Brijitte West on Staying Punk, Vinyl Revival, and the Story Behind Monolith Kids

0:04 Hi, you love then too, censure fore wow forra you you. This is pipe Man here on the Adventures pipe Man W four c Y Radio. And I'm excited about our next guest because she is a legend in my mind for sure, and you're gonna want to hear what's going on. So let's welcome to the show. Bridget West. How are you hi, I'm good. Thank you very much for that amazing introduction. Well you well deserve it. And I was even told that you have a great story. So I'd like to hear your story, and I'm sure our listeners would like to hear your story. I was even told in Clean One with D d Ramone.

0:58 Oh yeah, okay, yeah, So with the D d ramone story, how long have you had do you have? So? D d Ramone? I met Dede Ramone when I lived in New York, well you know, obviously from New York City, and met him in a bar and he decided that he wanted to be in my band. He had left the remote, just left the Ramones and we it was me and Rick Machis from Degeneration and we were sort of like in this bar and he started talking to us and and he was like, oh, you guys are in a band. Do you need a bass player? We were like, yeah, we actually do. And he actually decided that he wanted to be our bass player. And because Dede was I don't know, you know, he was so eccentric, let's just be kind and yeah. So he said, yeah, I'm your bass player now, and that's it. So you know, we went with it. We just went with it. We're like, okay, so we did. We were going to do one gig with him. We had this band called that. It was a very the very first band that I had in New York City was actually called Sprocket, and we put up posters all over town it said Sprocket featuring Deiti Ramone.

2:20 Probably very very few people are going to remember this, but some people will remember that. And anyway, so the night before the show, we were going to open up for the Pixies at the Wits I believe it was, and of course he chickens out and he says, oh, I'm not doing the show well, and so we ended up that day rehearsing another guy, getting getting him to do the gig and unbelievable. And then we formed a band called Viva La Wattage. I put out a seven inch single with Viva Lamottage, which is a very rare single.

3:00 I think you can get it at dis on discogs. But yeah, that was my very first band with Rick from Degeneration, but DEDI remained obsessed with me and so there's more to the story. But yeah, that's the very first sort of kind of foray into my life with D D. Nice. And here we are all these years later and you're remastering a collection and it's being projected as September first to be released Monoloth Monolith Kids. Yes, and it's on LP NCD. That's pretty exciting too. Yeah. Yeah, like vinyl is making a comeback. I can't even believe it.

3:48 Like my grandkids they have me buy them vinyl. I'm actually in sticker shock too of what vinyl is nowadays. Like they want an album, man, it's like thirty eight dollars. I'm like, Wow, when I was a teenager, I wouldn't have been able to afford an album. But you know, we're in different times and albums are in demand. Thank god. I think, as you know, it is the best way to really consume music in my op. Absolutely, especially records that were recorded on analog to begin with, you know, recorded the two inch tape or four inch tape or whatever inch tape you know, and then to listen to it digitally, it doesn't really make sense. The crossover doesn't work. The warmth is gone, the dimension is gone.

4:39 But then when you listen to it on vinyl, it doesn't even matter what sort of turntable you have or what sort of speaker you have. You know, it can be. It doesn't have to be the most expensive, you know thing. It's there's still another dimension that vinyl offers that CD and digital just doesn't. So I'm really excited about Monolith Kids because it's remastered. When I made most of these recordings, I was so you know, I was such a starving artist that I was looking at menus and sort of polish diners based on the prices of things rather than what I actually could eat, you know, wanted to eat.

5:20 I mean, so, in other words, you know, the budget I'm making a lot of these records was a lot of this of these recordings was so so poor that actually having somebody going through these recordings and mastering them properly is so amazing. And to be able to listen to them and with the whole that whole leather dimension is going to be is going to be really exciting for people that were fans of mine anyway. So it's very very exciting. And you're right about the albums. Like I think a lot of people don't realize, especially people that grew up in the digital generation, that digital is just like choppy.

