Neon Christ was formed in 1983, long before any of James Demer’s students were born and at least two decades before they would be taught by him. Since then a lot has changed in the Atlanta social scene. Pop culture today is not what it was then, but the punk scene may still be similar to the one that Neon Christ grew into.
Although it had been over 20 years since Neon Christ disbanded, they were able to put together a reputable concert after being inspired to reunite by the prospect of filming a documentary
“The documentary is about the Atlanta punk scene that Neon Christ came out of– roughly 1983 through 1986— and then it will contrast that scene with the current punk scene,” said Demer. “The idea is to explore the continuity of ideas and youth culture.”
Like many students, Demer’s band formed while he was in high school, and during that time it trumped any academic obligation.
“I was more interested in my rock band than in academics during high school,” said Demer. “I think being well-rounded and having a number of interests makes a good citizen and happy life, and I take an interest in making sure students are tending to all their responsibilities and managing their time well.”
Now, Demer is all about school, except when he was planning for the show on February 2. It was the first time that Neon Christ had performed in over 20 years.
Demer had to put some practice and effort into making sure that it went over well.
“The hardest part for me was re-learning the drums; I really haven’t played since Neon Christ broke up. I play guitar in another group called the Accidents, and I spent the past six months or so re-learning drums,” said Demer. “ I held it together and didn’t seem to embarrass the other guys, but I’ll never be much of a drummer.”
Several of Demer’s students also attended the show. Even though he already knew that some students were fans, he managed to inspire even students that don’t normally listen to punk rock to come.
“Micheal Staring held up a sign that read, ‘Hey! Mr. Demer! What’s our homework!,’ that was very touching and then we started playing, I saw a couple of my students in the mosh pit,” said Demer. “I feared for their safety…I guess the whole thing might make me the ‘cool’ teacher, but don’t ask me for a pass to Herr Neuhaus’s class.”
Unlike people would assume, Demer has absolutely no problem juggling his life as a literature teacher, his family, and his interest in music.
“I have a number of roles in life- teacher, rock n roll dude, father– and doing lots of different things keeps it interesting. I can’t remember the last time I was bored,” said Demer.