Born to Quit

Tea pairing: Chai tea latte

---

First and foremost, I would like to wish everyone a happy 4/20. I may not personally partake in the devil’s lettuce but I am totally cool with it. When pot first started becoming legal across the states I was pretty excited about it, mainly because it just seemed like a good thing. As I have grown older I have noticed that the government kind of just gave up and said “Ah hell, let them have it.” John Mulaney absolutely put it best when he said the government became the “cool parents.”

Anyway, onto the music. At this point it should be more than obvious that I have a deep love for the punk scene in Chicago. From Alkaline Trio, The Lawrence Arms, Screeching Weasel, Naked Raygun to The Copyrights and Knuckle Puck, I have immersed myself in some of the best music the city has to offer.

But among the above listed bands is another that I have a very personal connection to, a connection that is formed from growing up in the middle of nowhere. Being from essentially nowhere, you tend to love the few noteworthy things to have come from where you are from, and if being excited by someone else’s success isn’t a Midwest staple then I don’t know what is.

Lake in the Hills, Illinois in 1994 was drastically different from the Lake in the Hills that I knew from the early 2000s up until 2018, but even still both myself and The Smoking Popes called it home.

I was born in Chicago but grew up out in the sticks of Huntley, which bled into Lake in the Hills. Both towns looked nearly identical and were virtually on top of each other. Not much went on out there, and nothing much is happening now either. However, when the Smoking Popes put out their second album, Born to Quit, much attention was attached to them.

Born to Quit is an excellent piece of heavily pop laden punk rock that is filled with emotional lyrics, catchy hooks, and rather impressive guitar playing. Coupled with frontman Josh Caterer’s signature croon, the album garnered acclaim and strong airplay and saw the Chicago outfit chart on Billboard’s Top Heatseekers.

The most notable track off the LP, and possibly the band’s most well-known song, is “Need You Around”. I love this track, I absolutely adore this track in its entirety. From the rhythmic opening drums to the delightfully sweet crunch of guitars throughout, “Need You Around” is a near perfect emo-pop song with some truly relatable lyrics.

“Need You Around” gave the Smoking Popes a taste of popularity as it made its way onto the hit 90s flick Clueless. Three more songs found their ways onto the soundtracks of other films, pushing the group even further into fame.

Born to Quit may not be a true emo record, but it certainly and honest and personal touch to it. The success and relative notability of the record gave life to more emo and punk acts that have since sprung up in around Chicago since the record’s 1994 release.

My love for this record cannot be overstated, and quite simply, I have just loved it more as time has gone by. Born to Quit is one of the many records I find myself again and again primarily due to the connection I have with it.

I grew up in a good area, went to good schools, and lived a good life, but I felt trapped and horribly alone. I hated where I grew up, and I still avoid going back there now. I immersed myself in music to escape my feelings of loneliness and sadness and found home in music.

The Smoking Popes are very much hometown heroes of mine. I believe Josh Caterer attended Harry Jacobs High School, the rival of my alma mater Huntley High School. One would think I’d refrain from listening to music that reminds me of home, but instead I love it.

I think it was the idea that if they were able to get out and succeed at something then maybe I could too. Whatever the reason, Born to Quit remains a solid addition to the massive catalog of outstanding Chicago punk records.