Brandon Cruz (2016)

why did i do it? well, why not? punk meant no rock stars. punk has no rules. i loved the band, the songs, the meaning. ian mackaye told me that if i wanted to do it to spread the message, to forward the ideals of the songs through the intended way they were written, meaning in a live presentation, and not for fame or profit, then to go for it. i didn't make a lot of money in 2 1/2 years as the second singer. i don't need fame or to make KNOW, or dr. know, back then, famous. i just wanted to be the guy introducing the songs to people who wanted to hear them live. i was and never will want to be biafra. he's his own man. he also wasn't going to rejoin the band. i had fun. i traveled the world and sang punk rock songs. it was rad. that's all it was, for me.

i miss bill. he was a great great man, my friend, and a hell of a role model. the stories about bill are endless. 4 years with a guy who plays your dad, and even seems like it sometimes, well, we did a lot and had a great deal of fun. he was a bachelor, so his idea of having me over for the weekend was usually him attempting to have a date while i scrounged the neighbors for a hot dog. i was around the cast of the partridge family, the brady bunch, julia, and butch patrick, erin moran, and a few others.

i like the song "drug me." amazing song!
as for bands form the 80's? well, there are so many. it depends what you like. some people liked the UK stuff. gbh, discharge, peter and the test tube babies. some were really into canadian punk like DOA, dayglo abortions, subhumans. others like east coast stuff, bad brains, minor threat, scream, SOA. the thing is, they were all really great bands. texas had the dicks, MDC, DRI, the big boys. arizona had JFA. Reno was all about 7 seconds. oxnard was ill repute, agression, stalag 13, dr know, and LA was all black flag, circle jerks, X, fear, and so many others. OC had TSOL, adolescents, china white, the middle class. SO MANY GREAT BANDS. and that's just 1981!!! listen to everything that you can. see what you like. fuck what anyone says. if you like it, it's good enough for you. myself, i love all those bands, as well as rudimentary peni, born against, and devo. it's all up to you. have fun.

none taken. it's reddit rules. no crowd funding links.

ron howard comes to mind. jodie foster. she seems to be doing well. most people would have a hard time with the fame and other crap that comes from being a kid ator. i was lucky there was no internet. that must be horrible. just the comments alone would make any strong kid want to kill themselves. people are cruel.

we are working on that. raising funds and awareness. if you know my social media, there are links to that. i am not here to collect loot for bill.

it was great, and it almost killed me. such is life.

wow, big question. i like sin quince, and also conquer the martians, female led bands from oxnard, my hometown. they are really active, supporting causes, being activists, and kicking ass live. also like a band called the dirty nil. listening to the interrupters and bad cop bad cop, too.

i would have to talk to her to form an opinion. recovery is different for everyone. you can't cookie cutter an individual into a set way of rules, and expect results. generally, i would say for her to be good to herself, to get a few new friends who are sober, as well as people like you, who are supportive, and to take it easy. it's not a race. also, seek out all ways of maintaining sobriety. 12 steps are good for some. there are also ways with no, or much less dogma. refuge recovery, smart recovery, nature, whatever. if it works for her, it works. explore everything. a persons life is in danger. never stop doing whatever it takes to remain sober, if that's what she wants. i hope it turns out well for her and everyone involved.

the name was in use in the midwest. biafra knew about it. the band in the midwest wasn't going to use it, so the band in san francisco adopted it. it was originally meant as a sign of the end of the age of camelot, the death of the american dream. so no, none of the kennedy family hates me. as far as i know. i wasn't in the band until 2001. they started using the name in 1978.

it was a song. i didn't write the words, but i feel that it can be worse. no one knew we would sink this low.

i could go on and on, but the simple answer is that rehab doesn't work. the majority of places that i know, and i have worked in the field for 17 years, are money machines. just to get rich. insurance scams are most common. over promise and underdeliver is the way most operate. a controlled environment does not teach people to live in the real world. as a sober recovery activist, i point out the flaws in the system, go after the rip offs and the scammers, and treat people as people, allowing them to heal in a real way, and to help educate the families. the addiction causes a lot of damage to everyone around an addict, not just them. i do that work.

i'm all for it. for the people who can handle it, why should it even be a concern? some drugs aren't really able to be used recreationally. i never just did one balloon of heroin because i wanted to relax. that's silly. i also could never just have one beer. it turned into several and then a hunt for drugs. that's just the way i am made. i used to be really down on weed, because it made me stupid, and anxious. well, it still probably does, but i can't say others shouldn't use it. portugal has had great success with their decriminalization of drugs, and i think the US needs to look into the ways they deal with that issue, as well as the northern europeans like denmark and sweden. some very progressive stuff going on there, and people aren't all fucked up by religion and stigma. this place needs a big shake up. too bad nothing close to that will happen in the next 4 years, at least. do all the drugs and booze you want, just don't hurt anyone. that's the main thing. don't drink and drive, or sell dope to kids. just be a good person.