When Twitter Was Good and a Beginner's Guide to The Menzingers

Before it became a site by and for aspiring school shooters, Twitter/X was a great place to meet people, share dumb bits, find breaking news, and (for me at least) get paying work. I miss it. Bluesky is fine, but it'll never be that. Nothing ever will.

Example: I followed Ray, who goes by the handle Fat Assets, because he had excellent taste in music, a deep knowledge of the bars of River Falls, Wisconsin, and a frankly troubling love of ska. He tipped me off to The Menzingers, a punk band out of Philadelphia that he likely assumed would scratch my Replacements itch. They did and they do. I've since met Ray and thanked him in person for this.

Example, continued: I've been mutuals with writer Susan Shepard and her husband and fellow writer Jason Cohen for years. Never met 'em! They live far away! But they're in Philadelphia now, and wouldn't you know that The Menzingers used Susan's sturdy old Volvo in the video for their new single, "Chance Encounters." Here it is:

There's an awful Tom Friedman column to be written about the world-flattening effect of social media, but it's still wild in the best possible way to see an online acquaintance's station wagon pop up in the music video of one of your favorite bands. A group you learned about from a guy named Fat Assets. RIP, old & good Twitter.

Speaking of said group, here are a few Menzingers songs that I think you'll all like if you share my enthusiasm for crunchy guitars, lapsed Catholics, dive bars, and hearts worn on sleeves.

"The Obituaries" (2012)

Until you hear it for yourself, you'll just have to take my word for it that "I will fuck this up/I fucking know it" is an anthemic, inspiring chorus.

"Your Wild Years" (2017)

The whole thing is great, but "I got drunk in the afternoon/with your father in the living room" is one of those "Geez, wish I'd written that" lines.

"High School Friend" (2019)

This is "Oh yeah, life goes on, long after the thrill of living is gone" updated for modern sensibilities.

"Come on Heartache" (2024)

They have ballads, too!

If any or all of the above did something for you, a hand-curated RandBall's Stu playlist is below.

Spotify:

Apple doesn't embed well here, but I prefer it.

You can follow Susan on Bluesky and read her writing here. Her 2013 BuzzFeed piece on strippers and the Bakken oil boom is fantastic.

You can follow Jason on Bluesky and read him at Texas Monthly and elsewhere. Zamboni Rodeo, his book about hockey culture in Texas and the desert southwest, is well worth your time.

Ray is over on Bluesky, too. He's probably delivering sex toys as you read this.

See you tomorrow!