Crimpshrine's origins are traced back to S.A.G. S.A.G. was formed in Berkeley, CA during the summer of 1982 by Jesse Michaels (of later Operation Ivy fame) (just 12 at the time) and Aaron Cometbus. The band mostly did just tape dubs with Jesse and Aaron trading off on instruments. It wasn't a functioning band until 1983 when Jeff Ott (at 12 years old) was brought in. Jeff played drums (even though they only had one drum). Jesse only sung, and Aaron played a guitar with only 3 strings. Later, they had changed their name to Revolution Through Apathy. S.A.G. had split up in early 1984. There were some rumors that Jesse was kicked out for smoking too much pot, so Jesse went one way and Aaron and Jeff went another. Jesse was Crimpshrine's original vocalist until he was not in the band. However, years later he came back and did some live backup vocals with Crimpshrine. There may be some tape dubs floating around, but other than that, the only released material that can be found by S.A.G. was one song- "I Had To Kill Some Ants Today" on Aaron Cometbus's "Lest We Forget" compilation. It was released in 1991 on tape by BBT Tapes. Other than that song, no other songs are known to be released by S.A.G. However, some S.A.G. lyrics were used in Operation Ivy in the end of Plea for Peace and some other songs such as Steppin' out.
After S.A.G.'s breakup, Aaron and Jeff switched off on instruments. Sometimes Aaron would play guitar and Jeff would play the synthesizer or piano or they would both play guitar. Eventually, Isaac (unsure of his last name) joined the band, first on violin, and then synthesizer. Lint from Operation Ivy played bass for a little while. This was the start of Crimpshrine. Finally, Crimpshrine became Jeff on guitar and Aaron playing drums and percussion. The only song used from those early Crimpshrine days on their later recordings was Tomorrow, which was originally an instrumental but eventually had words. In late 1984, Aaron was able to get a real drum set, and it was decided that Jeff would sing. The original plan was to have a female vocalist but that never happened. After going through 6 bassists (Ron, Chalky, Lint, and later Dave Ed, Spider, Suzie, David, Chris, Ben Weasel, and John J.) and one and a half years of confusion, Crimpshrine played their first show. However, their bassist decided to quit right before the show, so they had to get a replacement bassist learn 3 of their songs in 5 minutes. Pete Rypins joined the band in October of 1986 as the bassist and Crimpshrine finally began to play some real shows instead of playing in Jeff's basement most of the time. Their first demo was recorded in February of 1987. Then, they did 2 songs, Another Day and Rearranged, for the Turn It Around compilation. Their first EP, "Sleep, What's That?" was recorded in September of 1987 and released in January 1988 on Lookout Records.
They gained a second guitarist, Idon Bryant, prior to Sleep, What's That's release. He was not included on that album, but played on their second full-length, "Lame Gig Contest." It was rejected by Lookout Records, but put out by Musical Tragedies, a German label, with the lyrics translated from English to German in the sleeve. This is a very rare album to come across, however much of it was released in other Crimpshrine albums, such as Duct Tape Soup and The Sound of a New World Being Born.
The band was in various newspaper articles in their time, some describing them, others for their way of publicizing themselves. They would write "Crimpshrine" (which was a name they gave to a girl they knew with crimped hair) all over Berkeley High School's walls, as well as purple dots and other grafitti. Their principal actually supported the grafitti! One of their best articles was from in the Oakland Tribune, who went to BHS wanting to interview a band. They were interviewed by Maximum Rock N' Roll in 1988 as well.
After Lame Gig Contest came another EP, "Quit Talkin' Claude." Quit Talkin' Claude was released Claude was a renowned Berkeley scenester who was said to never shut up. Idon Bryant and Pete Rypins had left the band by that time. Pete was replaced by Paul Curran on bass. When Paul joined the band in 1988, Crimpshrine toured for awhile. His brother, Jack, was a roadie. Paul drove the Pinto they toured in. Jake was a roadie from time to time as well. He sang on one of their songs. Zak and Dennis were also roadies.
The 1989 release of Quit Talkin' Claude on Lookout Records was their farewell record, as they had split up. Quit Talkin' Claude was recorded in January of 1989 with Kevin Army, who worked with Operation Ivy and many other bands. After this release Crimpshrine was on some other compilations. Lookout released two retrospectives, containing some unreleased and hard-to-find Crimpshrine songs, The Sound of a New World Being Born and Duct Tape Soup. They made a split EP in 1988 with Boneyard and A Priori called Caution. It was released on Skene Records. They appeared on "The World's In Shreds" with the song Pretty Mess. It was an EP released in 1989 on the record label Shredder. Jawbreaker, Moral Crux, and A Priori appeared on this album as well. They appeared in 1993's "Benicia..." compilation put out by Take A Day on cassette. The song "Going Home" by Crimpshrine on that compilation is not known to be released on any other album. Other bands on it were Pinhead Gunpowder (Aaron's drumming) and Monsula. Crimpshrine were on some Lookout compilations. One of the obvious ones was The Thing that Ate Floyd, which contained many other of the Gilman era bands. They appeared with the song "Sanctuary" on Lookout's 1998 compilation Forward Till Death. They did a split with Mutley Chix in the No Idea Fanzine (issue 7). The Crimpshrine songs were Closed Doors Closed Minds, Caught Up, and Fucked Up Kid. Mutley Chix did Small Town, Big Hell and Lamp. Their real farewell album was a split single released in 1990 on the record label No Reality. It was called the Burning Bridges EP on their side. On the other side was Angel... Your Hair Looks Good! by G-Whiz. The two songs by Crimpshrine on their farewell album were Over the Years and The Direction of Things to Come. Over the Years was taken from their first demo which was recorded with Brian Edge at Gilman in January of 1987. It was recorded with Pete but not with Idon. The Direction of Things to Come was taken from their last studio recording session in January of 1989. It was recorded by Kevin Army. It featured Paul, Jeff, and Aaron.
