Blister In the Sun

I was 10 years old when this song came out. My friend Matt Z. was a proto music geek already. I remember he had a cassette Walkman with two headphone jacks that he'd bring with him on bus trips. We were pulling away from the school when "Blister In the Sun" came blasting into our brains. It'd probably be another two years before we'd realize what the song is actually about.

This song has only grown in renown in the 25 years since it was written. Every day after school from 1983 to 1993, there was someone bringing people over to their parked car, introducing the Violent Femmes via car stereo to their little world.

I was watching tv a few weeks ago when I heard this song as the soundtrack to a Wendy's commercial. Seems like a strange way to sell hamburgers if you ask me. I guess the Femmes need the money.

I saw the Femmes playing live in 1998 or so. They were playing a live outdoor show on a July 4th. It was an odd sight seeing three guys in their forties, singing the greatest teen angsthem of the 80s.

Last I heard, Matt Z. had joined the Peace Corps in Russia after college. The grapevine said that he came home with a beautiful Russian bride. I wonder if she's at the end, and she's starting to cry.