Link 80 was a punk rock/ska punk band from the San Francisco Bay Area.
<… Read Full Bio ↴Link 80 was a punk rock/ska punk band from the San Francisco Bay Area.

Link 80 started in early 1994 in the famous East Bay of California. In the beginning, original members (guitarist Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, drummer Joey Bustos, bassist Adam Pereria and singer Jeff Acree) played around town as Drano, The Rag-Tags, and Mr. Slave-Unit, before settling on Link 80.

The name came from the interstate highway I-80 which they used to get to the drummer's garage for band practice and connected the band members' homes.

In July 1995, Nick Traina joined the band after meeting Adam at a show in San Francisco's Mission District. Nick's passion and voice combined with the rest of the band to make them different from most ska bands and gave Link 80 the "against the rest" attitude they display throughout their lyrics. Far more punk than ska and with an energy and a sense of immediacy lacking in pop-oriented ska bands, Link 80 was able to avoid the clichés of ska-punk characterized by their peers. As Asian Man Records describes them, they are an energetic blend of ska, punk rock, and hardcore.

After some demos, split EPs, complilation releases, "17 Reasons" and "Killing Katie" (both on Asian Man Records) Nick left Link 80 and started another band called Knowledge. Knowledge released one record on Asian Man Records named "A Gift Before I Go". Shortly thereafter Nick Traina committed suicide, at the age of 19... Ryan Noble took over as lead singer of Link 80 and released "The Struggle Continues," as well as some split EPs.

In 2002, the band consisting of Adam Davis, Aaron Nagel, Steve Borth, Joey Bustos, Barry Krippene, and singer Ryan Noble went on hiatus. Steve Borth would join Rx Bandits, before forming his own band Satori in 2006. The remaining Link 80 members would form DESA. They have since maintained that Link 80 would return, but for now they are focused on their respective projects.

Joey and Ryan are now in The Soft White Sixties. Matt formed a band called Dolores (with Nick's brother Todd Traina) and is a member of the comedy trio Chad, Matt & Rob. Aaron runs Two Twenty Two Design Studio and is an artist whose work can be seen on the covers of The Resignation and ...And the Battle Begun. Adam Pereria played with Thought Crime after leaving Link 80.

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Nothing New
Link 80 Lyrics

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Walking down the halls to class
Wondering why I'm always last
I better run and move it fast
The teacher's gonna kick my ass

I'm sitting here alone again
Wondering where my time has been
They say I live my life a sin

Well notify the next of kin

Coming down
Live it up
Why do I
Give a fuck?

Acting weird
Strange enough
Why do I
Give a fuck?

I'm looked upon as if I'm nothing new
I'm looked upon as if I'm just like you
They speak to me as if I'm standing there
They talk to me as if I give a care

(Pick it up, pick it up, pick it up!)
(Here we go..!)
I'm bored out of my fucking mind
I start to laugh and lag behind

I hurry up and waste no time
Start behaving out of line
Got my mind on something else
The schoolwork and the lunchtime bells

A million trillion songs to sell
So someone tell me what the hell
Coming down
Live it up

Why do I
Give a fuck?
Acting weird
Strange enough

Why do I
Give a fuck?

Overall Meaning

The Link 80 song "Nothing New" explores the feelings of social isolation, apathy, and rebellion that can arise among young people in high school. The opening lyrics describe the feeling of being constantly behind, both physically and mentally, and the fear of punishment from authority figures like teachers. The next verse expresses a sense of detachment from the normative expectations that society seems to have for young people- "They say I live my life a sin / Well notify the next of kin". Later, the chorus asks a rhetorical question about the purpose of caring at all- "Why do I give a fuck?", before repeating the phrase "acting weird, strange enough". This points to the idea that, in a strict social hierarchy like high school, acting outside of the norm is often regarded with disapproval or suspicion.

The final verse describes the singer's defiance in the face of boredom and containment. He intentionally falls behind, laughs, and starts to "behave out of line". He notes that his attention is on something else- perhaps daydreams of music or art, as the line "a million trillion songs to sell" suggests. The song ends by looping back around to the indifferent refrain of "why do I give a fuck?", leaving the listener with the feeling that the singer's actions have been subversive but also in some way futile.

Line by Line Meaning

Walking down the halls to class
I'm walking to class, feeling like I don't belong and questioning why I'm always the last one.

Wondering why I'm always last
I'm questioning why I'm always at the back of everything.

I better run and move it fast
I need to hurry up and get there on time or I'll end up in trouble.

The teacher's gonna kick my ass
I'm afraid of getting punished by my teacher.

I'm sitting here alone again
I'm feeling isolated and lonely.

Wondering where my time has been
I'm questioning how I've spent my time and what I have to show for it.

They say I live my life a sin
People judge me for the way I live my life.

Well notify the next of kin
I don't care if people don't approve of my choices or if something bad happens to me.

Coming down
I'm feeling down or depressed.

Live it up
Despite my sadness, I'm trying to enjoy life.

Why do I Give a fuck?
I'm questioning why I care so much about what others think of me.

Acting weird
I'm self-conscious and think that my behavior is strange.

Strange enough
I'm trying to fit in despite feeling out of place.

I'm looked upon as if I'm nothing new
People don't see anything special or unique about me.

I'm looked upon as if I'm just like you
People see me as unremarkable and similar to everyone else.

They speak to me as if I'm standing there
People talk to me as if I'm not even there or as if they're not interested in what I have to say.

They talk to me as if I give a care
People address me as if I'm concerned about their problems even though I'm not.

I'm bored out of my fucking mind
I'm extremely bored and don't know what to do with myself.

I start to laugh and lag behind
I distract myself from my boredom by laughing and falling behind in my work.

I hurry up and waste no time
I try to move quickly and not waste any time.

Start behaving out of line
I start breaking the rules and doing things that others might perceive as inappropriate.

Got my mind on something else
I'm not focused on what I'm supposed to be doing.

The schoolwork and the lunchtime bells
I'm distracted by the demands of school and the bells that mark the time.

A million trillion songs to sell
I dream of being a successful musician and making lots of money from my music.

So someone tell me what the hell
I'm frustrated and confused about how to achieve my goals and make something of myself.

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave
Written by: JOHN SHANKS, KARA DIOGUARDI, ASHLEE SIMPSON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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