Punk Rock Ronald McDonald
June 4, 2006
He had an Anti-Flag band patch on the back pocket of his knee-length frayed black pants, and a Rancid patch on his arm. His Army boots looked a few sizes too big and were laced up tight with extra-long laces wrapped several times around the ankles. I couldn't figure out if he were wearing socks or tights, but whatever they were, they were thin and tight and emphasized his skeletal legs. Odd-length pants, big boots, black tights -- It was as if Ronald McDonald had dressed up for an all-ages Saturday matinee hardcore show at ABC No Rio.
His girlfriend wore a distressed black Dead Kennedys T-shirt, probably bought somewhere on St. Mark's Place, a tattered jacket with an assortment of hardcore patches sewn and pinned all over it, and bright green Chuck Taylors. She had a nose ring. Her bobbed hair was dyed a patchy red. "It's a G&L," she said.
She was talking to a scrawny rockabilly cat with a greasy, exaggerated DA, Gene Vincent via Brian Setzer style hairdo. A half-dozen round pins were stuck to his lapel, but they were too small for me to read any of them.
The three of them were standing next to me on the subway yesterday.
"G&L?" he said. "That's a nice guitar. I've played one of them before." He twisted the curl that hung over his forehead. "When my band gets big enough for the guitar companies to endorse me, I'm gonna get them to make me a complete custom job. I know exactly what I want. I know the pickups I want, the neck, and the exact hardware. It's gonna be sweet."
The punk rock Ronald nodded. The girl said, "I can play every song that Hendrix ever wrote ." She paused. "But I never do. It makes me too sad."
I looked at her face for any hint that she may have been joking. It looked like she was about to cry.
Her bold statement was followed by a moment of silence. The rockabilly cat finally broke it. "My band is playing on Tuesday." The train stopped at Bedford Avenue. "You guys should come," he said as he got out of the car. "It's gonna be a great show."
"Email me," said punk rock Ronald.