Crimpshrine fell apart in 1989 and the members went their separate ways. Jeff went into Fifteen, Aaron got involved with countless bands such as Pinhead Gunpowder (with Billie Joe Armstrong) and Astrid Oto. Paul was in Go Sailor and Shotwell Coho, and also did a stint with Sweet Baby; he now plays bass and sings in both Surrender and Onion Flavored Rings. Idon has been in a fairly popular East Bay hardcore punk, Strychine. Pete resurfaced in Tilt, and has been playing with The Tantrums for over 10 years. Check them out at their homepage or at their Myspace page. Crimpshrine, the heart and soul of the East Bay, lives on through the other members projects and through the people that still listen to them and are inspired by them today.
My Friend
Crimpshrine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Found LSD as an escape from stress
Only knew where I was coming from
Didn't care where I was going or what I'd become
14 years old, full of LSD
Cuz that's what I wanted to be
It was always so much fun
Freedom to dose and dose and dose
In a park, frying under the sun
Those times are gone
Those times will never be gone
Guess I missed a lot of growing up
And now I'm just catching up
But sometimes when things get too much to deal with
I wish I could blow off the world
Like I did when I was younger
18 years old, I don't feel as free
I miss the way things used to be
But I know it wasn't always that much fun
It's too easy to rationalize
And start believing your own lies
And now I know that's what I've done
Those times are gone
Don't know why that I try to hold
Those times will never be gone
The lyrics to Crimpshrine's song "My Friend" delve deeply into themes of longing, regret, and nostalgia. The singer speaks from a place of hindsight, reflecting on a past where they felt free and uninhibited, due in large part to their experimentation with LSD. The opening lines - "I grew up sheltered and innocent / Found LSD as an escape from stress" - introduce the idea that the singer stumbled upon drugs as a way to break free from the confines they felt growing up. This escape seems to have come at a cost, however, as the singer admits that they "only knew where [they] was coming from / Didn't care where [they] was going or what [they'd] become." This carefree attitude is further emphasized by the imagery of "frying under the sun" in a park, suggesting a sense of reckless abandon.
As the song progresses, the tone becomes more melancholic. Though the singer admits to missing the freedom they once felt, they also recognize that their drug use was not sustainable, and that "it's too easy to rationalize / And start believing your own lies." The repetition of "those times are gone" emphasizes the finality of the singer's past experiences, and the chorus drives home the idea that the past can never truly be reclaimed.
Taken as a whole, "My Friend" offers a complex meditation on the allure and dangers of using drugs as a way to escape from the struggles of everyday life. While the lyrics convey a sense of wistfulness, they also acknowledge the darker side of addiction, and the damage it can do to one's sense of self and ability to grow.
Line by Line Meaning
I grew up sheltered and innocent
I was raised in a protected environment without much exposure to the world
Found LSD as an escape from stress
I started using LSD as a way to cope with the pressures of life
Only knew where I was coming from
I was only aware of my past experiences and didn't consider what my future might hold
Didn't care where I was going or what I'd become
I wasn't concerned with my future or what kind of person I would develop into
14 years old, full of LSD
At the age of 14, I was heavily involved in LSD use
Cuz that's what I wanted to be
I pursued that lifestyle because it was what I desired
It was always so much fun
I enjoyed the freedom and excitement that came with using LSD
Freedom to do whatever I chose
I felt free to make my own choices without much regard for consequences
Freedom to dose and dose and dose
I enjoyed the ability to take as much LSD as I wanted without anyone to stop me
In a park, frying under the sun
I would often take LSD in public places, like a park, and experience intense hallucinations in the sunlight
Those times are gone
I recognize that my past experiences with LSD are over and I can't go back
Those times will never be gone
The memories and impact of my past experiences with LSD will always be a part of me
Guess I missed a lot of growing up
I realize I didn't fully mature or learn important life lessons during my period of heavy LSD use
And now I'm just catching up
I am now working to make up for lost time and develop my character as an adult
But sometimes when things get too much to deal with
Occasionally when faced with challenges and overwhelming stress, I yearn to escape the world like I used to by using LSD
I wish I could blow off the world
I desire the freedom and detachment from reality that LSD provided me during my past experiences
18 years old, I don't feel as free
As I have grown older, I have lost the sense of freedom I once felt during my period of heavy LSD use
I miss the way things used to be
I long for the carefree and exhilarating experiences I had during my past LSD use
But I know it wasn't always that much fun
I now realize that some of the experiences I had while under the influence of LSD were uncomfortable or dangerous
It's too easy to rationalize
It can be tempting to justify past mistakes or harmful behavior in order to continue down a destructive path
And start believing your own lies
Over time, it is easy to convince oneself of false beliefs or self-deception in order to maintain destructive behavior
And now I know that's what I've done
I have come to realize that I deceived myself in order to continue using LSD and that it was ultimately self-destructive behavior
Don't know why that I try to hold
I don't understand why I continue to cling onto my past experiences with LSD or what they represent to me
Contributed by Grace W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.