[maggiemel]

I suppose I should be flattered -- I was a "real" punk (yes, I'm that old). There was a real punk scene 30 years ago, too -- the Ramones were my local heros (I grew up in a town about 5 miles from their hometown, Forest Hills), and the big names playing in downtown clubs like Max's Kansas City (gone but not forgotten) and CBGBs (still going strong) were Blondie, Talking Heads, the Velvet Underground, Patti Smith, etc. The bigger names got bigger venues (like the infamous oversold Clash concerts at Bonds, in Times Square.

Punk or "new-wave" was the counter-culture music and served as an outlet for those of us disaffected youth who could not bear the mainstream disco beat and disco fashions of the mid to late 70s. "Disco sucks," was the mantra.

As we pushed into the '80s we were immersed in hard-core punk, with bands like Black Flag from the west coast and Minor Threat from D.C.

Then I got too old to be a punk anymore so I got married and pregnant and became a mom instead.

I still like pop music with a punky edge, though! A couple of years ago I took in a Weezer concert at Roseland. My friend and I were the oldest people in there -- by 20 years easily! Oh to be young again!