I have an entry coming soon about Gainesville and punk rock for your Floridians by birth and at heart. A large component of what made Gainesville the crux of such a vibrant movement was a heavy concentration of cheap rents, a transient atmosphere that removed the burden of permanence, and (you probably guessed it) the explosive house parties where bands like Radon and Spoke spoke of radon (as it emanated into the FL punks’ lungs in clouds of sweat). There are a few academic studies of mosh pits and the spatial dynamics of private, DIY spaces out in the ether, but nothing could adequately prepare us for the firey world of Andrew W.K. So, let’s put the social science aside for a few minutes and hear from Phillip Crandall, whose volume on “I Get Wet” is shaping up to be one of the highlights of the 33 1/3 series. PARTY HARD.
Over the next few months, we’ll be profiling the authors of the eighteen forthcoming 33 1/3 titles here on the blog so you can get to know them, their writing, and what kind of twisted soul chooses to think about just one album for months at a time.
Next Up: Phillip Crandall is a South Floridian and longtime music writer, particularly of oral histories. He’s also in a band called There’s Gonna Be Girls There, and every day, he wakes up believing the Chicago Cubs are going to win that day (poor guy). Of the experience working on a 33 1/3 about Andrew W.K.’s 2001 party rock album I Get Wet, he says, “It’s been extremely moving and incredibly rewarding, but when I look back at it, sappy-me is probably going to remember most fondly my wife announcing halfway through that she was pregnant with our first child. So…
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Sonic Geography 