Recognition of Rusted-On Aesthetics

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In my youth - about twenty five or so years ago - I found a strong association with that genre of music known as 'punk rock'. I blame, at least in part, people like reddragdiva and his journal "Party Fears" for assisting in this along with venues like The Red Parrot.

My particular tastes in this genre weren't terribly obscure. I was incredibly impressed by the musical diversity and socialist politics of bands like The Clash, especially the Sandinsta! triple-album. But from the other side of the big pond, I really liked The Dead Kennedys; although they weren't as musically diverse (usually sticking to a hard and fast delivery), they were musically very competent and, of course, I found much in common with their left-anarchist politics.

The final song on their second album, Moon Over Marin (youtube) I found particularly striking. A more melodic combination of surf music and punk rock the mental image of the lyrics portrayed environmental dystopia on the scale of science fiction (shades of John Bruner's "Stand on Zanzibar"). 'Marin' of course, is the rather beautiful coastline and peninsula of California that includes the Bay Area.

French punk band Les Thugs do an absolutely superb cover of 'Moon over Marin'. I've been playing it like a heartbroken or angry teenager today. I may as well just admit it; I'm an aging punk who never gave up on its values. No wonder a young shop assistant expressed pleasure at my Clash hoodie a couple of weeks back. I was a little surprised and slightly embarrassed; I guess young people today, like young people then, respect those whose stick to sound principles in politics and taste and don't sell out. I hope that will always be the case.

Comments

[cluebyfour.livejournal.com]

The Clash is one of my favorites too and I don't even agree with their politics. Of course if I let that be a primary criterion for enjoying music there wouldn't be much left to listen to.

I wasn't huge on punk growing up, though I was familiar with the bigger names in the scene during the '80s: Dead Kennedys (Jello Biafra grew up in Boulder), Black Flag (Henry Rollins is still one of my favorites), Husker Du. I still have Husker Du's Warehouse on cassette; they're probably considered sellouts since they signed with Warner Bros., but they were still one of the best American punk bands of the decade. I have more of an affinity for California punk bands than those from the east (D. C. especially, which was like ground zero for hardcore punk in the U. S.).

Green Day are probably sellouts too but I do enjoy their music, and their new album is excellent. Very much spiritual successors to The Clash, although not quite so radical in their politics.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Heh. An old friend of mine won't listed to Rachmaninoff because of his politics. I try a Kantian approach to the issue ("You should consider the music in its own right") and his rather witty response was "He has just enough good music to make a 'best of' album".

Very much spiritual successors to The Clash, although not quite so radical in their politics.

Get some Regurgitator into your ear. Very much like early Clash.