The Abusers reunite 30 years later
Journalism professor Scott Swafford is a rock legend by night.
Published Dec. 12, 2008
Here's the plot: four midwestern teens, inspired by the Ramones' historic eponymous debut, form a punk rock band. They conspire with their drama teacher to play a gig during school. They practice every day and work their way up to club gigs and parties. They break up when the guitarist moves to New York City. Thirty years later, the vocalist is an associate professor at MU's School of Journalism and a newspaper editor at the Columbia Missourian. He has a 19-year-old and an 8-year-old — and he's getting the band back together.
It likely wouldn't work as a movie. Reviews would complain of its cartoonish disregard for realism — how could anyone buy that this professor is actually a punker?
And yet, immediately upon meeting Scott Swafford, the premise somehow makes sense. It's not hard to imagine this tall, skinny MU professor in flood jeans and a button-down shouting out some Ramones when his band plays the at the Cherry Street Artisan this Saturday — nor is it hard to imagine him advising journalism students on their master's theses. He somehow simultaneously exudes authority and amicability, while hinting at a past edginess.
Edgy they were - "they" referring to The Abusers, the Missouri punk rock group featuring Swafford on vocals, Stephen Mahoney playing bass, Andrew Berenyi on guitar and Jeff Greener covering percussion. In cahoots with their high school drama teacher, The Abusers played their first gig, deceptively billed as a Christmas show, at their high school. Songs included "Deck the Halls with Parts of Bodies," and "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas (With Every Snort of Coke I Take)."
"We were very serious about the music," Swafford said. "We practiced religiously — pretty much every damn day after school. We got pretty darned good, if I should say so myself — it's a biased opinion, I know."
"Pretty good" at punk rock in Mid-Missouri circa 1978 only yielded so much. Swafford recounts tales of wide-eyed audiences, free gigs and occasionally, the necessity of deception.
"We found that clubs didn't want to hire a band called The Abusers," Swafford said. "So we went by The Kids for a while."
Swafford and company continued to play as either The Abusers, The Kids and once as The New Saviors until the group disbanded in 1982.
"Once Andy went to New York, it was pretty much over," Swafford said.
While Berenyi continued his own music career in New York and then London with his own acclaimed punk group Under Neath What, Swafford earned his degree in psychology. Nearly 30 years later, Swafford teaches journalism at MU and is a city editor at the Columbia Missourian.
Sometimes there's nothing more positive than acknowledging an ending. The first song The Abusers played together in over 25 years in preparation for this Saturday's show? "The Last Time" by The Rolling Stones.
