Daily living is a tightrope. One second I’m walking the dog with my head in the clouds, and the next I’m watching Ms. Johnson smack her kid on the mouth for dripping his drawers. The Circle Jerks captured sordid moments in time. Here was a group of derlicts making sharp observations about the muck flooding the streets. Here was a band weaving together tightly wound punk tunes about urban blight, as an attempt to make sense of this mess known as the human experience .

The 1985 LP, Wonderful, is one of the great punk albums of all time. Standout tracks include every song on this album. Quick fixes that work better than a shot of Red Bull include: “The Crowd,” followed by “American Heavy Metal Weekend,” “Wonderful,” and “I and I”. But this tune, “15 Minutes”, is timeless — good stories always are, especially ones that take the listener on a walk across the tightrope.

Listen and hear the song of a boy making a decision. How 15 minutes is all it takes to change the direction of one’s life. The buildups are intense — especially when the drums push the tempo to another level (right about 2 min/30 seconds), a level where madness is the only clarity worth drinking.

Have a good walk.

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