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Freeplay: Circle Jerks
By Billy Schear
wschear@mscd.edu

Circle Jerks Group Sex (Epitaph, 1980)

More than a mere euphemism for mutual masturbation, the Circle Jerks have built a legacy of mythic proportions, transcending the times while unleashing their inner urges.

One of the pre-eminent punk bands of the ’80s, the Circle Jerks began playing in 1979 in Hermosa Beach, Calif. The band was formed by lead vocalist Keith Morris, who subsequently quit singing for hardcore pioneers Black Flag, and Greg Hetson, of Redd Kross and Bad Religion fame. The two genre veterans then picked up Roger Rogerson and Lucky Lehrer, rounding out the lineup. The band has continued in one incarnation or another throughout the decades and still plays on and off today.

Originally released in 1980, Group Sex, the Circle Jerks’ first album, features 15 minutes of tracks allegedly stolen from the members’ previous musical endeavors with other bands. It is a potently raw soundtrack for their generation’s terminal boredom. However, they somehow managed to not date themselves when penning those one-and-a-half-minute masterpieces, the relevance of which is timeless, since no amount of satiating pop drivel can permanently silence youth angst.

Screaming about the injustices of a world being crammed up his rectum, Morris pulls the Earth’s entire population into his own private and nervous dimension. Lyrically, a glaze of dark humor spreads evenly over a bitter catharsis. The album features the best of Morris’ gravelly vocals cut with sloppy yet strangely rhythmic guitar and bass work and drumming so ruthlessly efficient it could overthrow a small country.

Also synonymous with the Circle Jerks’ body of work is an ever-present sense of social conscience. The commentary, while elementary in its delivery, is no less poignant in its intention. Nothing captures the misguided nature of youth rebellion quite like “Back against the wall” when Morris trumpets, “You run around and spray paint graffiti on everybody’s wall/ You think that’s bitchin’ man, that ain’t nothin’ at all!” A journey of self-examination begins, leaving one to wonder whether or not their deeds make a significant impact in a constantly changing world.

Doing a tremendous service to mankind, http://www.whatwedoissecretbitch.com offers this album for download. With this bold gesture, they bridge the gap between old school and new by inviting all walks of life to join in the Circle Jerk.