ROY ZIMMERMAN'S PATRIOT ACT
September 17th, 2004 @ San Gennaro Café (Culver City, CA)
By Jeff Penalty

Source: http://www.skratchmagazine.com/

I'm just gonna come out and say it: a lot of punk bands really suck. I know, I know, it's a controversial position... But sarcasm aside, I speak the truth. Anyone with a shred of intelligence or, failing that, a speck of heart has grown tired of punk bands that are uncreative, uninspiring, and have nothing to say. So I'm not reviewing a punk show today. I'm reviewing a show by singer/songwriter Roy Zimmerman, who might be more qualified to call himself a punk than any number of the bands waving that flag around these days.

I first saw Roy in 2001, when he opened for Jello Biafra at a benefit show for Denise Munro Robb, a Green Party candidate for L.A. City Council. I clapped politely as this tall, bespectacled man with an acoustic guitar took the stage, not expecting much. But I would soon learn that this was no ordinary man. This was Roy Zimmerman, a unique type of superhero who possesses the power to nearly coax urine from the unwilling bladders of his audience members (via laughter). He delivered some of the smartest satirical songs that I'd ever heard, among them a march about the Star Wars Missile Defense System called "Guns in Space" and an unforgettably side-splitting ballad about the state of the world called "One World, One Bank". Unabashedly left-wing and unquestionably funny... I liked this guy.

Recently, Roy has been performing regularly at the San Gennaro Café in Culver City and I finally caught the show. Unlike the benefit where I first saw him, Roy does a full set at San Genarro, giving the audience their 12 bucks worth by playing for close to an hour. That may sound like a long time, but with songs like "My Conservative Girlfriend" (She only deals in quality narcotics and guns / She's got a Mexican wallet made of real Mexicans), "Jerry Fallwell's God", and "Punish the People" you can't help but ask for more.

It's hard to say which is more impressive: Roy's mastery of the guitar or his keen lyrical prowess. In "Burn, Goody Stewart, Burn", Roy goes toe-to-toe with one of my other favorite bands, Screeching Weasel, by finding not one, but TWO rhymes for the word "uterus." And if you put a distorted guitar over Roy's lyrics for "Chickenhawk" (or any number of his other topical songs), you'd have the perfect opening track for ROCK AGAINST BUSH, VOLUME III.

Beyond his obvious talent as a songwriter, Roy is a true showman, and his "Patriot Act" flows seamlessly. It's part concert, part stand-up act, and Roy keeps the zingers coming via lyrics, jokes, and the occasional timely quote from the day's papers. There's no mosh pit, there's no skinhead asshole spilling his beer everywhere, and the toilets in the venue are in working condition, but hopefully some of you punks out there can still somehow manage to appreciate a show like Roy's.

With an election coming up and an administration that is sure to go down in history as the worst-to-date still (somehow) holding power, musicians like Roy provide a necessary release of political tension. If you're anything like me, your heart has been warmed over the past couple years as more and more punk bands have re-politicized the genre... and you also enjoy a good laugh. My suggestion: visit www.royzimmerman.com and cart yourself over to Roy's next show. And please encourage everyone you know to help vote George out before he kills again.