No Sugarcoating & No Bullshit: November
Written by Jo Hayes
Sunday, 18 November 2012 04:00
Hello again Uber Rockers.
With it being so close to the end of 2012, I could sum up the year, the highs and the pitfalls, the best this, the best that, the most annoying tit of the year, but I won’t, we have another month yet. Not that the latter is necessarily going to end up in next month’s blog, I could surprise you, or write yet more rambling nonsense (which like the dodgy jumper you get for Xmas, may well disappoint you).
With the apparent end of the world soon approaching (thanks to the Mayans), maybe we shouldn’t bother with Xmas shopping, and just spend it on ourselves. Which means no dodgy Xmas songs being played in the shops. Yes, I know it won’t happen, but the thought of hearing that crap in the run up to Xmas makes me almost want the myth to be true.
I thought I’d bring up ‘Music Politics’. When I say music politics, I don’t mean the likes of the maybe fabricated, political views, of bands such as Rage Against
The Machine (although they do end up in a lot of musical arguments amongst me and my friends). Music Politics are the ridiculous rules which stop many of us just liking music for what it is.
For instance, I’ve often had my musical taste shot down due to me swaying towards the Punk Rock side of things, the argument often being “Punk is shit, cuz it’s only three chords.” When to me, simplicity is sometimes as amazing as difficult guitar solos.
Whilst I can appreciate technical ability, it isn’t the be all and end all with music, there needs to be some passion thrown in, and some of the best passion is through bands learning while they play. Similarly you do get some people thinking that should play badly on purpose, because it’s punk or cool – No, that means you’re just a tone deaf poseur.
I used to be in a band with someone who seemed to think that if a song was more complicated to play, that it must sound amazing. I dared simplify a song which he had purposefully down-tuned (without needed to down-tune), and he didn’t notice until I pointed it out. Technically, an excellent guitarist, you couldn’t fault him, but with his apparent disdain for my primitive musicianship, we definitely weren’t on the same side.
Much like at school and wanting to fit in, if you’re a true purveyor in Music Politics, you act like a middle aged man (or woman) very much stuck in their ways. I used to be like this in my teens, but now try to come up with an intelligent argument when it comes to calling a band shit (unless it’s Justin Bieber or One Direction, that’s just common knowledge).
I always used to get pissed off at my friends who liked Rage Against The Machine, as they would go on about how great it was they were “against the system,” thus being better than anything I liked listening to.
To me, I think they play on this gimmick more than some may think – my main reason for thinking this is their video for ‘Sleep Now In The Fire’ which is shot in Wall St. I think it’d be hilarious and pretty punk rock if a band did this for themselves, but the fact they weren’t chased away (or shot down) by Police Officers does get me wondering.
Regardless of a band’s credibility, it all boils down to their music. Credibility issues don’t bother me, but we all have more respect, and like a band for more than their music if they can strike a chord with their audience.
We can (and do) argue that many bands do or don’t do this, but the point I think I was going to make was, like it, listen to it – don’t listen to the musos (or the closet, snobby rockers).
All I need is three chords and some R A F R!!
Bye for now,
Jo
Blog motivation provided by: Motorhead, lack of sleep, cider
Band of the month: Motorhead
Pet hate of the month: Christmas songs…still (the likes of: “I Wish It Could Be Christmas…” Argh!)