Freedom From Fear

For a guy known to have a proclivity for putting Tabasco sauce in the eyes of his friends who pass out after drinking too much, Fletcher Dragge, the guitarist and co-founder of Pennywise, is much more sanguine about life and his seminal punk band’s place in it. “Life’s about having a good time and trying to make things better for other people,” he says from the comfort of his surf-side Hermosa Beach home. “I think that’s what Pennywise is about; we try to give people positive hope, try to give them a pat on the back and tell them to get out there and live life to the fullest while trying not to fuck up too many people along the way.”
His current beef with the world, if you want to call it that, is the bloody fucking quagmire our country has gotten into in Iraq. “The problem is that you’ve got a bunch of children who are seeing their parents getting killed by Americans and are going to grow up hating America. Next thing you know they are going to wind up becoming terrorists and wanting to come over and get us. It’s fucking insane what we’re doing.”
To say the least, Pennywise is a political animal. All you have to ask is “So are you going to vote for Nader again?” And into the tirade Dragge will go.
“I don’t think so man. We need to start thinking outside the box. I mean, I thought Kucinich was a really good candidate. He had some really good ideas about instead of creating more hatred towards America worldwide, how about trying to help some people by creating a peaceful working relationship?”
And sure, there’s a lot more to his talk than just lip service. Having recently played a few shows for the Punkvoter.org benefit Rock Against Bush with label mates NOFX, Pennywise puts their money where their mouth is and continually tries to educate the masses: Bush bad - change good. He points out that the problem we have with the current leaders of this fine country stems from the shit parade we have gotten into in the Middle East. Iraq is a mess and we’re the ones who started it, he says. “We were over there funding Osama bin Laden to fight the Russians and helping Saddam get in power and then we turn our back on these people and they’re mad and they start looking to attack us and what do we do? Just hit the beehive a few more times with a stick.” Our thinking is so backwards, the man goes on, “I mean people are starving and we’re over there killing people. Where’s the logic?”
Since forming in 1988 upon a foundation of Black Flag / Descendents / South Bay punk heritage, Pennywise has garnered a worldwide following of dedicated fans - going gold in Australia and playing to packed halls from Europe to Japan. Their conflagration of breakneck guitar riffs and a straightforward honesty has helped them to stay relevant after nine full-length albums in a time of fickle consumer tastes and almost no mainstream promotional help. The key, as Fletcher sees it, is to keep people aware of what’s going on.
“I mean, we bitch and moan hoping that people can get on the same page, and if a 14-year-old kid pops in a Pennywise CD and says ‘you know, I kind of get what these guys are talking about’ and it sparks some kind of action, whether it’s going to a rally or writing a really good essay at school, then we’re making a difference.”
Singer Jim Lindberg has hope for the same kind of action in the populace at large when he says “People who are artistic and imaginative, like most people in the punk rock scene I hope, usually are more concerned with peace and progress for our planet. And when they realize the power they have to really effect change in this country, and therefore, the rest of the world, and exercise their American right to vote and dissent, the warmongers will be out of office sooner rather than later.” Let’s hope he’s right.

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