Sex, Drugs, And Bubblegum Pop is the most outlandish column on UTG. Written by Mr. Jayce, vocalist for Secret Secret Dino Club and all-round funny guy, this column isn’t as much about the music as it is the experiences people in the music industry have.

WARNING: This column does and will continue to contain content some readers may find offensive. If you don’t have a sense of humor, this column is probably not for you.

Do true DIY venues still exist? When I was in high school, my favorite thing in the world was a DIY punk show. Weird noise rock and punk bands playing with their delay pedals in a barn was really my thing. You may think I’m kidding but I’m totally serious.

I would see all kinds of bands from all over the world who would stop by and play in a barn about 2 hours from my house. I would drive my mom’s forrest green station wagon (when gas was under $2) by myself to the middle of no where to watch bands I had never heard of. When I tried to explain to my friends why it was so cool to be locked into a barn with 75 people and a band in the pitch black I would never be able to teach them what it truly meant to me.

As my MySpace friend count grew stronger and I grew more distant from my high school friends, I had no choice but to join as many bands as possible in this scene of awesome people. I just started to learn any instrument I could and shittily play it in a band, because I knew so many other people who wanted to be in bands. Every band had a totally different idea of what was cool, but I thought everything was cool so I loved being with so many different people.

As time went on, a sad day inevitably  came where I had to watch close friends and minds I loved creating with make the decision to stop making music. It’s devastating. It gives you a feeling of bitterness, but also gives you an eternal question f what you are doing is worth it. It only gets worse with time when your friends start to graduate college, get married and have real grown-up jobs. It’s almost like you are being mocked whenever you talk to them. Never sure if it is out of spite and jealousy or if they are actually interested of your life in the entertainment industry.

I really wish none of my friends ever sold their basses, or started wearing bigger clothing. It is one of the only things in life that truly gets to me. What’s wrong with playing music when you get older? Please don’t ever sell your guitar, and don’t stop listening and learning music. And don’t feel discouraged for any reason. Writing and playing music is really about pleasing yourself before it involves anyone else. Whip out the ukulele and play some chords! Or just get wasted and do some karaoke.

Mr. Jayce

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James Shotwell

James Shotwell is the founder of Under The Gun Review. He loves writing about music and movies almost as much as he loves his two fat cats. He's also the co-founder of Antique Records and the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. You should probably follow him on Twitter.

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