6:04 It's not a wave and you're missing the mids. So, like you said, the depth is not there, and there's a whole different feeling to that depth, you know, when you immerse yourself in the album. Yes, I find it really difficult. Even like that word immerse yourself is a really good one. I've never felt I could really immerse myself in music in the digital age like I used to when I put a record on exactly a vinyl record and really just sat with it, you know, just listening. I remember like being a teenager and listening to kind of like you know, like def Leopard or something, you know, putting on the album and just being like I am in the room with the band right now, you know what I mean, Like I'm actually like in the room, like you know, And that's what Vinel gives you that's I really feel like that's what it does.

6:59 There was some I talked to. Yeah, I don't know, but. Well there's somebody I talked to. I was just doing festival overseas and one of the bands I was talking to, they were telling a story about Lemmy and they were like, let he's like, you want to hear what heavy is. This is what heavy is. And he put on an album and the sound quality was like, definitely horrible. This way is being described to me, and like, you know, but he playing that album he said to the guy, he goes, that's heavy, you know, And he's referring to the fact of just listening to an album and all the sounds that could come from it is what's heavy.

7:45 Yeah, I think people have lost that. I think, well, not that they've lost that, I think I think again, you know, sorry kids in the digital age, you never had that, Yes, exactly right, So I think that, I I think one of the reasons and great and kudos to all of you people that have discovered vinyl and under and are now understanding the craft of the sound, you know, and how production and the actual kind of you know that how sound can be actually really tactile. You can actually feel it and you can really Like I said before, it's sort of the it was recorded on analog tape, then it's put on this wax disc, which is then put on vinyl, which is then you put on a you a needle, and then it's then it's transmitted that way. There's something that's so beautiful about that process that digitally doesn't exist, and something gets very A very very important element of sound and production and the emotion of music and the heaviness of music and the depth of music gets lost. Not to but you know, I mean there are still some amazing artists that are working digitally now that are doing great, you know, really beautiful records, really amazing records. I just think rock, for instance, I think needs it.

9:12 For me. It just sounds so much better, better digit than on vinyl. So yeah, and it's kind of magical because somebody else I was talking to just last weekend with they were like, uh, yeah, so when you listen to the album, there's just there's something different about it, there's something magical about it. And they're like, I don't even know how that sound comes off of that vinyl from a needle, you know, and that's the magical part for sure. So what made you decide to remaster this now and basically, you know, make an incredible album of something that dates all the way back to the beginning when it really was like that.

10:06 I think I have an urge to remain relevant. I think that's probably number one. Also because I had the opportunity and I took the opportunity to do it. I really was curious to listen to these songs being remastered and you know, reimagined in a in a digital era and you know, in in a in a whole new way. And I really believed that people would be interested and in listening to them and and to put them all onto one record. And also they've never been released on vinyl before, so so that's really interesting as well.

10:55 See that's the amazing part to me, because like that is a thing too back then then is there was music that was never released that was badass from a lot of artists played live. And it's kind of cool that here we are in twenty twenty six and people can experience it now mm hm. And so tell me also about what made you decide with the special bonus having that cut under cover of cheap tragedies by the Avengers. Because that was never released. I mean it was released on a very small label, in a very very small way, on an Avengers cover record, but it was such a it was like such a kind of a blip. So here you go. So it's now. It's it's on an actual New York Loose album, a great song, a great band.

11:58 So yeah, I'm really excited about So it's a new it's new, it's a new track for people to listen to. But the big news is that I have a new album coming out. Oh let's talk about that, Yeah. I do. I haven't a home a brand new album coming out, so it's a bit early to talk about it now, but it's going to be out in sort of November time. Very cool. Yeah, so we'll we'll do another show all around that one. But yeah, so that's that's going to be. That's going to be really I think this is the record that I'm that's coming out in November is probably one of the best things I've ever done. I think it is the best thing I've ever done. So I'm really really excited about that. So Monolith Kids is brilliant because it's sort of like this is you know me, like, how long I've been around, you know, right, how long I've been doing this for This is where it's all beginning.

12:52 This is how you can, you know, sort of understand my history. How long I've been doing this, And I don't know. I was sort of like, I feel really really proud that I can really really put that steak in the ground and say I was one of the originals. You know, I was one of the original, you know, late eighties, early nineties, I was there. I did this. I was making my own records, I was putting out seven inch singles, I was you know, postering the walls in New York City. And I'm still doing it well, and I'm doing it without a label. I'm doing it without any real support. I'm just doing it because I love it. And that's you know that, and that's it really so.

