Theseus’ parodox: So this Mythological king teenage gutter-punk Theseus has a legendary ship guitar, one that plays some insanely bitchin’ heavy-metal and hardcore riffs — seminal stuff people make careers of copying. The only problem is that by now this guitar is like 30-something years old, and year by year, the strings and tuning pegs wear out or malfunction or whatever and even the neck and the body are replaced. After a while, some of the older parts are even put back on. Then, for argument’s sake, let’s say one of the replaced parts allegedly slashes two of the current parts with a hunting knife backstage before a show and then … what were we talking about again? Point is, the Cro-Mags — currently touring to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their vicious hardcore classic The Age of Quarrel – have gone through enough lineup changes in the past three decades to merit the inclusion of a band-member timeline on their Wikipedia page that looks like it’s trying to explain the plot of the movie Primer, and there’s some, um, spirited debate about which is the best version. One thing is for certain: that guitar, replacement parts and all, can still make a hell of a lot of racket.
A nearly 6,000-square-foot Monte Vista mansion that blends historic details with modern elegance underwent a steep, $200,000 price cut late last month.…