I'm A Generation X - Screw Radio - 1996

Where to start? Screw Radio was a project I discovered after it had already existed in its original form. An actual LA-based FM radio show hosted by Ginn as alter-ego Poindexter Stewart, I'm not sure of its total lifespan but in those pre-satellite, unsyndicated days, I guess if you weren't in LA you didn't know. Sounding similar to other zoo crews of the era, Ginn and a couple cohorts (the Gone lineup at the time), played host Poindexter Stewart and his sidekicks Jimbo and Buford. A 1994 article gives some insight:
“The character is kind of modeled after the most irritating person I can imagine,” Ginn explains with a laugh. “It started as a parody of what I see as the superficial elements in the (alternative rock) record business. It’s kind of a slacker thing: The character is lazy but expects a lot. But it’s more complicated than that. That’s the starting-off point for Poindexter Stewart. I also try to make a lot of my own points with it, even though they’re kind of coming from this lame personality.”

Musically, the base of Screw Radio is Ginn on guitar, bass and vocals with frequent collaborator Andy Batwinas on percussion. The result, then, sounds a lot like other Ginn projects with repeated rhythm loops punctuated by guitar skronks and, instead of Tony Atherton's sax or any other instrumentation, you get pop culture soundbite snippets layered underneath the occasional snide commentary from Poindexter. I guess I'm glad Ginn clearly defines Poindexter as lame but am also interested that he concedes he's making his own points. Because whereas Black Flag had a lot of sly satire in its lyrics, it's kind of hard to tell if Poindexter is making fun of the subject matter or if we're supposed to make fun of Poindexter's point of view.

I'm A Generation X is, admittedly, not very interesting in terms of music. It's also not very entertaining. The subject matter - Gen X, OJ Simpson, straight edge, Jann Wenner - are all easy targets for the broad, unimaginative sucker punches delivered here. It's mildly intriguing, especially viewed through the lens of 1990s radio, and one can imagine any one of these tracks interspersed among the music of the day. As an entire album, though, it fails to hold my attention for even a single, uninterrupted listen. What is slightly more interesting is 1997's Best Of Screw Radio which compiles over 100 snippets and bumpers across two discs (though even that gets old real fast and one would probably be better served to just seek out some vintage recordings of the program itself - good luck there). I have to give the art a 4 on the Ginn Scale - there's no real continuity in Screw Radio / Poindexter Stewart artwork with 50% appearing as minimalist scribbles, 25% depicting a radio with a screw through it and the remainder splitting the difference with an illustration of a pig whose penis is also a screw literally screwing a radio. Kinda gonna just leave it at that.