13:41 And that's still so punk too, because like punk was always diy. I am punk. I've always been pretty punk and I still am punk. Well, and that a true punk is because it's like if I talk to people and they'll say, oh, I used to like punk rock or I like metal, I'm like, then you weren't really into it. If that were the case, because I think once you are, you always are. Yeah, it's more than just a genre. It is. It's sort of like your your character. I think punk is your character. I'm punk in pretty much everything I do, you know, right, Yeah, I'm like punk the way that I decorate, I'm punk the way that I do business. I'm punk punk the way that I do, you know, and not punk as in, you know, I wear a I don't. I don't wear a dog collar anymore, and I don't, you know, obviously I look, you know, I don't. I think I look probably pretty normal. But you know, it's sort of the It's this attitude where you know you don't have to follow the rules. You can do life the way you feel you want to do life. Right.

14:54 It amazes me that nowadays that we still need that punk aut more than ever. You would think things would be different, and they're worse. Like, I don't know how that happened. You know, we need it more than ever. We need to be authentic to ourselves. You know. You know, I'm going to have a little rant. So today I went, I was at the supermarket. I love rant. Okay, here we go, you ready, I'm ready? Market, and I don't know, you probably don't know who this is.

15:35 She's called Katie Price. Okay, just think, just think the Kardashians. Okay, but even worse. Okay, So we're talking about you know, like so fake, so like to the point where even the color of the skin is completely changed. Okay, So this woman called Katie Price. There was a woman in in the grocery store that I looked at her and I thought, are you Katie Price? Because she tried to look so much like Katie Price that I actually thought it was her. In other words, she had her skin was like really she had like super super super dark tan on. She had like the whole her whole face was obviously completely changed, her body obviously was completely changed.

16:24 Everything about this woman was totally changed. And I thought, but do you know who you actually are anymore? Do you know what I mean? Yeah? Like, girl, you were born a certain way, and it's okay to do stuff. We all do stuff to make ourselves look good, but where is your authenticity? And that's an extreme version. But I think to them, to to the point, it's that I think to be to feel like you want to live and be someone else. I find really bizarre. And I think when when you live in sort of this way where you want to be authentic and punk, it's sort of like you're living the way you feel is aligned to yourself and that's just so important and really really rare. And I think for me as an artist, I've always just tried to be that and that's all I've ever done. I've made many different types of music even right, so I've done I don't know if you've ever heard my Sandusky stuff, which is very very Americana. I've done so many different types of things.

17:34 That makes you punk in my opinion, that makes me punk, right, yeah, exactly, because there are no rules. And look at Social DA as a example. They you know, they like the findest thing they call cowpunk, like everything has to have a label on it. But I think artists should just be artists and be creative and that's what's punk. And believe me, I'm not putting anyone down that wants to do anything to themselves or whatever to make themselves feel better. But for me, it's about just what you said before. It's like, let's just try and be authentic, Let's love ourselves more, let's trust ourselves more. Let's be I don't, you know, to understand our own instincts more, do you know what I mean? And for me that that's kind of like all what for me, that's what means to be punk? It really really does. I know it doesn't sound like you know, again, I'm not wearing the dog collars. I'm not doing that. I'm finding I'm finding that you know, in my in my sort of grown up and a version of myself, I'm still pretty punk, you know.

18:36 Yeah, It's an attitude that never leaves you. And I think people that aren't don't understand the attitude because all they put to it is the look and the and and the debauchery of some of it way back when, and that's all they think of. But to me, like I always said, like the punks were the even more authentic versions of the hippies, because like the hippies they turned into the yuppies turned into the boomers, whereas the punks were just always punks, and they were and they were against certain things that the hippies were against too, but they stuck to it, never did conform to what society's rules are. That's why. Well, it's just because who made up those rules like just you do you, you know, and always do you?

