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My Gen X Playlist: Been Caught Stealing – Jane’s Addiction

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Daily writing prompt
What makes you nervous?
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I knew something was wrong when I received a welcome letter from Infinity congratulating me on my new car. The problem was, I didn’t buy a new car. I called the number on the letter to let them know they had the wrong guy. They said it must have been a mix up on their end and not to worry about it.

The bigger red flag occurred when I received the license plates in the mail. Then came the letters saying I was behind on my lease payments. I made countless calls to explain I never leased the car. It turned out someone leased a car under my name. Wow. Really?

When I finally spoke to the right person, I was told I needed to first file a police report before they could begin to resolve this issue. Unfortunately I had to file the report at my local police station. I lived downtown at the time and this meant I had to go to the police station in skid row. Parking in that area would be problematic, so I decided to walk. It was only four blocks away, but it wasn’t going to be a pleasant stroll. I made sure I went in broad daylight and kept a pissed off look on my face so people would steer clear of me. Fun.

When I walked into the station, I waited in line. To my left was a lady of the evening, to my right was a man arguing with himself, clearly having his own problems. When I got to the counter, I explained to the officer that I needed to file a police report. What for? Robbery? Assault? he asked. Um no. Identity theft. He looked at the person left of me, then right of me and then said, Dude, really?

They eventually found the car. It was chopped for parts and left burning on the side of the road. In a way, that was a relief. I can’t imagine the drama that could have been unleashed on me if the car was used to commit a crime.

I spent a few months cleaning up the mess. There was a stream of parking tickets and impound bills that filled my mailbox. I eventually put it behind me. I’m not nervous about identity theft, but I am concerned and more cautious about privacy. These days, anybody is fair game and no one is completely safe.

I mentioned in a previous post I listen to The Moth podcast. It’s a podcast where people recount stories from their past, live on stage. Here is a good one on how a guy fought back when he was a victim of identity theft. I wish I had his gumshoe skills. His best quote was

When someone steals your identity, they only take the good parts.

I’d gladly welcome a little identity theft if they took warts and all. But it doesn’t work that way. It just got me a whole lot of hassle, a field trip to skid row and a notice of a charred car on the side road.

James’s Addiction released Been Caught Stealing in 1990. Talk about rebellion…

This song is about the rush you get when stealing items from a store just for fun. Jane’s Addiction lead singer Perry Farrell has a history of encouraging his listeners to do things that are unlawful or unhealthy: he once told a crowd not to let the threat of AIDS get in the way of their sexual freedom, and he admitted to not just using heroin, but enjoying it. At a time when rappers and dance divas were taking over popular music, Jane’s Addiction was a voice of rock rebellion. Farrell points out that he in no way encourages people to follow his advice or example. He explained to BAMmagazine in 1990: “I didn’t get into this to make sermons or set up structures for others to live by. My intent has nothing to do with teaching. It’s to amuse myself on this completely boring planet.”

– Songfacts

I combed through the lyrics. It doesn’t specifically say to lease a car in someone else’s name and chop it for parts. OK, Jane’s Addiction. I won’t blame you. I guess you’re off the hook.

–

For a complete playlist, please click here.

For the Spotify playlist, please click here.

I've been caught stealing; 
once when I was 5... 
I enjoy stealing. 
It's just as simple as that.
Well, it's just a simple fact. 
When I want something,
I don't want to pay for it. 

I walk right through the door. 
Walk right through the door. 
Hey all right! If I get by, it's mine. 
Mine all mine! 

My girl, she's one too.
She'll go and get her a skirt. 
Stick it under her shirt. 
She grabbed a razor for me. 
And she did it just like that. 
When she wants something,
She don't want to pay for it. 

She walk right through the door. 
Walk right through the door.
Hey all right! If I get by, it's mine.
Mine all mine!

We sat around the pile. 
We sat and laughed. 
We sat and laughed and
Waved it into the air! 
And we did it just like that. 
When we want something,
We don't want to pay for it.

We walk right through the door. 
Walk right through the door. 
Hey, all right! If I get by, it's mine,
Mine, mine, mine, mine, mine, mine...

29 thoughts on “My Gen X Playlist: Been Caught Stealing – Jane’s Addiction”

    1. It was crazy. When I got the license plates in the mail, I thought what the hell? I have no idea how they did this because you’d think they would need to show identification at the dealership. Must have been an inside job.

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  2. Wow, that’s crazy. Scammers are everywhere, but it’s hard to believe they could make it through all the steps of leasing a car without your actual drivers license in their hands. My son’s roommate’s grandmother got scammed out of thousands by a common scam they use on the elderly-saying their grandkid is in jail and needs bail. Awful!

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    1. I keep thinking it was an inside job because they must have required an ID. We know elderly people who have been scammed. It’s pretty low going after old people. Hope the roommates g-ma was able to get her money back.

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      1. Thanks. I don’t she did. The worst part was when the parents heard and the roommate couldn’t be reached. They called us to help track him down. They were so panicked that he might actually be in jail. (My son’s like “nah, he’s just snoring in the bunk above me”)

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  5. it’s “funny” how criminals can get away with this stuff, but i can’t even get the bank to help me with my 92 year-old MIL’s available bank balance (even with her sitting in the same room as me). eek!

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  6. Worst that has happened to me was someone used my debit card to buy 2 tickets to Disney World…my bank is dilligent in scams I was able to.prove it wasn’t me because the tickets were bought on location in Florida, cancelled my card and got new one. Bad enough to see news that the U.S. infrastructure is being hacked by mulitple countries, then you gotta worry about skimmers too…its insane

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  7. Wow! That’s crazy! Two years ago, I tried to e-file my tax return and got an error that someone had already used my SSN to claim as a dependent on their return. I had to report it and get a special code to file my return. It was a mess, but not as bad as someone leasing a car!

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  8. Thanks for writing about this. I was involved in a breach recently but keep putting off taking precautions. You’ve raised it to priority.

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  9. That’s wild re: the identity theft. Too bad you didn’t get to keep the Infinity someone bought…

    I really liked the song, thanks for the intro to it. I think you may have posted something by Jane’s Addiction before? At any rate, I heard a bit of a 1970s experimental rock vibe in it, like some of the guitar effects remind me of early Brian Eno solo stuff.

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