No. 056 - The So So Glos’ “Isn't It A Shame” changed my life
No. 056 - The So So Glos’ “Isn't It A Shame” changed my life
Why Ben Godward always shows up for the openers
This Song Changed My Life is an independent music publication featuring essays from people all around the world about the songs that mean the most to them. Created by Grace Lilly, supported by readers.
• 4 min read •
I am generally painfully on time.
One benefit is that I'm always there for the openers at concerts because… you never know. Some of my new favorite bands have blown the place up, making it hard for the headliners to do anything in the aftermath.
When I showed up for a ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead show in 2008? I had no idea that a bunch of brothers living in a Bushwick loft a couple blocks from my own would change my life. It was somewhere on the Lower East Side and I swear it happened, but I have no memory of the venue — I blame beer and my friend's pot cookies.
By the time the So So Glos got to their incredibly catchy “My Block,” the crowd was frothing, which in Manhattan, is not a regular thing.
It took a little bit of prodding from the infectious frontman Alex Orange Drink, but nobody there was the typical New York City show voyeur. Instead, for a moment, we were all in it together, a mass of dancing humanity. They took us on a journey of pop punk pleasure (and perfectly primed us for Trail of Dead’s face-melting headline set).
I bought the CD, Tourism/Terrorism. It was in the early days of digital and I doubt it was on iTunes. Either way, I had a go-to album for the next couple of years. Whether I was alone in my studio making art or at the metal shop grinding brass with the guys, I’d blast it whenever a burst of energy was required. As one of my friends said, it plays a bit like one long song. But the track that stands out for me is “Isn’t It A Shame.”
Not to be confused with Patti Labelle's song of the same name — though they may have borrowed a bit — this is the song that I sang while roaming New York on my bike in the late-aughts, and still do sometimes now in the 2020s. (No headphones kids, that's just dangerous.)
The lyrics describing falling out of love with war, capitalism, and progress feel poignant every time I look around this city. The sweet sounds of the guitar pull us through the beauty in the inevitable aging, gentrification, and capitalism of New York City and the world. I imagine that Paul Weller and the Jam heard this somewhere, sometime and enjoyed that punk still had a voice.
The alienation and isolation are real, but the music brings us together and we dance to stave them off — so play it loud.
I didn't realize it at the time but later found out that the So So Glos co-founded Market Hotel and Shea Stadium, two all-ages Brooklyn DIY institutions. Like all good things that aren't really that focused on money, they both eventually died slow deaths to regulations and commercial pressures. These venues had everything from Wavves to square dancing and moonshine nights, and remain anchor points in my nostalgia for 2000s Bushwick DIY, grime, and warehouse parties. Market Hotel has been revived as a venue, but there are no longer random rooms where the caretakers live and where you might find another beer or a cigarette after a show is long over.
I went to the Bowery Ballroom to see these guys last June and it was everything I remembered. They slayed.
Very soon after the show, Alex got a cancer diagnosis. Thankfully, as of February, he has entered remission. It’s a stark reminder that life is as short as it is sweet. He has some shows coming up, so don’t miss your chance, especially if all the brothers are there. Be on time and show up for the openers.
You never know who your new favorite band might be. ◆
About Ben
Ben Godward is a sculptor living and working in Brooklyn. He likes beer, bikes and making art. He has an awesome wife who is generally supportive of all these bad habits.
Website bengodward.com
Instagram @bengodward
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