19:25 People, Just do you. It doesn't matter, doesn't matter what's going on around you. Just do you and just exactly good to yourself and that's all you gotta. Do, exactly so totally because like, as long as you're not intentionally trying to hurt people, why does it matter what you are, who you are, what you do? You know? And And the fact is is, I think it's great in one way that we live in a world now that people can be more expressive without judgment, you know, And then there's still those people like I have a brother, Okay, he's one of the most judging people on earth. Okay, and so up until recently, I had blue hair for a while, for like years, and he would say stuff about that, and they would say stuff like I don't have any tattoos, but he would say about tattoos and like, uh blah blah blah blah blah, nobody has tattoos. I'm like, dude, look around man, like pretty much everybody does nowadays. He goes, well, maybe everybody you know. You know, he's like assuming because I'm into a certain type of music that only my people are and that's so eighties because that was the case then it's not the case now, Like I mean, and why shouldn't people be able to express in any way they want? Same thing with you know, you making music like you made the music as an artist you wanted to make. There's no rules, you know, And I

20:58 think that's the beauty of being they because you know, a lot of times throughout history the record labels like you have to have a genre, you know, and you have to fit in this box. I don't think artists should ever be in a box. I think I dodged a bullet, you know, I think I literally I think I literally dodged a bullet in a lot of ways. I've been thinking about this lately where you know, gosh, should we talk about this? Should we go here? Sure? These are my thoughts lately. So when my when I was when we okay, you know how all this stuff is now sort of like coming to the surface about you know, like people actually you know didn't actually unlive themselves, but were unlived because they were going to spill the beans on something or do something. Okay, we know what we're talking about here, Yeah, totally all right, so so so Kurt Cobain, blah blah. Right, So Courtney Love, here's she comes. She's coming out, I'm coming out at the same time. Interesting, we're even on a record together, the Crow City of Angel soundtrack. She's got a gold dust woman on there. I have spit on there. Turns out her dad is in the CIA. Okay, don't kill me, please, whoever you want anyway, album, my album's coming out. You're

22:29 the rat. It's getting unbelievable reviews. It is. Everybody is just waiting for this thing to explode. We go on the road with Marilyn Manson, Marilyn Manson's crowd. We win over the Spooky Kids, which was like a monumental feat. Okay in itself. I had to literally spit on them. Yeah, that's the funniest story ever. Right now you've heard that one. I had to do that otherwise we were getting bottled the whole time. Honestly, it was crazy and I mean that's punk rock and anyway, So we do this video called for a song called Broken. I get my friend Terry Richardson to do the video. Terry Richardson then turns into very shortly after the biggest fashion photographer. He was.

23:28 He did a book called what is it called like Richardson's Life or whatever? Anyway, a bit of a perv. But anyway, major, major, major fashion photographer who later did a little, tiny video with a small artist you may have heard of called Molly's Miley Cyrus and a one yeah yeah, and the little it's a little video you may not have seen called Wrecking Ball anyway, that's what I'm talking about. Okay, So that's my friend Terry. We do this video for Broken. It's a kick ass video. It's fucking cool as fuck. Okay, so it comes so we bring it to the record company that everything is just about to go fucking crazy. The record company says to me, oh, we're not putting out the video, Bridget.

24:23 I'm like, oh why because we don't really like the shirt you're wearing. Oh my lord, true story. I believe it too. I'm like, you don't like the shirt I'm wearing. What's one with the fucking shirt I'm wearing? I mean, I'm always I've always worn like animal print furry shirts, like and yeah, record gets shelved, we get dropped, guests, who gets goes gets huge in that year. Anyway, this is what I'm saying, I think you you know, I'm sitting here now in England, okay, in this tiny little village making you know, this record Monolith kids, and then I've done this other record, which is the best record I've ever made in my life, and feeling like that's okay, it's okay. You know, I didn't need to be a big, gigantic superstar and and and cowtow too, like you said, the record labels, and I've got a pretty good life.

