The song " Where the fun is" and the meaning of the term "Down on the nickel". I've been using this term "Down on the nickel" since about 1975 when I started working for the City of Los Angeles and soon transferred to Dept. of Water & Power and had to work at a DWP yard on the corner of Temple and Alameda and this term was used by most that worked in the area. When a person was pushed to live on the streets in LA's Skid Row area was talked about , they were said to be "down on the nickel". The Nickel meaning 5th street and San Pedro St. which was through out LA's history as the center point of Skid Row... The Nickel. And radiating out from that point. Which it has grown so much bigger since 1975 and could see it's growth while working almost 39 years for LADW&P. Retired in 2013... Not Down on the Nickel.

This is what I love about Brett's writing at its best, it's open to multiple reasonable interpretations. But I agree with OscarDigitalDude's reading; the whole thing to me is about a past (but always present) drug addiction.

"Smacked back tarmac stars are scars of fame," to me, is a reference to track marks. Smack, tarmac, stars, and scars all speak to that for me, and he's saying it's a result of his fame. From there, the rest of the song is informed by that first line, and it all makes sense as a tale of heroin addiction. "This is where the fun is" is the kind of empty, heartless mantra someone in the throes of heroin addiction, who intellectually knows he doesn't want to go back to it but needs to drag himself there, tells himself as he mindlessly returns to what he knows is bad for him.

Incidentally, I think this intentional blandness and repetition in the chorus is why it's a generally unpopular song among fans, but it's why I like it so much. Brett has a way of infusing his lyrics with meaning through context, and sometimes that affects their "catchiness."

It sounds like a commentary on the past life of Brett. "...Down on the nickel with a flame..." is a clear drug reference. Using a nickel spoon to melt heroine over a flame. The rest sound like a commentary on a famous persons' life gone out of control. Just my thoughts.

I also read "down on the nickel" as being about I-5 (which is literally lower than the surrounding roads), as well as conveying the mix of desperation and escapism that comes from having next to nothing (could be money, fame, etc.). I also agree with frod's depiction of the "flame" as something fleeting (this could be a lover or an obsession), and there's a fairly obvious implication of danger (getting burned, in essence).

"Where tar pit drips its drilled out vein": The La Brea Tar Pits, between Beverly Hills and Hollywood

"And fashion trips on tangled skein": Another look at Hollywood/paparazzi culture. Remind's me of Kant's "crooked timber of humanity."

The interpretation I got from this song is that it is a commentary about Los Angeles /California culture/living... somewhat in the vein of "Into the Night". I don't know if Gurewitz is referring to an experience in the past or being general, but this seems to follow the theme of Dissent of Man

"smacked back tarmac stars are scars of fame" is likely referring to celebrity culture. You become a star in LA but it only lasts so long. Once you're done you're 'smacked back' and reality sets in; you get a star in the Hollywood walk of fame and it becomes a memory of what you once were 'scars of fame'

slaking the ache means quenching the thirst in your brain perhaps meaning to get your fix (drug/thrillwise)

Tap into the 'vain' , road trip and raise Cain - a play on words with the word 'vain' i.e. vanity, raise cain is a biblical reference of the Cain & Abel story and its present meaning to be disruptive or cause trouble

down on the nickel. - This speaks about driving down on Highway 5 in California (this is a guess, but Interstate 5 connects LA to all the other major cities) and road tripping. The flame in the rain may suggest that this will be done against all odds (a flame in the rain has little chance to continue to burn)