The trouble with posting like this about Naked Raygun is that to do them credit, I should be writing something longer-winded, explaining their significance to punk rock, Chicago, and me as an impressionable youth, interested in punk rock and living near Chicago.

I’ll keep it short. The first NR record I heard was Throb Throb, and this was a track from it, written in 1984 (coincidence?); already “woke” and aware:

I sang along and pogoed at their shows, and they helped to inform my general disdain for corporations and capitalistic avarice. They were one of the greatest live acts ever. Raw power shared with friends for an hour, replete with saxophones and clever cover songs.

Here’s another prescient (or maybe eternal) anti-hit, probably aimed at a different politician, but just as poignant today:

If you’re not familiar with NR, check out this Youtube channel for all the albums. I recommend Basement Screams, Throb Throb, All Rise, and Jettison. After that, they lost me. Up until they lost me, though, I was rarely without a Naked Raygun cassette or t-shirt. I still have both.