25:27 I'm fine. And not only that, I'm still. Fucking punk rock right right. Right, And and you know I don't I don't answer to anybody. And you shouldn't. That was one of the things. Like I'm originally from New York, New Jersey, and at nineteen eighty my dad comes up to me. He says, back your bags, We're moving to California in three days. Oh my god, my dad almost said that to me too, But we never actually moved. Well we did, And so I was there for that whole Hollywood sunset strip all of that, and I remember I remember like being backstage and walking and watching record labels like destroy the music in that area to make it what they want. I'm like I'm out, you know, like, and I was very involved in that scene. I was like, no, I don't want to sell my soul, you know, and even you take like okay, So like Blinda Carlisle and Jane, they they were hardcore punkers and look at what they were turned into. That I think caused a lot of the conflict problems and everything else, you know. And yes, you know the thing I even think about it, like back then, it's like, well, they gave these bands all

26:59 the mony drugs and everything else so that they were oblivious, so that they could rob them blind. Basically, yeah, yeah, I never. Even made enough money for them to rob me. So that's ok. Well, but see that now you stayed punk, you know, I can say I'm. Still punk exactly. Have you ever seen a boom called the decline of Western civilization? Of course, every version of it. Well, and I've seen the real one like multiple times. And then they made like the Metal One and the. Other Middle Years, the Medal Years. I've seen them all like a million times.

27:39 Okay, So last Christmas I showed my kids that. So I have I have kids, my well, they're not kids anymore. My son is twenty two and my daughter's twenty and they are the coolest, cool nice, coolest kids anyway. So we're it's Christmas time and we always watch films and they're like, mom, Mom shows a film she was because like I always give them like a bit of an education. We're watching films. So I'm like, we're going to watch the decline of civilization the Middle Years. Okay. They could not believe it because they've never ever seen this before. Like they've never seen the hair bands. They couldn't believe the whole Gazari dancers thing. They couldn't believe the world that this was. You know, it's so foreign to them, and it's a what a wild, wild time, like what people got away with? You know.

28:34 Oh yeah, I'm glad we didn't have social media, you know. I it's that my dad ways said. But like it's the best thing ever happened, because like to live in those times and in the peak of it. I think about when I go out to La now and I go to Rainbow, I'm like, and I'm watching idea everybody and I'm gaining ID in my fifties at Rainbow, I'm like, how the hell did I get in there? At thirteen years old. Oh that's right. I would be walking in there with Motley Crue to go hang out with Lemmy and Ron Jeremy, and like that was what the time was like back then, you know, and then it was weird. Like also I was I was a metal head and a punk, but I had long hair, so I couldn't go to punk shows until the crossover and punks can go metal shows. And remember, like I wanted to go get my spikes at Posers on Melrose, but I'm a long hair I can't walk into that store. So I took a couple of my to get.

29:31 The you know, the big gigantic asterisks. Head right right. Well, what I what I did. You're gonna love this story is I brought a couple of my punk friends that were friends with the owners, so I fear it's cool, you know, and we walk in. We're there for about three seconds and my my friend's like, we need to leave, and I'm like, why, just I'll tell you outside, we need to leave now. And so apparently the owners pulled them over and said, let's and because you're friends of ours, we're not going to kick his ass yet, but you need to remove them from the store. Or else we're going to kick the shit out of them. Now. That was then.

30:12 Now it is so cool because I go on tour and I do you know, media coverage at metal and punk festivals all over the US, UK and Europe. I just got back from the UK as America, and it's like we can all be one big, happy family and so cool. I know, I love that. I love that now that that everything is there's no sort of you know, everything is sort of blurred. Yeah, and every and you know, it's interesting that everybody has so much knowledge, well not everybody, but you know, people like me and you for instance, we have so much knowledge of so many different genres right right, So we can talk metal, we can talk punk, we can talk folk, we can you know, I know you probably know lots and lots and lots of different types of music. And you know, I was actually doing a podcast the other day and I said that, I said this, and I never ever think about music in genre.

31:12 I just don't. And nowadays there's so many like micro genres and subgenres exactly. It's so finite and finite that it's ridiculous. Yes, you know, why should you be lumped in? And it's just like even back then when you know, the punks in the metal they couldn't get along. Meanwhile, we were both the ones getting bullied by the jocks, and we're fighting each other instead of banding together against those assholes. The people on you know, so much better now. In fact, my kids are they you know, and I think my kids, or kids in general, or young people in general, are kind of like, wow, it really used to be that segregated, and it's like, yeah, it really used to be so so yeah, So that's a good thing about going back to today. That's a good thing.

