Read Our Bruise Cruise Cover Story... in the Jacuzzi With a Mai-Tai

Back in 1978, this sort of story would be no big deal. According to (possibly heavily revisionist) history, the music business used to be a sea of indulgence, hot tubs and all-you-can eat soft serve. Today, rock journalists can only experience such debauchery (and water slides) alongside retirees and young...

By Reed Fischer

March 30, 2011

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Back in 1978, this sort of story would be no big deal. According to (possibly heavily revisionist) history, the music business used to be a sea of indulgence, hot tubs and all-you-can eat soft serve. Today, rock journalists can only experience such debauchery (and water slides) alongside retirees and young families in places like the Carnival Imagination.

Sure, the inaugural Bruise Cruise featured the talents of the Black Lips, the Vivian Girls, the Strange Boys, Quintron & Miss Pussycat, Surfer Blood, Thee Oh Sees, Ty Segall, Turbo Fruits, and the Jacuzzi Boys, as well as fine DJ work by Jonathan "New York Night Train" Toubin -- but the success and intrigue of such an event hinged more on how the 380 people trapped on the boat interacted as a whole and with the rest of the passengers.

As I discovered during this three-day garage rock voyage to the Bahamas, there would be (shockingly) some friction, some bad decisions, and some good ones (especially by organizers Michelle Cable and Jonas Stein). No humans died, but a few instruments sure did.

It's self-indulgent, drunken, and features no commercial breaks, so dive in:
Cruising for a Bruising: We take a trip with a few hundred garage rock fans.

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