Jonny Wickersham of Social Distortion is at Home with His Music

Photo by Ed Vill

Growing up in the home of a guitarist, Jonny Wickersham of Social Distortion amplified his father's country rock sound in favor of Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Hendrix and the like. But his early aspiration could not equal his inspiration, and he retreated to an instrument in the bass that was more his speed. He eventually found his strum and would go onto become a staple in the California punk rock scene with U.S. Bombs, Cadillac Tramps and the L.A.'s Youth Brigade. He eventually landed with Social D in 2000. But that doesn't mean he has been able to simply coast with the talent he has been given.

"I really don't have a great musical ear, and I'm one of those people who has to work at it. I have to practice a lot as opposed to a lot of people I know that don't have to put in any effort at all. "he lamented. "They're just natural,"

Wickersham knows where to lay credit for the genre that has sustained him, though. "I kind of think maybe the Kinks were the first band because partially their sound. A song like All of the Day and All of the Night – that's it right there. It's three power chords, just a nasty ass solo. But I'm more talking about his attitude and his lyrics. What Ray Davies songs were about," said Wickersham. "I mean the dismal conditions they were brought up in. Nobody's writing like that, so they're definitely a real precursor to punk."

His initiation took place when relocating to California in the 80s where the scene was all over the place. "There was a lot of different facets to the scene. In California, you had your skeeters, you had your death rockers, you had glam, skin heads, you had your English imports and people who tried to look English," he recalled.

Either way, the accent ruled the wave and got its boost from a small production company run by a guy named Gary Tobar. "He would bring in all these bands from England like D'Courtney Rejects, the Upstarts and Discharge, and what was funny was in California if you were in a band from England, there was an idea that you were more real," said Wickersham.

In turn, the shows were enormous and the band took full advantage. "We were young, getting wasted with all kinds of crazy shit going on," he beamed.

Of course, Wickersham was in the same neighborhood as Social D and inevitably their paths crossed. But the lineup has been far from constant. "Oh yeah, there's been a lot of members, but Mike Ness is clearly the face of the band at this point," he said.

Tragically, Ness took full reins after Dennis Danell died in 2000. "Yeah, they were equally the front man as founders of the group. But Mike has had an uncanny ability to make you feel like you are watching a big rock show – even if you're watching them play in a backyard or a basement. He's just got this whole vibe, and it's an honor for me to play with Social D," Wickersham revealed.

Mike Ness pulls the creative strings too. "The majority of the songs come from Mike. We start with a riff and a hook of some kind. Then we'll work on those, and the ones you continue to go back to are the ones that make the record," he said.

A process that isn't so typical. "Well, normally bands have a more concrete way of going about it. So for us, it's not like we sit down, and say, let's go write 20 songs and pick the best ones. We'll work on a bunch of stuff and whatever seems to be remembered becomes the finished songs eventually. Whereas the ones that fall by the wayside, I guess there's a reason for that," Wickersham clarified.

Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes was their most recent (2011) album and continue the quality. "It was good man. We've been touring on it for two years, and the radio picked up on a couple of songs. So as far as sales - who sells records anymore - but it charted right away," he said. "It was top five for a minute – if you know what I mean. It doesn't mean what it did 20 years ago but whatever."

The same uncertainty goes for record sales, and the shortfall means there's only one way to make money. "Touring, just getting out and playing," he said.

Unfortunately, the workload doesn't allow for his favorite type of crowd. "I like a theatre that holds around 800-1200 people or even something smaller, which we never get to play anymore. There's so much more of an interaction and a reciprocity with the crowd that you can really feel the energy," he asserted.

The contrast is nowhere near as cool. "Some of the big festivals with 20 to 70,000 people, your start out 30 feet away from the audience, separated by a barricade, and the people who really know you are peppered throughout the crowd. So it's just a weird thing," Wickersham said.

The same might be said for where the musical journey has taken Social Distortion. "I wouldn't say we're not a punk band, but I think we've evolved into more of a rock 'n roll band, which is what the objective has always been anyway. The same goes for the swagger that it's carried from the beginning," he said.

They've also gotten old enough where the audience now spans generations. "It's cool to see kids and their parents relating on a musical level because it's not something you see all the time," he said.

As for himself, Wickersham has returned to his roots - and in a sense - become his father. "My dad wasn't into Led Zeppelin, Hendrix, and he definitely wasn't into punk rock. He was more of a song guy. Still, it's kind of weird how I appreciate my dad's music now, because that's mostly what I listen to. So I've sort of come full circle," he concluded.

Please Like My Page on Facebook

Author can be reached at [email protected]