Why did I mosh? First of all, because it was fun. A joyous reaction to something I loved, it was a way of participating with the bands and the music that you loved. Like being able to jump into the screen, into a movie in a theater and join in with the actors. It's as simple as that but there is one thing that is needed; great music. We would slam dance before the band started playing sometimes if the music was great. At that moment, perhaps when the fast part ends on a sonic comma, and your hairs stand on end as the skank part kicks in and you lose your mind. Sheer utter fun. Of course, as long as it's in a friendly context, these days with morons with clenched fists swinging wildly without looking it has become an idiot's game. In the old days people didn't do that, it hadn't become popularized with instructional "how to mosh" music videos and it was just friends interacting and doing it together. No one got punched in the face by accident.

I have knocked myself out jumping off the stage at CBGBs during a Bad Brains show, sliding in between people upside down and hitting my head on the floor, waking up later lying off to the side where people had dragged me. Even that was fun. We use to count our bruises the next morning and laugh. Good clean fun.

I remember the last time I stage dived. It was at Roseland. Alice In Chains was playing, I was standing next to Jerry's amps with VJ Steve Isaacs who was my roommate at the time. Suddenly, a security guy said, "you guys have to clear the stage" and gestured (commanded) us away from the stage. There was a choice as I saw it, which was; hesitate and listen to a bouncer or commit to it, so I turned away from him and ran to the edge of the stage as fast as I could, because there was a long jump to the edge of the barricade. I jumped and just made it to the sea of people who caught me. It was awesome, but it was the last time I ever did that to another band. I use to always jump off the stage at the end of Cro-Mags gigs.

Access to the stage has changed with barricades, bouncers, and strangers. And my body isn't made of rubber anymore but even though I don't do it anymore I understand why kids lose their minds in their own heads, in a small space to a great song. That is really all it's about in its pure original form.

Just forget these names for slam dancing like "picking up change" and idiocy like that. Because that becomes an imitation, a copy, and loses it pure energy release. People use to have their own "style" of dancing, don't be a robot. Especially when it comes to reckless abandon. And open your hands, fists are for fighting and there is no place for that in the pit.