32:03 I think that you know, we've got a lot of crossover in genre and we don't have that sort of segregation anymore. You know, you can be into a whole bunch of different things. And I love when you look at a festival now that it's so many different types of people on the bill now and all everybody's enjoying it, and everybody's you know, getting it and getting into it. It's cool. So there's no assholes. I'd say that all the time. Now. There's no assholes at those festivals, right. No one's trying to kick you out because he got long hair or whatever, or the wrong T. Shirt on or whatever, exactly exactly what were you going to? Just ask me? Yeah, the festivals were are you doing what? So I did this year so far Hell's Heroes and then Milwaukee Melfest, Welcome to Rockville. Those were all in the US, and I did download. I normally do hell Fest, but this year I hung out with my son because it was fine others day instead. And then Incarceration in July, which is really cool. It's a Shawshank prison. Yeah, that's a cool festival. And then I just got back from doing Vaking in Germany and Bloodstock in the UK and Bloodstock is still not corporate, it's d y family run.

33:25 And then of course who was playing? Oh yeah, uh it's like all likedal mostly metal, but yeah, but you had like slur to Prevail was one of the headliners. Yeah see they're they're like they're brutal, Okay. Yeah, yeah, I don't yeah, I mean, I'm sure. And then the same weekend another one that I would cover next year I'll be at because it's a different week in the Bloodstock is rebellion over there. I'm sure you're from your rebellion. Exactly this year I should have been doing. I always do Punk in the Park, but that got canceled. You know, it's weird that punk festivals are getting canceled because of politics these days. But like five Punk in the Parks got canceled. Punk Rock Bowling I do every year got canceled this year. It's kind of ridiculous. That's a really cool festival too, Punk Rock Bowling. Well, but fortunately it's kind of weird, Like it's kind of weird to me, like this is when we need those festivals most of all, you know, and it's I don't know, sometimes it's kind of weird, like some of the crossover of how things are, Like like I remember one festival I did a couple of years ago. The band was he wasn't playing there, but he came back stage. I

34:56 was having like a forty five minute conversation conversation you don't even have to agree or disagree, just the fact that with Jello Biafra, and I was like sitting there like, well, this is fucking cool. I'm having a forty five minute talk with Jello bi Opera. I mean, and I think those are the people and that type of attitude that's what's punk too, where you can speak up where you do, speak up and be yourself and authentically yourself no matter what, and speak up against things that are wrong. You know. It's basically what it comes down to, and I think we need more of it these days. I even have a solution to the world's problems.

35:40 You want to hear it, I definitely do. We have one big music festival that the whole world is required to tend, and all the political leaders are banned from it. Security is told under no circumstances they come in, and we just put everybody in one big mash pit, will all work it out and hug afterwards, and all the world's problems will be solved, because that's what's punk. Yeah. Unfortunately, the people that are going to attend the festival are not the people that make the decisions about it exactly. But we need to stop them from dividing all of us because we're all just humans.

36:21 That's the bustle, that is correct, and that's what they're trying to do. That of course, that's the agenda. It's just it's it's dividing, right, It's dividing and and and you know, and making hate a really cool thing, right, Oh, no doubt about it some sort of strength or power, and there's no strength or power in hatred. And that's where I think people that aren't in the scene misunderstand punk and misunderstand metal because we're not about hate. We're not about hurting people. We just express ourselves, so we're not hating and hurting people. It's therapy, you know, it's glad creative outlet. I'm glad you're staying relevant, and I'm glad you're still doing this because we need people like that to continue and pass on the torch to others, you know, because like you said, there's people not here right now that Yeah, I don't think they underlive themselves either, you know. And you know, I also were talking about how things are today where we can merge together. I think people like Lemmy and Wendyo Williams for that that we're able to show that we could all aband together.

37:44 Oh my god, I love Wendy O. Williams. Do you know I remember when she was on how you probably remember this show what was it called? Now? Anyway, I know what you're talking about too. Show on television and they the Plasmatics were on there. It was like Saturday something. Sounds or Yah, Saturday Night Live. No, it wasn't Saturday Night Live, because I. Do remember when she was on something it was. And I actually had a cassette player and I taped it because I wanted to. I wanted to make sure she was amazing. It was, oh my god, amazing, amazing.

