The Dogmatics might very well be the most emblematic Boston band of this half-century, that too-few people know about. T | dG1fNW80ZkItcGpBVjg
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00:00 We drop in on the Dogmatics and the understated elegance of their Thayer Street hideaway, soon subject to urban renewal.
00:06 Ladies and gentlemen, the Dogmatics!
00:12 The Dogmatics, a Dogumentary, is the story of a band of Catholic school hooligans,
00:23 who just happen to have played a role in influencing a thriving Boston music scene, then and now.
00:29 The Dogmatics were established in 1981.
00:32 Paulo Halloran got together with his identical twin brother Peter to form a new band.
00:37 Then I remember they told me, "Look, we're moving to this loft in Boston. We're going to start a band with Jerry."
00:43 That's interesting that there's going to be a band with twins in it. I wonder if that's ever happened before.
00:53 When we started living at the loft, we became aware of the existence of cockroaches, right?
00:59 So I think Jerry in particular didn't like them, and that's what that song is about.
01:05 They were Boston's house band, to me.
01:19 So that's a fun song, you know?
01:22 It also gives you the opportunity as a guitar player,
01:25 when it goes down to just drums and bass, to walk over to your amplifier and take a swig off a beer.
01:31 Me and Pete would often do that together, look at each other, raise a beer, and take a swig.
01:36 The Dogmatics were no different than any other talentless, self-deprecating beer squabble.
01:43 The Dogmatics were no different than any other talentless, self-deprecating beer-swilling girl chasing lunkheads with guitars.
01:50 They were young, selfless, and affable.
01:53 Playing was the only thing that mattered.
01:55 I later became a middle school teacher, and you know,
02:00 nothing can train you better to run a middle school classroom in New York City
02:07 than having worked with the Dogmatics for three or four years.
02:12 ♪ You're the only girl for me ♪
02:14 ♪ You're the only girl I say yeah ♪
02:17 It's a living organism.
02:20 It's not just like super well rehearsed, and then go "thanks" and split.
02:25 It's like, you never know, you might see a fist fight.
02:28 This could be good. I'm gonna watch.
02:30 They just have that thing about, they're Boston.
02:33 There's never been a more Boston band than the Dogmatics.
02:37 ♪ I wanna hear that record one more time ♪
02:40 They're not an 80s act, they're not a revivalist act, they're not a reunion,
02:45 they're not an oldies act, you know, they are a band, a current band.
02:49 The Dogmatics might very well be the most emblematic Boston band of this half century
02:54 that too few people know about.
02:56 [MUSIC PLAYING]