“No one rises so high as he who knows not whither he is going.”
- Oliver Cromwell
Early days as a punk in Minneapolis
Born in St Paul, Minnesota, John Joyce, affectionately known as JJ in New Orleans, showed a keen interest in music and acquired a bass guitar at age 11. Soon he got interested in the local burgeoning punk and new wave scene, and met guitarist Robb Van Vranken and with whom he formed a band called Beat Merchant. By 1980, they were taking inspiration from the Ramones and the New York Dolls, and playing songs of Little Richard, Eddie Cochran, and early Elvis Presley. Early on it was rockabilly, which led him to the upright bass. To John and Robb, Johnny Rotten and Sid Vicious may as well have been Bonnie and Clyde.
“Robb Van Vranken had already been around for a few years and introduced me to the Minneapolis music scene. They used to have a lot of all-ages matinee shows, and Robb would get Beat Merchant on the bill. Though I was still underage, the bars allowed me to play the adult shows as long as I didn’t drink any alcohol. Touring bands would come to town and do a 5 pm show and a drunk show at 9 pm. The bands loved it because they would do two shows and got paid twice. There was a thriving local all-ages scene in Minneapolis with lots of kids involved. Sometimes their parents were in bands with them, getting them started. It was really a grassroots thing,
