Monday, October 24, 2005

How's My Eyeliner?

What is wrong with punk rock? I was watching MTV2 this morning, which I know is a bad idea, but I was doing it anyway. And on comes My Chemical Romance and that video where it’s some kind of USO dance and the song is really horrible. You know what I’m talking about. And I’m thinking, why don’t bands like My Chemical Romance and AFI and Good Charlotte and whomever else spend more time writing songs than doing their make up and selecting their outfits. I mean, these bands make Blink-182 look edgy.

But what is up with all these "punk" or "goth" bands that are really just pop bands with some kind of Hot Topic extreme makeover. These bands were designed specifically to appeal to young girls who find Avril Lavigne, while empowering, a little too mellow. They want cute boys singing songs that make them feel that they are not alone when mommy and daddy make them do their homework or won’t let them stay up late to watch Supernatural on the WB. I’m not saying you need to be ugly to be valid, and some great bands have had some great-looking frontmen. I mean David Bowie didn't run from the make-up chair, but when you suck and all you have going for you is some cool looking frontman, then something is wrong.

Punk rock used to be a refuge for geeks and losers, now it has been appropriated by jocks and cheerleaders. No wonder Kurt Cobain killed himself.

Here is a short list of great punk bands that would never have been noticed if everything depended on how cute their lead singer was:

1. Dead Kennedy’s – Jello Biafra
2. Husker Du – Bob Mould and Grant Hart
3. Minutemen – D. Boon
4. Adolescents – Tony Cadena
5. Descendents – Milo
6. Sex Pistols – Johnny Rotten
7. Germs – Darby Crash
8. The Cramps – Lux Interior
9. Circle Jerks – Keith Morris
10. Fear – Lee Ving

While I go and simmer down, here is the 10 last songs played on my iPod:

1. "Coney Island" by Death Cab For Cutie
2. "Hybrid Moments" by the Misfits
3. "Poison & Pain" by Ryan Adams
4. "I Want To Conquer the World" by Bad Religion
5. "In The City" by The Jam
6. "Brand New Love" by Sebadoh
7. "Date to Church" by the Replacements
8. "Brass Buttons" by Gram Parsons
9. "Portable Men’s Society" by Guided By Voices
10. "Here Comes Sickness" by Mudhoney

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