'Wrecking Crew: The Really Bad News Griffith Park Pirates' is a book from 2005 written by John Albert, who played drums in Bad Religion in 1984-1985.
The book focusses on the first seasons of the Griffith Park Pirates, an amateur baseball team made up of denizens from "the Hollywood underclass". The team consisted of junkies, unemployed musicians and actors who find improbable success and happiness on the field. Yet they struggle with their demons off the field. Being on the team affects each player differently.
Wrecking Crew got some great reviews and it was optioned by Paramount in 2007. However the Paramount option expired and was later optioned by Anonymous Films (used to be Propaganda Films) who did also Being John Malkovich and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
In a chapter called "Star Extinguished" John briefly tells about his short period in Bad Religion:
"During the early '80s, in the midst of my struggle with drugs and dark, aching depression, I joined a local punk-rock band called Bad Religion, as their newest drummer. Now, to be sure, this was not during the height of the band's popularity. It was a few years after the group's initial underground success and still some time before a creative resurgence would result in hit singles, gold records, and a dedicated worldwide following. At the time, most of the original members had temporarily left to persue other interests, so it was somewhat like joining one of those old 50's doo-wop groups that tour the country, playing county fairs, with only one original member and some of his drinking buddies or perhaps a cousin or two. But with Greg Graffin, the original singer, still up front and an arsenal of beloved songs, the band maintained enough of a following to draw sizable, enthusiastic crowds to the live shows. On a warm, humid night in L.A., we played to around three thousand kids in an aging downtown boxing arena called the Grand Olympic Auditorium, and by all accounts, it was a flawless and well-received performance. I even have a videotape to prove it."
06/12 | Article created - By Marty |