3:01 Pick Me Up: The Diodes

Let’s face it: 3 p.m. is the cruellest time of the workday. The morning latte has worn off, and the post-lunch crash has you staggering around like an extra from a George A. Romero flick. That’s why, each weekday at 3:01 p.m., we present you with a video hand-picked to kick-start your heart. If the following clip doesn’t bring you temporarily back to life and help get you through the rest of the afternoon, chances are you’re dead inside.

Today's offering: there are a few grumblers around the Straight office who would argue that the early Toronto punk scene had little to offer that was truly worthwhile, especially compared to what was happening in Vancouver at the time. After all, we had D.O.A., the Pointed Sticks, the Subhumans, and the Dishrags, to name a few. Toronto, on the other hand, had Teenage Head and the Viletones.

Okay, so the West Coast wins this one, hands down. Still, T.O. produced some decent bands during the Last Pogo years, including the Diodes. The best part of this live clip of "Tired of Waking Up Tired" is the fact that guitarist John Catto is rocking a ruffled poet shirt and a pageboy haircut. When you're truly punk rock, you can get away with dressing like a member of Jefferson Airplane.