Suicidal Tendencies Open Up on Chaotic Mike Muir Mural Show Getting Shut Down

"It was like, we're downtown L.A., police cars everywhere, helicopters, kids going crazy — it was wonderful"

BY Bradley Zorgdrager Published Oct 12, 2018

Suicidal Tendencies were famously banned from playing in their hometown of L.A. back in the 1980s, which makes the fact that Councilman José Huizar commissioned a mural of frontman Mike Muir in the city's Arts District that much more significant.

However, the band's performance at the unveiling of the Robert Vargas piece was cut short by police officers when things got rowdy. Guitarist Dean Pleasants has now opened up about the 2017 incident in an interview with Exclaim! TV's Aggressive Tendencies.

When discussing the infamous show, Pleasants said the following:

We knew it was going to be chaotic and crazy. They closed the gate because a certain amount of people couldn't get in. Once the kids started trying to break the gate down, it gave the police a reason to [say], 'Okay, this is an unlawful gathering,' and when the helicopters showed up I was like, yeah, this is great! I felt like a real outlaw, like a Clint Eastwood movie. I was like yeah, the helicopters are here, this is a total L.A. scene. It was like, we're downtown L.A., police cars everywhere, helicopters, kids going crazy — it was wonderful.

Afterwards I went around the corner and had a drink and some dinner. It was funny, I was just laughing going, "I was just part of this whole crazy scene over there." I was really happy for Mike to have his mural and have him to be a part of downtown L.A. Why not, you know? Venice punk rock, it's touched the whole world, so why shouldn't he be an iconic person in California too?

We're true underground hardcore still. People like to call themselves that, but I think Suicidal really is. We were just going to go until they shut us down.


He also discusses their experience playing the Warped Tour back in 1999 (inspired by the fact that the travelling punk rock event ended this year), playing with Travis Barker on an acoustic version of "Get Your Fight On!" on the EP of the same name (also featuring a cover of the Stooges' "I Got a Right") and touches briefly on "full punk rock record" STill Cyco Punk After All These Years.

In addition, Pleasants also reveals how he's been impacted by playing alongside musicians like Mike Muir, Robert Trujillo (Metallica), Dave Lombardo (ex-Slayer), Ben Weinman (ex-the Dillinger Escape Plan), Brooks Wackerman (Avenged Sevenfold, ex-Bad Religion), Thundercat and others in projects such as Suicidal Tendencies, Infectious Grooves and Cyco Miko.

Check out the full interview in the players below.



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