38:28 And do you know I met her. I just happened to meet her, Oh my god. Well I met her twice once I was in I was in her video because there was like sort of an open casting and I showed up and I just I just kind of like ran up to the front and I was like, yeah, like on I can't remember what song it was. It was not Plasmatics. It was one of Wendio Williams, you know, Wow. It was on the Wow album. And yeah, so I was just like one in the crowd, you know. And I actually had because I had long hair. I was like, I put my hair up in the asterisk. So if you see a girl with the asterix head going like that in one of the video. I actually never even seen the video. I got to look it up and see if I'm in it. But anyway, so I kind of met her briefly then, but later I was. I was working for Howard Marx, who used to manage Kiss okay, and he was a nightmare. Oh my god, I have stories about that home situation. Anyway, And I went to the health food store because I've always sort of been kind of vegetarian, always tried to be vegetarian. Anyway, So I went to the health food store and fucking Wendyo Williams is in the fucking brand and like Lentils aisle.

39:55 Wow, I know. I was like. To Williams and she she was so freaking cool. She had her tank top on, tits out, ponytail, fucking cool glasses on. I was like, I'm in a I'm in like a health food store right now with you. This is really crazy anyway. And she's like, yeah, like you know, you should get the brand this one because you don't have to soak it so much if you get that one. Like that's funny. Yeah, it was really really cool. I'm like, oh thanks, yeah. Yeah, that's when I met her, and yeah she was something else, something else, my god. And when she died, legend, and actually she died only a couple of weeks after I met her. It was like sort of it was sort of meant to be right. What an amazing woman.

40:55 I know, a legend, a legend mentioned like literally I still have like my my album collection still has like all the Plasmax albums in it, the Wow albums, because it was just iconic. And like I said, back then metal heads did like punk. It's just you know, I mean crossover. Like Richie Stouts was sort of like he was in a too tub but he was sort of he was still playing like a metal guitar, so like everybody was really confused. Yeah, I was at the first crossover show ever. Actually it was at the Sun Valley Sportsman's Lodge. It was an Elks lodge, no security, first time you had long hairs and punks in the same venue. And like on the metal side it was Possessed, Dark Angel, Savage Grace, and then on the punk side it was COC when they were hardcore punk and the Descendants and Suicidal before they crossed over, and it was absolute mayhem. Like it was the most icon and even I've interviewed both Mike Dean and Woody from COC on two separate occasions where I just brought it up. I'm like, eh, you probably don't remember this. Gig and it was at the Sun Valley Sportsman's Lodge and immediately they're like, oh yeah, that was like an Elks lodge right as the most iconic show we ever played.

42:25 I remember that kind of stuff like that blew. My mind because it's one thing may being a teenager and this is like iconic to me, but it's another thing them playing it after all the gigs they've They're like, I've already seen them three times this year, Like they're still playing gigs all the time? Are still playing Yeah? Yeah? They were three at the festivals I did. Yeah, right. And And I'll tell you something else that blows my mind. I've done interviews at festivals in the past few years of bands that I loved that I couldn't see when I was a teenager, like the Subhumans, Discharge, Exploited, GBH.

43:09 And love all of those bands. And I actually love interviewing the punks because people don't realize that there's like very highly educated and very well spoken, you know, and you think they're not if you look at them from the judginess of people, but you know, and it's like even they think it was stupid. Like I was talking Discharge and you know, they were one that crossed over to metal for a while. They're like, yeah, it was so stupid, no that I didn't even like, I didn't even like that album. Okay, it was like they were so cool and then all of a sudden crinch, Yeah.

43:50 That album was like yeah, that was a totally Crims album, you know. And then like I interviewed Colin at GBH. I'm like, I said something like so what that's what I do? Yeah, see, And I'm like, so, what's it like to be here? He was playing a gig in Florida and it was like a teaki hut, Like it was weird. He goes, well, what he goes, Well, one day you're playing to a million people Mesopotea. The next day you're playing at some little tiki bar in Stuart, Florida. You know. And but they're all still so real now too. Like Dick from sub Humans, Oh my god, he was the nicest guy and he's still so true to the way he was in the very beginning.

