So I'm in Ithaca, New York at a keg party in the summer of '88, and this kid says that I gotta hear this Operation Ivy 7". I say whatever, and he puts it on. It sounded weird and not very good, then this kid turns the record player from 33 to 45 and starts it over. "Yellin In My Ear" came on and it was about the best song I ever heard. A couple months later, I was at Ruthies Inn in Berkeley seeing Op Ivy play. I had never seen them before. They sounded wierd and not very good, but it was an awesome show. I introduced myself to Lint after the show. He was wasted and slurred at me that I had just witnessed the worst Op Ivy show ever. I told him I would come to the next and decide for myself.
So I'm in Maui at a fish taco stand talking to Shawn and Mark Stern about how the surf was too big, and they ask me if I wanna do a split record on their label, BYO. I said yeah, but I kinda meant not really. They suggested we do the split with Lag Wagon or Pennywise. I told them that we were too similar to those bands and that it would make a boring record. So they said, "why don't you think of a FUCKING band then tough guy. I told them politely that I would think about it and get back to them.
So I saw Op Ivy a bunch more, and Lint was right, that first show was the worst, but then they broke up. Bummer. Then Lint calls me one day and tells me I should check out his new band that he started with Matt called Generator. So I go to their rehearsal and they were like hardcore or something. But this doesn't matter, cuz they brok up real quick and started Rancid.
So back on the mainland, I tell the Stern brothers, how about Rancid? If you guys can get Rancid to do the split, then I'll do it. But I was really thinking, they'll never get Rancid to do it, and I wont have to do this stupid thing. Then they call me and tell me that Rancid said they would do it. Shit.... I tell myself. Cool I tell the Sterns. Then they say that Tim (who used to be known as Lint) thinks that it would be cool if we covered each others songs. Hey, this sounded pretty cool. I hadn't thought of that. This whole thing was starting to sound bitchin. I ask them if this meant that I had to play all of Matt's bass riffs and they told me I could do whatever the fuck I wanted to. So I tell myself.. cool, and I tell the Sterns.. cool.
-Fatty
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