We Do It Different on the West Coast

Lyrics

The papers write about it back in England
It's practically a lifestyle in Berlin
There's probably some pockets in Ohio
Almost always something happening in Ohio^[1]

I heard some bad reports about Long Island
I don't trust what people say about Long Island
I heard some good things from some friends about Chicago^[2]
I gotta see with my own eyes about Chicago

We do it different on the west coast
We do it different on the west coast
We do it different on the west coast
We do it different on the west coast

I heard they had a problem with some skinheads^[3]^[4]
At a show in a machine shop in Pomona^[5]
I feel like half my friends have moved to San Francisco
I think I'm gonna bleach my hair this weekend
And Dave went to New York -- I don't care^[6]
You can't shut people up once they get back from their Christmas out there

Skim through such magazines as I can get my hands on
Glue circuit boards to plywood on the weekend^[7]
Trellis modulation for the children^[8]
There's a whole new world just up around the corner

We do it different on the west coast
We do it different on the west coast
We do it different on the west coast
We do it different on the west coast

Banter

The first time I played this song live it was a year ago, maybe two, at Swedish American Music Hall across town. And I remember thinking, you're gonna play one of the new songs, a long while before you actually release it or even record it. And it was exciting. (2017-06-01 The Fillmore)

Live Performances

Footnotes

^{1. When I made the first version of this website several years ago, this footnote initially read "No disrespect to JD but there is fuck-all happening in Ohio," which was swiftly corrected by several people including JD. There is in fact always something happening in Ohio especially with regards to the music/indie scene, and it is extremely cool. Maximum respect to the Ohio music scene. ↩}
^{2. It's me. I'm the friend telling you good things about Chicago. You should definitely see with your own eyes about Chicago. It's great. ↩}
^{3. Goths and punks band together even today to beat up Nazis. It’s a beautiful thing, punching Nazis. 10 out of 10 dentists recommend punching Nazis.↩}
^{4. Sometimes sung as “a problem with the Manson Youth”, which is a portmanteau (sorta) of the Hitler Youth and Marilyn Manson.↩}
^{5. A city in California near where JD and Peter grew up, and the location of zero prisons. It is, however, the location of many of the very early Mountain Goats shows and referenced by name in “Palmcorder Yajna”, “Alibi”, "Estate Sale Sign", and “Prominent Metaphysicians of South Pomona”.↩}
^{6. Shut the fuck up, Dave. I don't care either. ↩}
^{7. Popular goth/DIY musician hobby of making one’s own amps/pedals/equipment from mail-order kits (e.g. PAIA). ↩}
^{8. Dial-up technology that enabled speeds sufficient for music-sharing and dramatically increased accessibility to subculture-specific music beyond local scenes. Became more widely available circa 1990-1991. ↩}