44:36 Interesting, isn't it. It's like a whole subculture of people that you know, are just doing their thing, you. Know, exactly exactly cool. For you to you know, to be able to document them and to to kind of you know, journalize their lives and their their sort of achievements. That's, you know, it's really important work, you know, because in ten years from now, it's going to be you know, almost extinct. Probably, let's hope not. But I can't tell you something. Okay. I have several grandchildren, but one of my grandchildren, he just turned fifteen about a year ago. He comes up to me or I say to him, like, what do you want for your birthday? And he goes a guitar.

45:23 Like I was totally shocked, but because before that he was just into like video games and like all the geeky stuff. And then he wants a guitar. I'm like, good, let's go a guitar center. And he picks up this guitar and he starts playing Green Day and I'm like, look at him, like, I didn't even know you liked that music because it's known in my family that I do. And then so I'm playing the music in the car, old school shit, and he knows it all loves it. Like. So then he asked me to go to one of the festivals with me because Green Day was playing there and I'm like, yeah, sure, you can do media with me, and you know, you can do it, hang out and do interviews, and he shows up in a Dead Candy shirt and I'm like, how the hell do you know the Dead Candy? So that's what's cool about because he knows all the shit we know, Like he listens to it, you know, even stuff that people don't know about anymore.

46:25 It's true and okay, and now I know we've we've totally bad mouthed the whole Spotify thing. But the reason why he knows that is because if he listens to the Dead Kennedys, then someone's going to say, hey, if you like the Dead Kennedys, you're going to like the sub humans and if you like this, you're going to like that, right, So that's what's good about it. Yeah, I say that too, like at least it's gaining notice. And like one of his favorite bands right now is Operation IVY. I'm like that one's been shocked me more than anything because it's like, who would know Operation ivy in two thousand places?

47:06 You know that exactly, really obscure exactly. So I'm playing all this stuff in my car. He knows it all and I'm so impressed, and he's got a battle vest and like so then I put him in his first wash pit ever and you can't, oh, well, he I know what to put him in, you know, not to They're not as bad as back when, way back when, like I was in some brutal pits. Nowadays, like I was just mo washing with a bunch of dinosaurs the other day at the festivals, Like it's a lot more fun nowadays too. And but he uh, you know, we were going through the crowd and there's like a hundred thousand people at the festival. He was with me at and he's with and my son is there with us.

47:55 He doesn't ask his son, his father. He asked me. He goes and he calls me because I'm Jewish, so I'm Zady and he got He goes, Zadi, why don't you get us up front? Because you know how to navigate the crowd. And that was like such a proud moment for me. You know, God, well you know what that is. That is such a beautiful story because like I said, you know, it's sort of like you're you're keeping it alive and you're being able to share it with your grandson, Like, how amazing is that I have a lot of amazing, amazing moments with my kids that around music. Wow, we we share so much fun times just like listening to stuff. Yeah, music is a great thing to share with you know, kids, grandkids, friends.

48:52 That's what's going to keep it alive. That's what's going to keep it all alive. You know they used to say punk is dead. Do you say melo is dead? And you know you go to these festivals and you see that is far from that. It's way bigger than even we was back then. And thank God, right or whatever it is in the universe, that's like working its magic around you know, keeping all this stuff happening. You know exactly well you are part of that. And thank you for bringing us new music and remastering old music to keep the nostalgia and the new going hand in hand. Tell everybody real quick how they can reach out to you and connect with you and check out all the new music.

49:38 Okay, So Bridget West on Instagram, uh and it's spelled with a J, so it's bri ji WTE. And also Bridgetwest dot com is the website you will start hearing about my new record coming out. That'll be more towards November, but definitely order and have a look at the site about ordering the LP you know, the vinyl, the CD, T shirts or whatever on bridgetwest dot com. And yeah, hopefully we'll see you out on the road at some point. There's no plans now, but we'll keep you posted well. I hope so. And thank you for still being relevant and thanks for being on the adventures of pipe Man.

50:22 Okay, cool, Mazel tough, and thank you very much. You got it. Hi, I'm Bridget West from New York loose and you're listening to the adventures of Pipemin on W four CY Radio. Thank you for listening to the Adventures of Pipeline. I'm w for CUI Radio.