The triumphant return of Thursday
Some photos of New Jersey's finest from my archives to celebrate their new song.
Hello and welcome to ZERO CRED, the world’s only music newsletter.
If you subscribe to this newsletter you’ve probably already heard that Thursday released their first song in 13 years today, “Application For Release From The Dream.” And it’s cool! Sort of a cosmic gumbo of the various eras of Thursday, plus a few hints of influences from the members’ other projects. Give it a listen if you haven’t. And make sure to turn the volume all the way up at the 3:31 mark while taking a comically large sip of coffee or other liquid. Nothing jarring happens in the next second which would cause you to abruptly choke on said beverage I swear.
Sometimes when a band documented in my book SELLOUT does something newsworthy like that, a publication will invite me to write about them and punksplain their cultural importance to their readers. I get why I seem like the guy for the job but sometimes it’s like jeez man I already wrote a 450-page book what else could I possibly have to say! I am not that smart!
Maybe one day many years from now when Geoff and I are old men in rocking chairs I will dust off my typewriter and pen my magnum opus about the cosmic meaning behind Thursday’s music through the wisdom that can only be accumulated from a lifetime of perspective on the greater meaning of the universe. It will be heartbreaking and brilliant and I will die exactly three minutes after it is published.
But for now I sat back on this one and watched
take the reins and write a dutiful crash course on the band for the New York Times. He kindly asked for my two cents on why they’ve stayed relevant for so long:Dan Ozzi, the author of the 2021 book “Sellout,” which charts how major labels chased punky bands with loyal followings, acknowledged that Rickly’s social skills have played a major role in Thursday’s sustained relevance, but said the band’s songs also simply hold up. “A lot of Thursday’s peers have aged like milk,” he said in an interview. “You go see them at these emo nostalgia festivals and realize you’re watching a 45-year-old dude sing murder fantasies about his high school girlfriend.” Thursday, by contrast, “were always on a higher, more intellectual level.”
(It goes without saying but any article about Thursday that fails to mention my beautiful bestseller was written by a Grade-A poser.)
Even though my brain may be depleted of any revelatory Thursday reflections at the moment, I do feel some duty to step up and give props to my cover boys on their triumphant return. So I went digging into the SELLOUT archives and pulled out some photos that didn’t make it into the book.
Chris Conley of Saves the Day mailed me a box of photos from the tour they did with Thursday and Hey Mercedes in December 2001, which was sort of a pivotal moment for Thursday. At the last show of the tour, they were ambushed by their tourmates, covered in Silly String, and duct taped to poles. From the book:
“Thursday left the stage a colorful wreck that night, and as they surveyed one another’s Silly String-covered faces backstage afterwards, everyone agreed that something had happened out there. They weren’t sure what, exactly, but they could feel that their little band’s world was about to change.”
Here’s the mayhem:
And these photos were generously sent to me by Thursday’s first manager Rev Dave Ciancio (pictured in the second photo). Apologies but I truly have no context whatsoever for that photo of Geoff with the huge balloon. Some mysteries are better left unsolved in my opinion. Perfect photo, no notes, etc. (Geoff if you’re reading this, explain the balloon in the comments.)
And if you’re thinking, “That’s great Dan but these photos are like 20 years old. Don’t you have any NEW Thursday photos?” Yes, yes, fine. Here are a few shots I took in February at the Observatory in Pomona. They still got it, baby.
Wait what’s that? This is STILL not enough photographic documentation of Thursday for you? Well, good news. If you’d like to learn more about the photo of Geoff on the cover of SELLOUT, I have an interview with photographer Amanda Fotes coming later this month. So if you’re not subscribed, get subscribing and it’ll arrive right in your inbox. For free! I will even be giving away a signed print to one of my paid subscribers.
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