It's a fast, fun read covering everything from the pain of various piercing locations to the best way to get your guilders worth with an Amsterdam, Mexican or Nevada prostitute. Hint: foreplay costs extra. There are plenty of informative illustrations and cunning quotes from such experts in the field as Deep Throat actress Linda Lovelace, ex-boxing champ Mohamed Ali and even skid-row poet-laureate Charles Bukowski. On jail, Buk says "Hey, they've got the wrong kind of bars in those places."

No matter what the name of your pleasure or poison, don't try it alone, without a condom, or a very expensive lawyer. Those are at least two thirds of the law in Outlaw Land. You might not want to reside there, but now, thanks to Cohen and Wollock, you too can be a rebel without a clue for a while and, best of all, not have to worry about catching an icky disease or having your big wheel stolen. – S.D.

Whereas 1996's Pinkerton album indulged in darkish, static-tinged overtones, The Green Album zips by with fun-loving Frankie-and-Annette rhythms. On almost every track, the band weaves a sweet singsong of "ooh whoa whoa," "hip hip," or "ooh-ooh-ooh" through the hard-rock strumming of guitarists Cuomo and Brian Bell. Add the drums of Patrick Wilson and the bass of new-Weez Mikey Welsh, and the resulting tempos are irresistible. Securing the songs' frisky drive are stellar big-guitar solos that'll have you playing air guitar in the shower.

The Green Album is an ass-kicker, but it doesn't stray from the emotional songwriting ethic: write sad songs with lots of heart-wrenching sensitivity, but make 'em rock. And Cuomo writes with the yearning of a little boy in a toy store. On "O Girlfriend," he sings, "I miss you/ And I wonder how you feel about me too" over a '50s-era melody. It's drama in simplicity. "Island in the Sun" has Cuomo feeling "so fine/ I can't control my brain." And when he begs, "gimme some love, gimme some love/ Sugar on the hard rock radio" in "Simple Pages," well, that's all he really wants. Geek love is good love. – J.F.

Land of the Free? takes aim at World Trade Organization protests and Clusterfuck 2000 (AKA the latest U. S. Presidential election). Songs like "Fuck Authority," "Whose Side Are You On?" and "It's Up To You" are trademark Pennywise tunes. One of the many endearing qualities of their music is that it always sounds like music and not testosterone-laden chaotic noise. Lindberg's voice soars, pensive and pissed-off, as McMackin unleashes a hailstorm of drums and cymbals on each track. The charge of Dragge's guitar and Bradbury's bass are like fists pumping in the air at their live shows. Speaking of which, as a side note, last year Pennywise sold out the L. A. Sports Arena – allegedly the biggest punk show in L.A. history – and the band donated all of the proceeds to local charities. Now that's truly raging against the machine, thank you very much.

Land of the Free? doesn't dwell on the morose, hopeless attitude of the disillusioned, and Pennywise are not satisfied by merely exposing injustice – the members are fighters, and their songs are rally cries. If you're used to sitting on the couch and bitching about how life sucks, how no one's ever going to change the world for the better, how your day job is akin to eating staples, etc., it's best to let Land of the Free? smack your lazy ass out of your head. – J.F.

June 2001