riff raff and lost souls (especially Underdog) who surround him. To Robinson’s credit, these addicts and misguided youth overflow with humanity and remind us that those who make-up the white noise of our lives are human, too.
Moment of Truth – Molly Maguires
A light-hearted Irish jig cover of the Slapshot classic. I added this to break up the pace and add a little levity to the set.
Live Your Life - Negative Approach
Again, we get some common themes in Boston punk – individuality and pride. Bostonians overflow with pride and maybe it comes from backing a losing horse for eightly-plus years, take the role of underdog very seriously.
Quicksand – Dinosaur Jr.
I know that this doesn’t flow with the overall sound of this show and it is one of Dinosaur Jr’s more emotionally charged songs, but I saw this an end-credits type track. Sadly, The Rat, the club The Cellar is based on, was destroyed to make way for million dollar hotel. Gentrification hits home. I’m glad that its ghost lives on in these pages, though.
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