Smash turns 30!
Celebrating the album’s 30th Anniversary
This raucous album was released on April 8, 1994.
This is the cover of the album “Smash” (1994) by the Offspring.
“Smash” was among the most commercially successful Punk Rock albums released in 1994, a year when the genre arguably reached its greatest popularity. The album, along with Green Day's “Dookie”, were responsible for bringing the genre into the mainstream, and helped pave the way for the then-emerging Pop Punk scene of the 1990s. Smash has sold over eleven million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling album released by an independent record label.
Source: Wikipedia.org
“The Summer of 1994 was a crazy, fun time in my life. Work hard, play hard... It was a time filled with parties, concerts, and stories, stories that still make me smile and sometimes also think, ‘I can’t believe I did that...’”
- Woodard, Anthony. “Driving with binoculars...”. Mar. 16, 2023
Memories… It was the Saturday before the Fourth of July (1994); myself [I was 20 y/o at the time] and a certain individual [who shall remain unnamed] (Subject 1) were tasked with “bringing” some beer to a few parties that day. We began by pulling up to the back of a certain local establishment [that was closed at the time] so that someone could “load” a large keg into the bed of Subject 1’s pickup. The keg was first placed in a huge gray trashcan filled with ice; a “trashkeg”. Running late, we then tapped the trashkeg and headed off to the first party set for Noon. Not surprisingly, my solo cup ran dry after we spent another twenty minutes hunting for the target house [No GPS back then; “Dude, hold up. I think that’s the house, no wait. Umm, turn back over there. Ah sh#t! This is the wrong street. Head back over the highway…”]. Fortunately, waiting on the bridge over I-35 for the traffic light to change gave me an opportunity to step out, jump into the bed, take a few swigs from the tap, and refill my cup, all to the absolute astonishment of the other motorists; “WTH is he doing? Hey bud you can’t do that!”
We finally arrived at our destination after another ten minutes or so. As Subject 1 and I made our way to the back yard with the trashkeg in hand, we immediately noticed that some of our fellow partygoers were already completely wasted, while others were totally lit; “I guess y’all got started pretty early…” I still remember seeing a few people passed out on picnic tables, as well as a crazy fella with a shaved head [like one of the guys in the second video from above] running across the yard with a huge strip of lit firecrackers in his hand, swirling them over his head; “WTH is he doing? That dude is totally lit!” In the background, the music of the Offspring helped set the mood for this little midday soiree; by the time you hear the siren, its already too late…
At its core, Punk speaks of rebellion, crazy adventures, and of doing things your own way. The Offspring’s lead singer and co-founder Bryan “Dexter” Holland is the personification of this ethos; a “renaissance man” who in addition to fronting an awesome band and surfing, also attained a PhD in molecular biology, completed a 10-day solo flight around the world, and launched his own brand of hot sauce. The Offspring are my favorite band from the mid-’90s Punk era, specifically the Skate Punk subgenre. Skateboarding (and BMX) have largely been associated with Punk Rock culture.
The iconic Tony Hawk circa 1986
Source: si.com
For me, the Offspring’s music harkened back to the prior decade, when BMX and skateboarding were seemingly taking over my hometown. The area that I grew up in (Raytown and south Kansas City), bore a small, yet talented group of BMX riders and skateboarders; rebels and crazy daredevils, who forged ahead and did things their own way. USA BMX Hall of Fame rider and icon Dennis "DMC" McCoy started out on a dirt track that was only a couple of miles from my childhood home. McCoy led a pack of riders called the “BMX Brigade” which also included actor, musician, and BMX legend Rick Thorne.
H.S. yearbook image of Dennis at the track circa 1984…
In 1984, as I initially gave up on playing guitar and was beginning my decade-long dance with “The Beautiful Game”, I also finally learned how to do some tricks on my Raleigh BMX bike; a few bunnyhops, wheelies, and an endo, nothing too spectacular. Prior to that, my biggest accomplishment on two-wheels was riding no-hands for nearly 100 laps around a large cul-de-sac with an island; approximately three miles. The street I lived on did not have curbs. Instead, our front yards had fairly large swales and ditches that allowed us young riders to go vertical (just a little) or not; whoa, he dumped it...
On a whole other level… The Real McCoy.
harobikes.com
As ‘85 fell over into ‘86, most of my time was dedicated to soccer (and school, ugh…). However, I also spent a fair amount of time on my bike, trying to do more tricks and wanting to race. While my friend and teammate Bryan S. was great at soccer, he also happened to be great at BMX racing. I remember later watching him complete on a dirt track near Harris Park in Lee’s Summit and after seeing him tear down the course, it was clear that he and his competitors were at the next level; I decided it was best to stick with soccer...
McCoy was a top-level rider at age 19…
A year or so later, skateboarding was becoming more popular in my neighborhood. After some badgering on my part, my dad took me to our local skate shop to buy a board; a Rob Roskopp Target III deck, with large red wheels.
Memories…
Photo Credit: Anthony Woodard
This also was the time that I first heard the sounds of Thrash Metal and early-Skate Punk; Anthrax, Dead Kennedys, Suicidal Tendencies, and The Dead Milkmen. Their songs formed the perfect soundtrack for those times spent on two-wheels (or four-wheels); for those rebels and crazy daredevils we knew and respected...
While I occasionally rode my board, truth be told, I was not that good and was much more confident on my bike. Regardless, as high school approached and I squarely focused on soccer, my time on my board and my bike diminished, and eventually ended. My old stomping grounds later cultivated a small, yet strong skateboarding culture in the ‘90s. Places like Raytown Skate Shop (and their basement half pipe) and Loma Vista Hardware (who hosted an exhibition in their parking lot with the iconic Tony Hawk), helped grow this movement.
Hometown legends (Chris Benge, Ryan Minnick, and Jeremy Patton)
From Thrasher Magazine, Feb. 1998 and Jun. 1999
Source: thrashermagazine.com
An awesome documentary by Richie Wolfe!
My hometown is featured at 26m 47s.
Not long after, BMX had its own resurgence, with the construction of a large USA BMX-sanctioned track on the southeast side of town. The sport is still going strong. This past year, hundreds of amateur and professional BMX riders converged at Raytown BMX to compete in the BMX Mid-America Nationals; a new generation of crazy daredevils. To this day, I tip my hat to all those rebels and crazy daredevils, who fearlessly conquered our city’s ramps, tracks, streets, and lots, all while doing things their own way; they had the nads...
BMX legend Rick Thorne rockin’ the mic!
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