To Punk or Not to Punk
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One of my favorite MOGgers, "*Cbertsch*":http://mog.com/cbertsch came back to us recently, & as always - his posts really make me think. He delves deep into his thoughts & philosophies... I always dig that. Makes me use more bits of the "lge" brain... exercise is good for that organ. His latest post - "*Cbertsch*":http://mog.com/cbertsch/blog_post/86219 is the post of the day & in my opinion, *+very deserving+*. I've always listened to music I've thought to have punk tendencies, but sometimes I was told by true afficionados that I was way off... I saw this reaction showcasing a true passion for the style & beliefs of a group they associated with moreso than I did. & that's not to say I didn't believe in those ideals. When it comes to music, there really isn't a style I don't/won't listen to, I want to be as open as is humanly possible - I don't want to miss out on anything musically speaking & otherwise. So their discounting of my thoughts didn't disuade me, nor did it upset me, I am very passionate about my feelings/thoughts/beliefs - maybe you noticed ;). We all have our opinions. In fact, I just decided - hey, I can find some aspects of punk in +The Pixies+, the same way I see pop in +The Clash+. Does this discount either band - not for me ? ! So my man Cbertsch posts the question I've never been able to nail down, but one that has always made me stay true to what I think & in my own way, causes me to go against the *"norm"*. *Go read his post, sil vous plait & mercy buckets ;)* I listen to +The Buzzcocks+ & +Stiff Little Fingers+ They are two favorites of mine, _PUNKILY SPEAKING_ ;) & I listen to +The Pretenders+ & +Rage Against the Machine+, also favorites & though they may not be classified as "punk" - I feel they have enough of the *punk* asthetic to showcase a punk mentality that I really love. As RAGE would say: "FIGHT THE WAR, F@CK THE NORM, NOW I GOT NO PATIENCE, SO SICK OF COMPLACENCE". Certainly - RAGE's song lengths could, for some, take them out of the running for _punk_. Again - so be it. But for me - they are always fighting against inequality, inhumanity, political agendas that screw with the masses. I think this is one of the best aspects of PUNK.So, for my musical interlude, I have three bands... First, my Northern Irish lads from my grandfather's own Belfast, me Pap would have loved them for their message (if not for their volume) ;) - he really was a *music junkie* himself. So the first goes out to "*_my_ Charlie, me PAP*" & to "*Rawkkiddo*":http://mog.com/Rawkkiddo one of my favorite punks, one who never discounted my thoughts ;) +*STIFF LITTLE FINGERS : SUSPECT DEVICE*+The woman I wanted to grow up to be when I first started watching MTV: Chrissy Hynde... "*chucky*":http://mog.com/chucky & "*Anna*":http://mog.com/Anna , this one is or you... my rockin sisters ;)*+THE PRETENDERS : TATTOOED LOVE BOYS+*And the men who really pissed me off all those years ago when instead of playing a set at Lollapalooza in Philly, they protested Tipper Gore & the PMRC, naked & with feedback - Funny what a little maturity & a broader perspective brings - This is now one of the reasons I LOVE them as much as I do. *+RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE : KNOW YOUR ENEMY+*This last video goes out to "*Kat3260*":http://mog.com/kat3260 , "*RaG3aH0liC*":http://mog.com/RaG3aH0liC , & last but not least, as these three are equally too cool for school in my book, "*Lyrikhan*":http://mog.com/Lyrikhan *A little Maynard never hurt RAGE ! Just as a little PUNK never hurt a band :)*
Comments (34)
I do think that length would be a common denominator in many definitions of punk, because first-generation punk was reacting so savagely to the perceived excesses of early 70s "prog rock." I've heard people over the years complain that Sonic Youth is too prog or say that Tortoise is an example of what happens to people who start out interested in punk but then get to full of themselves. That said, I'll take Tortoise over most of the ??Maximum Rock and Roll?? punk out there for sustained listening pleasure.
Punk on Lizzie! :)