Long before Ian Svenonius became known for his artistic sonic role playing in projects like Chain & the Gang, The Make-Up, Weird War, Cupid Car Club, and Nation of Ulysses, even before he was crowned The Sassiest Boy in America, he was just a kid I used to hang out with on the church steps.

We weren’t particularly pious, unless you call catching screaming sermons from guys like John Stabb and Ian MacKaye akin to a religion. It was the early 80’s and we were just staright-edge DC punk teens waiting out the set changes between bands before we’d go back into the sweaty hot church basement for another slam pit.

It had been years since i’d seen Ian, but he was much the same, albeit older, still wacky, but also wisened. He is like a psychedelic sage, without the drugs…a seer, but not quite a believer…now he sells Esacpe-ism…or at least rents it out.