OG DRUG DOG

McGruff doesn't necessarily pre-date Ray, Ian, Choke and the rest of 'em, but he's tougher than Nancy Reagan. 

AFI - "Ny-Quil" (Dylan's Dumb iPod #11):

Sleep. I want to stay in bed all throughout the day, no one bother me.

I don't wanna open my eyes.
I'll lie here in my room. I have no need to see.
No one wake me, I just want to stay right bed.
No one move me, I just want to lie right here, right in my warm bed,
because I don't want to see tomorrow.
Here I am so happy, so just leave me be.
I just want to stay.
I do not bother you, so don't you touch me.
Get the fuck away!

I know it gets old when people talk about AFI being "their" band and how they have some unique stake in 'em because they liked 'em before you did and how everyone else is a poser who doesn't really like 'em...but...um....yeah. AFI used to be cool. Excellent drumming, super fast and hyper melodic. It's a shame that they evolved so much, but somehow they always get a pass from the punk rock elite and you're an uncultured dullard if you don't like the music they play now. Whatever. People are idiots. I can't say I'm crazy about Crashlove or any of that crap, but I mean, I don't HATE it. Still, sneaking out of my house to see 'em in Cincinnati (Cinci-nasty?) and premiere stuff that would wind up on Black Sails in the Sunset was a formative showgoing experience for me and the first time I'd ever heard of Samhain (or seen a devil-lock hair do in the live setting...looks stupid).

A few thoughts on this particular track:
It's a song about sleeping. There have been some awesome songs about sleeping (see D.R.I's "I'd Rather be Sleeping) and some that just make you wanna go to sleep (see anything DYS tried doing after Brotherhood).
It's a song about abusing medications (possibly satirically...I mean, they've got another early gem called "Aspirin Free"). Having been on meds since I was in like 5th grade, I back it.

Middle school nectar

It's a marginally funny song, like lots of the other stuff on Answer That and Stay Fashionable. See, before they decided to cloak everything in spooky metaphors about necrophilia and living underneath staircases they were pretty topical and kind of into straight edge. How many (good) songs about cereal have you ever heard in your life? Think about it broh.

The Reservoir Dogs shtick is kind of goofy, so is wearing club shirts and creepers, but this was the 90s and the bay area so I can overlook it.
The melodic "woah-oh" part at the end reminds me of the time I was really into Epitaph records and the Punk-O-Rama comps.

Obligatory comments:
How hard is that video where Davey Havok covers Project X with Ceremony?
How hard is this pic with the REAL shirt and bleached hair?

DLXSF

How cool is it that this band existed (and made great music) before husky gals with Bettie Paige fixations and christian youth ministers took note?

If anyone has the "EAST BAY HARDCORE" shirt with the cat on it (for a decent price), I want it.