TORO Magazine

For TORO Magazine pieces, see the following link:

http://www.toromagazine.com/contributors/0dddfbf0-88a6-4d24-357b-f06911e02e52/John%20Nixon/index.html?show=columns

Anti-Flag & Alexisonfire

"Underground Network" by Anti-Flag from Underground Network (2001)

Punk rock made music important. Not societally, but for me personally. Whether it be NOFX, Strung Out, No Use For A Name, AFI, Propagandhi, etc., it was punk music that really made me feel passionate about music. People can make the "untalented" argument all they want, but music is about more than creating a technically flawless sound; it's about unleashing your emotions and speaking from your heart. Whether that means speaking out against authority (the government, parents, police, etc.) or simply voicing the frustrations of living and growing that we all deal with, music helps us to both be free and together all at once. Being yourself while being able to relate to others is the ultimate freedom and, for me, punk rock embodies this completely: nowhere am I able to fully let go of myself but in a mosh pit. It's chaotic, violent and exhausting, but most importantly, it's cathartic.

I'm by no means old (24) but I know that every second I spend flailing myself around with dozens of my punk-loving brethren is like a dip in the fountain of youth. I'm immediately sixteen again and nothing else in the world matters. Everyone has something in their life that gives them this feeling (whether it's sports or old movies or certain locations from years past), but for me this is everything.

In continuing with the alphabetically trend, Anti-Flag's "Underground Network" is, sonically and lyrically, the epitome of punk rock: it's anti-authoritative, fast and angry. I can't count on one hand the number of times I've lost myself in a Flag mosh pit screaming the lyrics to this song with some of the best friends I'll ever have and I hope I get the chance to do it at least one more time.

To go along with this track I'm also including "Get Fighted" by Alexisonfire, another one of my favourite bands. This song is about everything I've just said (albeit a little louder) and, like Anti-Flag, captures the youthful energy that I'll always hold dear.

- PUNK IS DEAD. LONG LIVE PUNK.

"Underground Network"

"Get Fighted"

"So make sure you love like you've never been hurt
and when you dance, dance like there's no one watching you"

'Cause you can waste your time, redefining the day that music died
Or you can spend your life, guilt free and ostracized
'Cause all the fashion in the world can't save you now
It's something, I'll write it down for you

"So make sure you love like you've never been hurt
and when you dance, dance like there's no one watching you"

'Cause this shit is not about pants
And this shit's not about shirts
And this shit is definitly not about hair
This shit is having a good fucking time
Maybe music isn't dead
Maybe music isn't dead
Maybe we all just forgot what it fucking sounded like
They forgot!
They forgot!

'Cause you can waste your time, redefining the day that music died
Or you can spend your life, guilt free and ostracized
'Cause all the fashion in the world can't save you now
It's something, I'll write it down for you

My greatest gift to you
is a dance floor
free from insecurity

History 101

In order to grow accustomed to what you're going to see in the future, here's a link to some of the work I've done in the past for TORO Magazine (a great Toronto-based cultural magazine: www.toromagazine.com):

Album Reviews

• Alexisonfire, Old Crows / Young Cardinals
• Howling Bells, Radio Wars
• The Fiery Furnaces, I'm Going Away

Concert Reviews

• 2009 Vans Warped Tour, Montreal QC, w/ Photo Gallery
• Jay-Z "Blueprint 3 Tour", Ottawa ON

Interview

• Dallas Green, RE: Old Crows / Young Cardinals and Vans Warped Tour

http://www.toromagazine.com/contributors/0dddfbf0-88a6-4d24-357b-f06911e02e52/John%20Nixon/index.html?show=columns

The Jump Off

Blogs, social networking sites (Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc.), message boards... do more egocentric mediums exist? The dissemination of personal opinion with dreams of finding like-minded people that otherwise couldn't be found via face-to-face, organic contact makes me anxious and angry; why must we self-publish our path towards acceptance? Superiority? The great feeling of authority in a world where we hold little to no control? Or boredom and the joy of the middle-ground: we aren't ambitious enough to leave the house and our pop cultural obsessions to experience a unique life , but we do care just enough to sit down and create an outlet for our narcissistic and apathetic musings...

So here's mine! Cynicism aside, I've simply started this to further my own literacy and writing skills while maintaining an avenue where I can express my thoughts in an uninterrupted tone. Note: this will not be a diary. My only interest is to form a commentary on mass culture, music, sports, literature and film with the occasional philosophical or existential meditation thrown in here and there with the sole strategic purpose of defending myself from the thought that I'm too caught up in cultural criticism to recognize the greater social and intellectual issues at hand (my guess is that this will be a rarity).

The over/under for posts before admitting defeat: 6.5

... for the length of time (in seconds) between the posting and the urge to delete or rewrite the piece: 15.5

Now we're underway. Thanks for reading.