Hello again all you beautiful Excitable friends! Welcome to the next edition of the 311 fan spotlight. Let’s meet Ryan Speer!
It was during junior high that Ryan first heard 311 and fell in love with the music. To quote Ryan, he said hearing 311 for the first time was like seeing boobs for the first time…you can’t explain why but you just knew it was the coolest shit ever. “We used to use ancient alien artifacts known as VHS and Cassette recorders to “tape” their music from radio or TV appearances to be able to watch/listen to over and over. Timing was everything for me – I needed something in my life to latch on to and this band became it. At the time I was listening to Green Day, Silverchair, Offspring, Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg & Warren G, Chili Peppers and more, but hearing 311 was the perfect blend of everything I loved. Every member brings a unique sound from their instrument or vocal and it really helped define chemistry for me. To this day, I maintain that perhaps they could still have energetic/nostalgic shows if one of the members were to leave, but on record, they would never be the same. In summary, what I’m saying is… 311 is a great set of boobs!”
For amount of times Ryan has seen 311 live, his count is over 300. ” I have officially lost count since ticket stubs evolved to paper print-outs and digital over the years, but I can confirm I have seen them enough times to say at least 1 full year of my life has been at a 311 concert and I’m totally fuckin’ cool with that. First time was at the State Theater (and it will ALWAYS be the State Theater to me) in Detroit, MI back in 96.”
When asked what his favorite show or event was, he said it’s like picking your favorite child. “Which would actually be easy for me, since I don’t have any children. You’ll find throughout this reading that whenever I’m asked to pick a singular favorite of something, I will give you multiple answers. You might say that I’ve got Five of Everything and you just need 1….(zing).” So Ryan narrowed it down to 5 shows:
“
Red Rocks – 4/19/19 – First time to this bucket list venue on the surface of Mars.
Cruise VI – First time OTMFB as the kids say, and this was just a non-stop party from start to finish. I was on Chad’s Family Feud team and made a joke that I got abducted by aliens, which I obviously didn’t, but the rest of the cruise people kept coming up to me and were like “Whoa man… What was it like up there? Were the aliens cool?” needless to say, I was convinced certain substances might have found there way to the middle of the ocean.
311 Day 2014 – Been to almost every 311 Day, but made a ton of new friends on this particular trip. The puke-filled streets of the French Quarter have a strange charm that will always hold a special place in my heart.
Halloween @ The Stanley 2021 – This was easily one of the best trips of my life. We hit all 3 shows, but finally making it up to Estes Park, staying at the Stanley on Halloween, seeing the guys in a tiny venue and almost getting into a fist fight with a gang of Elk after my 8lb dog decided it was a good idea to talk shit to them capped off a perfect experience. (No Elk were hurt in the making of this sentence)
Soundsystem Tour – 11/24/99 – I had already seen 311 several times prior to this, but this was the Fall small club tour for Soundsystem and they stopped at my favorite venue in my hometown of Detroit, St. Andrews Hall. At this time, the band was already at the amphitheater level, so to see a tiny room in the middle of the D just erupt, was something I’ll always remember. I don’t think I’ve seen that much energy in any room since.”
For favorite song, Ryan said “Eons” is number 1, with “Let the Cards Fall” and “Random” as close runners up. “There is just this haunting vibe I get every time I hear the chorus of Eons kick in. That vocal melody over the drawn out chord progression hits harder than my ex-girlfriend drinking a bottle of vodka and reading the comments on one of my facebook posts! ! I would be curious to hear other fan’s feedback on any song, by any band, that has a similar structure to Eons. Intro, verse, pre-chorus, verse, pre-chorus and then the only time you get a chorus is a double one at the end. Each of those songs can take me back to a single moment from my youth, so they always stood out to me for that reason alone.”
As for favorite lyrics, some come from the song “Brodels.” “When SA said “When I feel into the sea. When the world came and kissed me, transformed my shit, told the shark I was a dolphin. Swam quick funny though Piranhas chilled and laughed at The way that I took off my polka dots, on top of that The whales know I’m quick”… that shit spoke to me. Also, fuck those piranhas for chilling and laughing at the way SA took off his polka dots! What kind of world do we live in where a man can’t take off his polka dots without piranhas chilling and laughing. At least the whales understood that he was quick. ;)” Ryan also said other stand out ones are: “If there’s a shadow in your life then there’s sunshine,” “Savor the sun, when the clouds come, make animals,” “What if the truth is that there is no truth? The only thing I can prove is there is no proof,” and “Think of all the good times, instead of wish we could times. So much better that way.”
