The Dickies were the clown princes of punk, not to mention surprisingly longstanding veterans of the L.A. scene. In contrast to the snotty, offensive humor of many comedically inclined punk bands, they were winningly goofy, inspired mostly by trashy movies and other pop culture camp. Their covers were just as ridiculous as their originals, transforming arena rock anthems and bubblegum pop chestnuts alike into the loud, speed-blur punk-pop that was their musical stock in trade. As the Dickies got older, their music slowed down little by little, but their sound and their sense of humor stayed largely the same, and they were an avowed influence on new-school punkers like Green Day and the Offspring. ~ Steve Huey