THE MANIFEST
‘Nazi Punks Fuck Off’ was the first Dead Kennedys song I ever heard. In it’s one minute run time, it had more ideas than most other songs:
“You’ll be the first to go
You’ll be the first to go
You’ll be the first to go
Unless you think”
All the recent Black Flag activity reminds me of the schisms of medieval Christianity or the English war of roses period. There’s a lot of he-said she-said, legal threats, splits/reformations; but in the end, it’s just a bunch of old men arguing over who is the ‘real’ heir to the throne.
How many narcissists does it take to change a light bulb? Just one, but he has to wait for the whole world to revolve around him.
Ready to shave off that ironic mustache and trade it in for bedraggled (yet calculated) faux thrift? Everything has a context; the cheap analog basement recording methods that were once a material necessity, are now just a form of status signalling. The DIY art/packaging/distribution of yesteryear, has been eclipsed by bandcamp and photoshop (which everyone can afford/steal). What was once an uncoerced form of self-expression has been reduced to reified consumerist posturing.
Husker Du to me represents the bridge between 80s american hardcore punk and 90s alternative. The band began their life as a somewhat generic 80s hardcore band, but evolved into something unique, paving not only their own way but the way for Nirvana, the Pixies, Superchunk, and the Foo Fighters.
I’ve mentioned before that modern music use to divide the generations. Up until recently parent and kid culture would clash over music. Beginning with the moralistic disapproval of Elvis’s sexuality, followed by a general distain for the rebellious nature of rock n roll, followed further by parent’s disapproval for devil worshiping heavy metal, followed further but the abrasiveness of the underground hardcore punk scene going mainstream with Nirvana and grunge. I think the politically incorrect nature of hip hop is the last act of this play, the twilight of this protest.
There’s been a lot of speculation about Thrice’s breakup in the message boards and news lately, specifically focusing on singer/writer Dustin Kensrue’s religious motivation for leaving. The Orange Country Register’s article paints the blame solely on Kensrue’s commitment to his faith, doing so in a highbrow condescending manner, taking shots at his church’s pastor. The article says something that I hold an 100% opposite opinion of:
The modern day mythology of sex, drugs, & rock’n’roll is as unquestionably accepted as any other role we pigeonhole ourselves into. I suppose much of this can be attributed to rock music’s rise with 60s hippie culture. But I always asked myself, how can bands full of junkies and alcoholics get anything done? How do they organize shows? How do they write songs?
We often see clusters of great bands coming from the same city around the same time. London, for example, in the late 70s gave way to some of the greatest bands we’ve ever seen: The Clash, Cock Sparrer, the Sex Pistols, and really too many others to name and do justice. California had two punk rock renaissances, one in the mid 1980s with Black Flag, the Dead Kennedys, and Agent Orange (see ‘american hardcore’ for the details). The other occurred in the mid 1990s with Rancid, Face to Face, and the Swingin’ Utters (see the documentary ‘one nine nine four’ for the story). Lately Gainesville, Florida (the Fest, Against Me!, No Idea Records) and New Jersey (the Gaslight Anthem, the Disconnects) have been getting a lot of attention.
I think that we notice these bands in clusters because for a band to succeed and be heard a local network of venues, promoters, bands, labels, and fans are needed as a support network. You need people to show up, different places to play, and labels to release your records. Trying to make it on your own, without these things would be a an uphill battle.