The Stop the Violence Movement “Self Destruction”

Posted on December 19, 2007
Filed Under Old Posts |

In college, I had a friend named Matt who was interesting to say the least. He didn’t have a car so I used to drive him around—to the store to buy cigarettes and to various yard sales. He loved yard sales. Once we got lost on some dirt roads in the mountains because we were following signs for a yard sale. When we finally found the yard sale he bought a large orange ashtray with obvious seventies influences. The following year Matt bought a car. Excited to finally be able to return the favor of the many rides I’d given him, he offered to drive me to the store. When I accepted the ride, I had no idea how badly he drove.

The car was filled with food wrappers, soda cans, and other assorted items of trash. The car had a cassette player. The only cassette Matt had in the car at the time was “Self Destruction” by The Stop the Violence Movement. We listened to this song over and over again as Matt drove too quickly down country roads only looking at the road 60% of the time. When he dropped his cigarette in his lap he swerved over the double lines and we nearly ran head on into a school bus.

I was lucky to have survived that trip. Every time I hear “Self Destruction” that’s what I think of.