The Heart of Rock & Roll
#TalkNerdyToMeLover Chiquita Doesn't Want a Banana
So here goes nothing, what the hell happened to good rock music?! I'm so tired of the Grammy's giving out rock awards to bands like Creed, Coldplay and Kings of Leon, rock, really? I'm no genius here but I'd assume if you haven't in sighted a riot caused children to be born out of wedlock or participated in a drug induced trance you aren't a rock band. Last time I checked Rock and Roll was the heart of our country it was our apple pie where could you go without hearing the screeching sounds of Twisted Sister, Rolling Stones, Alice Cooper, or Ozzy Osbourne. It seems today our Rock sounds more like Pop and it's usually men whining about a love lost or some past drug addiction to make themselves look harder to the public.
I can't get no satisfaction; We don't need no education; Schools out for summer; remember these lines how they shaped a generation cried out for rebellion and teens everywhere stood up and said, we're here bitches listen up! You can argue that throughout the years there have been hybrid versions of Rock such as Grunge but even that genre didn't last long not since Curt Cobain killed himself and Pearl Jam went soft. Zeppelin, Jefferson Airplane, The Who, they all had their roll to play and unfortunately it has stopped with them. As much as we all wish mainstream music would change its too much of a money making machine to slow down now where else in the world can you clean up a teenager who can hardly sing a tune stick them in a studio and make them sound great. American Idol manufactures robots like Toyota puts out cars, fast, sloppy, and without much care for the consumer. Sure I've been called a music snob and sure I completely agree I've paid my dues I've studied music in all its forms I've opened my mind to all different types of music from Beethoven to Beck from Glenn Miller to Goo Goo Dolls I learned how music is made I learned what independent artists go through by working for them for free not accepting a penny to help them get noticed. Some of my closest friends and best artists I know come from the Independent genre. I was alive when CBGBs was the place to be and I was alive when their historic doors closed to make way for some new condo development.
New York City is the home of emerging artists or at least it used to be rarely is new talent found within the confines of a dark stale smelling bar with a 5x10 stage and gum stuck to the floors; A club where a variety of artists have left their mark on the bathroom walls and signed pictures in frames. Bruce Springsteen came from humble beginnings Asbury Park New Jersey where The Stone Pony and The Saint still remain shadows of what used to be a time when things were better. Remember when Rock was Born in the U.S.A well now it's born in a plant somewhere in Germany or at the Disney Channel. MTV a once admired pioneer of the music video that helped to launch some of the coolest music acts we've had has sold out to big corporations for money and their souls. I can see the original VJs now remembering a time when they were a part of something big something so huge that video killed the radio star. There was a time when we didn't care what the artist looked like as long as they could rock out with the best of em I mean lets be honest the Rolling Stones are not the prettiest group of guys they never were and Perry Ferrel of Jane's Addiction isn't exactly a sex symbol for the ladies but who cared he was the shit he could write he could sing, its called talent.
With the resurgence of Joan Jett and the Runaways movie a whole new generation is being exposed to Punk. Unfortunately hard core movie roles are played by pop tarts but at least The Runaways are getting the recognition they deserve. We cannot rely on the originals to last forever they are getting older and let's face it they just can't rock like they used to so where is our new generation, where are the kids who grew up wanting to be Three Dog Night, Kiss, Cream, Aerosmith, AC/DC, ZZ Top, Van Halen, Janis Joplin, Grace Slick, Sex Pistols, people where are you! Don't take Pop lying down don't submit to Taylor Swift and Adam Lambert grab your guitars bang your effin drums and be loud, be proud, be angry!
The United States and our allies are in the middle of two wars a recession and an attack on our very culture of progressive politics so where dare I ask are the musical protestors, we had them during the Vietnam War we had artists making their voices heard through music. You could be exposed to an anti propaganda song who's story is told through a peaceful protest a musician who sees the world the way others do not. We seem to be missing the visionaries missing John Lennon a leader someone who will take us in a different direction creatively. So while I admit to being a music snob I also admit to not being wrong I will not apologize for my critical and sometimes harsh opinions on modern day "artists" because if it not for writers like me Rolling Stone magazine would never have been born. The covers of Rolling Stone read like an Encyclopedia of history musicians from every generation who have in some way shaped the future. Truth be told diversity hardly exists and people are no more different to one another then McDonalds is to Burger King same product different name. So call it what you will call it snobbery call it arrogance call me late for dinner but don't ever call me wrong because history proves my point and $17 dollars for a CD proves exactly what I'm saying. Who in their right mind would buy an entire album from some of these people when you can buy the only song that was good on the CD anyway I'd rather save myself a few dollars and bleeding eardrums. Now let me go get a Big Mac, I'm hungry.