Kids of the Black Hole
| "Kids of the Black Hole" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Song by Adolescents from the album Adolescents | ||||
| Released | 1981 | |||
| Recorded | 1980 | |||
| Genre | Skate punk, hardcore punk | |||
| Length | 5:26 | |||
| Label | Frontier Records | |||
| Writer | Rikk Agnew | |||
| Composer | Rikk Agnew | |||
| Producer | Adolescents, Mike Patton & Thom Wilson | |||
| Adolescents track listing | ||||
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"Kids of the Black Hole" is a song by Adolescents. The song was recorded in 1980 and released on their debut album, Adolescents (1981). It also appears on the follow-up live album, Return to the Black Hole (1997). The song is a description of an apartment that was located in Fullerton, CA in the 1980s.[1]
Conception
The song describes life at the so-called "Black Hole", which refers to a one-bedroom apartment (a punk house) that was originally owned by Mike Ness of the legendary punk rock band Social Distortion and Robert "Omlit" Logan of the Omlits.[2] As described in the lyrics, The Black Hole was a house that "belonged to all the homeless kids". It was a filthy place to crash, drink, and socialize with others who were a part of the punk scene or kids who were visiting from other parts of the U.S. in order to see a show in Orange County, CA.
Along with "Amoeba" and "Who Is Who", "Kids of the Black Hole" is considered one of the "representative songs" of Adolescents.[3]
Legacy
Several notable bands have referenced, sampled, and covered "Kids of the Black Hole" including NOFX's "Kids of the K-Hole" from So Long and Thanks for All the Shoes (1997), Me First and the Gimme Gimmes' version of "Superstar" from Ruin Jonny's Bar Mitzvah (2004). It was also featured in Anthony Van Engelen's part in the skateboarding video Mind Field. It was also used in the BMX video "Forward" which was produced by Etnies and featured Mike Escamilla as well as during Terje Haakonsen's part in the Mack Dawg snowboard video "Simple Pleasures". Also featured in the motocross video Crusty Demons of Dirt Volume 3. The Copyrights named the first song on their 2007 full length Make Sound "Kids of the Black Hole." The song has also been heard on an episode of Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory. A book titled Kids Of The Black Hole: Punk Rock In Postsuburban California was released on November 1, 2010. The book is written by Dewar MacLeod and tells the history and development of punk rock in Southern California. Metal band Prong has covered the song on the covers album Songs from the Black Hole (2015).
References
- ↑ "Adults of the Black Hole". RazorCake.org. May 9. Retrieved on April 13, 2007.
- ↑ "Social Distortion: History". SocialDistortion.com. Retrieved on April 13, 2007.
- ↑ "The Adolescents". Answers.com. Retrieved on April 17, 2007.