V01-T15 Weinerschnitzel

.....The following seems like an interstitial, but is in fact an entire song:

Volume 1: THE PITCHFORK APPROACH, track 15

• 00:10 "WEINERSCHNITZEL" (Bill Stevenson, Pat McCuistion)
• performed by The Descendents
• original source: 7"EP FAT New Alliance NAR-005 (US) 1981
• and my source: CD TWO THINGS AT ONCE SST CD145 (US) 1987

.....The label New Alliance was formed by members of the Minutemen. After one of them passed away the others sold the label to SST resulting in much of the catalog being reissued in compilation form on CD. Thankfully much of these combined entire albums, EP's and singles with their program orders intact. Such was the case with "Two Things At Once" (actually four things-- an LP, an EP, a single and a song from a VA album-- but everything but the LP had also been repackaged as "Bonus Fat").

.....There really were Weinerschnitzel fast food restaurants somewhere in the western US. I don't know if Bill and Pat worked at one as teenagers but this pretty much sums up fast food jobs for most people's experience. I do know that they worked in commercial fishing as adults. I had heard that Pat died at sea while Bill was touring, though at that point The Descendents were transforming into ALL. Pat didn't really perform with the band, but was considered a part of the band in a way you rarely see. For one thing he wasn't routinely a non-performing songwriter such as Bernie Taupin (The Elton John Band), Robert Hunter (Grateful Dead), Pete Sinfield (King Crimson) or Meltzer and Pearlman (Blue Oyster Cult). He wasn't a manager or producer. He was a friend in their lives and like most punk bands they drew their art from their lives.