justin - ProfilesArchive

About Me

Currently located in a dilapidated farmhouse outside of Bern, the capital of Switzerland.
The subject is an organic gardening graying metal-punk who enjoys
riding a motorcycle, travel, reading, hiking and parenting.
Yes, I am really just a tree hugger with a bad temper who likes heavy metal... Living in one of the cleanest, most uptight, anal-retentive but beautiful countries in the world is an interesting clean anal experience.* Some positive, some negative aspects but the mountains are something I could never live without. Although I spend absolutely too little time in the mountains, kids, work, and all that. I am a Swiss/US duel-citizen, which means I can vote in this peculiar democracy, own guns, and travel with this much sought after red passport with the little white cross on it. However, I was born and raised in the "last" declining superpower, the USA.
Well, for some time, actually over 20 years, I used to define myself by my involvement in the punk movement so I suppose I will go into that as it is quite an important part of me. I have been involved in the punk movement since I was about 16 and went to my first shows in Washington DC in a state of total cluelessness. I attended shows at the now renown Hung Jury Pub, 9:30 Club, D.C. Space, Dupont Circle, etc, seeing lots of D.C. bands regularly like Government Issue, Dag Nasty, Scream, Beefeater, Thorns, Ignition,... The highlights were some nice out of town bands from back then which played in DC the likes of Subhumans, BGK, Reagan Youth, AccÃ¼sed, MDC, ... Graduating to full punkdom, I started hanging out in NYC on the weekends and discovered UK anarcho-punk and we started going to shows at ABC-NO-RIO. Saw Nausea, Born Against, Rorschach, Oi Polloi, Jesus Crust, Insurgence, Huasi Pungo, some nice shows. In 1991 I moved to Minneapolis because I thought it had a good political punk scene. Punk in Minneapolis was an eye opener for a rather naive over optimistic young lad like myself coming from the punk backwoods of Maryland. Well, the ups and downs of Minneapolis are hard to summarize. Met lots of good friends and saw some nice shows like Dirt, GAUZE, Misery (often), Los Crudos, Dillinger 4, E.N.T., Fleas and Lice, too many to name.
Na OK, well enough of punk. I don't even really look punk anymore and my mom teases me concerning my age but it's hard to fully give up after almost a lifetime carrying around this identity. Maybe some of you out there understand. Well, I met my future wife at a Misery show in a squatted castle in Luzern. Soon I was pushing around the baby carriage and settling down to increase the population of this small country by two. Now I have two kids, two wonderful daughters, and spend most of my time being a father. Rather little time is left over for such things like punk, sadly, and the lack of [being able to afford] a babysitter does not help!!!!
*Speaking of Swiss anal experiences, I have found that eating enough MÃ¼seli in your diet will relieve you of the necessity of wiping your butt. I figure it's all that fiber or "Ballast" as it is referred to here.

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My Interests

Foremost is lounging around in the garden when the sun is actually shinning, getting sweaty wielding my hoe against dirt clumps and mercilessly assaulting the weeds. Additionally, lounging with a nice tasty beer listening to some ear splitting punk or metal however I could be just as well getting sad or feeling homesick listening to one of my old scratchy Hank Williams or Johnny Cash albums. One can often find me strolling or depending on the situation trudging perhaps gasping for breath on or up one of the large prominent features of the Swiss Alps.

I'd like to meet:

Other parents with nice kids who would like to play with our kids. Neighbors willing to lend us farm machinery. An old friend or two on our doorstep.

Music:

Why list the bands I like? The important memories are going and seeing a band live, as that what it is all about I guess. Some of the highpoints in life were seeing these bands live (mostly early 80s- mid 90s): Subhumans, Dirt, ENT, Concrete Sox, Oi Polloi, Apocalypse, Haitus, Aus-Rotten, Fleas and Lice, Chaumbawamba, Christ on Parade, Econochrist, Filth, Scatha, Selfish, Scorned, Misery, Dillinger Four, Ass Rash, State Of Fear, Gauze, Disorder, Whorehouse Or Representitives, Disrupt, Sofahead, Girls School, Reagan Youth, Agnostic Front, Nausea, Rorschach, Born Against, Huasipungo, Insurgence, Citizens Arrest, La Fraction, GWAR, C.O.C., AccÃ¼sed, D.R.I, Naked Raygun, Beefeater, WWF, Scream, G.I., BGK, Normahl, The Strike, Los Crudos, Public Enemy, Melvins, Brother Inferior, A.P.P.L.E., Missing Foundation, His Hero Is Gone, From Ashes Rise, Moped Lads, Sepultura, Dag Nasty, Brutal Truth, Morbid Angel, Pungent Stench, Bolt Thrower, Obituary

Movies:

Brazil, Stalingrad, City of Lost Children,
Oh Brother, Where art thou?, Cohen Brothers almost all,
Das Boot, Little Big Man, Werner, Monty Python -- almost all!,
Life Of Brian, The Holy Grail, Meaning of Life, Europa Europa,

Television:

The television is sitting alone and dusty on top of an old sewing machine. The device shows signs of rare use. The unfortunate reality, our area we have actually no reception and can get no channels. Does a satellite dish play a role in the future, my crystal ball says no.

Books:

J. R. R. Tolkien -- Lord of the Rings,
Dorothy Allison -- Bastard Out Of Carolina,
Harper Lee -- To Kill a Mockingbird,
Kurt Vonnegut -- all,
Ursula K. LeGuin -- The Earth Sea Trilogy,
Remarque -- Im Westen Nichts Neues

Heroes:

Kurt Eisner. Why not? I guess once they declared war on Switzerland.

My Blog

Villa Justin

Finally did it. Put down real roots and purchased a house. We found a nice house and we really needed a place to live and not be caged in a little apartement and primari...
Posted by justin on Tue, 31 Jan 2006 05:39:00 PST