The suburbs of Detroit is where Ryan grew up, in a lower-middle class family. “Despite my family surviving in the “Murder Mitten” for many years, my dad lost his life to alcohol abuse back in 1995. That brought me to a turning point of either using his death as a crutch for why I would always be miserable, or trying to turn it into a positive and have a successful life. Thanks to great family support, I was able to get through the tragedy and immerse myself into music to fight off the pain. I found 311 and became a daily caller of the OG 402 hotline where you could listen to updates and listen to/leave messages for other 311 fans. From that platform, I met my first girlfriend in Michigan and one of my closest friends-to-date from Boston. The relationship went south after many memorable 311 road trips in the mid-to-late 90’s, so I re-connected with my Boston friend who had moved to Arizona with his family. They encouraged me to come out west and get away from the heartache that was circling in Michigan. I came to AZ in 2001, left and came back 2 more times before settling here officially in 2003. If it weren’t for 311 and that hotline, who knows how my life would’ve turned out, but in the grand scheme of things, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’ve seen the band in countless States/Countries over the years and have probably spent more money than most people would on their homes, families, etc… but this was the path for me. In order to fun my 311 habit, I started an Only Fans where I dress like a giant carrot and sing country songs to empty bottles of mustard in a sandbox for 4 hours at a time.”
Interesting fact about Ryan is that he has what he calls a “giant-eared French vanilla death rabbit from outer space named Crumbs…which is his dog! His mom and friends say he is definitely the dogs father. “Crumbs is my best friend, that is a fact and I hope he can make his way to a 311 concert before it will be Too Late.”
Something that makes him unique is his loathing of Saran Wrap. “I hate Saran Wrap more than any human being in the history of all existence. It is a complete bullshit product and anyone that says they’ve always used it without any problem is a liar. At least 983 times in everyone’s lives, will they fight against Saran Wrap getting tangled up, stuck together and ultimately needing to be cut-off and re-pulled until serving its final purpose. The creator of this is/was clearly an asshole and I hope all of their food went to waste over the history of their stupid life!!”
Guilty pleasure for Ryan? “MMMbop by Hanson is a fucking jam. You can talk shit all you want or try to fight me, but you can never take away from the fact that this song is absolute, pure fuckin’ gold. I also only play regular Nintendo or Super Nintendo to this day. I’ve tried graduating to more advanced systems over time, but when you can’t up up, down down, left right, B A, select start that shit, there is no point in playing.”
When not listening to 311 (or MMMbop), Ryan can be found jamming out to bands like, “Highly Suspect, Deftones, Every Time I Die, Turnstile, The Glorious Sons, Betcha, Teenage Wrist, Awolnation and literally anything from our lord & savior, Maynard James Keenan, are at the top of my playlists.” Ryan also said he knows that most fans like that 311 tour with the Reggae inspired bands, but he’s always leaned more towards the heavy openers like Zebrahead, Incubus, Jimmie’s Chicken Shack. Alien Ant Farm and Offspring.
If he could say one thing to a member of 311, he’d like to send this message to Tim: “Mahoney…. come on… just give me one of the PRS’s Also, how does your neck still work after all years of rocking it like a damn see-saw? I can’t even sleep peacefully on a tempurpedic without needing a hospital bed most mornings.”
Now his words to all the other 311 fans out there:
“Look…. What a complete shit-show the last few years have been. A global pandemic, social injustices, , economic challenges, 2 gigantic dipshits for Presidents, a country divided and suddenly, the one place we all used to look for some grounding and solace became a war-zone of it’s own. It’s normal and appropriate that these things are more ingrained in our lives as we start to age out of the youth to the mid-life, but keep your minds open. Talk to one another and understand that it’s ok to think differently. As diametrically opposed as views might be… keep the conversation going, but don’t tear each other apart. Recall all the positives this band has brought to us for over 3 decades and keep that train running as long as we can. I’ve had a lot of ups and downs in relationships in life, but this is the one constant that has always been there and I hope will always be there. We’re never going to always get along, but if this is the one medium where we can escape the bullshit for a show or an album listening, then let’s leave that as it is. I know that EVENTUALLY this band will inevitably go away, but until then, let’s help keep it intact instead of pulling it all apart. Also…. LET’S RAGE ON THE MOTHER FUCKING BOAT!!! DECK 8 PARTIES EVERY SINGLE NIGHT UNTIL THE TOUCANS OF BELIZE ARE SERVING US FROOT LOOPS TO TO KEEP US ALIVE!!!”
Thank you Ryan for sharing your story! And of course, many thanks to the supporters and readers each time. I hope you all have an excellent week, sending you all the positive vibes.
Much Love – The Runt