A Seattle Weekly article has been lighting up the interwebz with a damning critique on Punk Rock. While everyone is most certainly entitled to ones own opinion, one should not come across as a petulant, hipster douche with an axe to grind against others that are also striving to create the same thing you are: Art. Ars gratia artis, or to the layman, art for arts sake.
So, a person (John Roderick) in The Long Winters (a band I never heard of, but not a big deal) rails against successful bands like the Ramones and The Clash, calling them "conservative," and a "World-music band," respectively. Not bad, but then again, not very punk. Somewhat de-fanged, if you will. He touts punk as an escapism from bands like Genesis and ELO. Yet, when listening to some of his most popular tracks on iTunes (I picked Scared Straight, from "When I Pretend to Fall"), the ELO influences are pretty evident during a 10 second listen. Same with the next two, Cinnamon and Pushover. All well and good, but comparing this band's music to ELO's long body of work, one will obviously find similarities. Totally understood. To lambast a complete genre of work due to the fact that one doesn't play in or understand said genre smacks of myopic idiocy.
So, in the air of fairness, I decided to download the album. I'm not going to torrent it, but I'm bloody well not buying it either. I'm going to use either YouTube or the free streaming service with my XBox Music Service (great service, confusing interface) and give it a chance. Why? I have to be open minded about this stuff. Will I comment on how the Long Winters album names remind me of bad teenage poetry ("Putting the Days to Bed," "Ultimatum," "Pretend," and "The Worst you can do is Harm)"? But of course not. Am I surprised to find out that one of their tunes is on "The O.C. Mix3" Christmas album? Not even close.
Yes, these guys are over 18. They have savings accounts. Families. Societal trappings. Yet they are PUNK. Maddengly awesome punk. Much like all the other bands out there, successful or not, famous or less than, good and bad. They are all trying to do the same thing. Play music, have fun and do something cool. Doesn't make them not punk. It makes them artists. Mr Roderick, if you had half the talent, you would have more respect. If you could form a logical argument, with sound data to back up your assertions, you wouldn't come across as a petulant, hipster shit.
Interesting stuff. Opinions and Assholes, everyone has one. Thank you Mr. Gore, for inventing the internet. Without it, I would have to travel to far flung coffehouses on Saturday nights to get this hipster drivel bullshit diatribe (and to expectorate my own).
-om
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