August 22, 2004
WAR? WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR? (OTHER THAN ANNEXING OTHER PEOPLE'S NATURAL RESOURCES)
Unlike some, I know when to admit I've started the wrong fite. (Maybe the fite started a productive discussion, but it's premised on a phony war cry.)
I should have stopped at "'lit-hop' already exists and it's called hip-hop," because that's what needed saying. But I continued on, because I get amped. I went on to say "rock lyrics have sucked so much ass in last 15 years." I typed this because I wanted to drop some hateration on the rock lit crew. Drop the bomb, drop the bomb. But I do not believe this thing that I said. Not only did I give a free pass to the taxonomical clusterfuck that is "rock" or "hip-hop," I made it sound like I have measured the progress of rock lyrics along the axis of time. I have done no such thing. I'm sure there's a moment where much of Le Rock went all pear-shaped, but there's got to be a better opening statement than "fuck rock huh huh." There are bags and bags of rock lyricists from the last 15 years that I love—Britt Daniel, Joshua Todd, Jack White, The Matrix &c &c. If I was going to write something on an umbrella it might be more frutitful to lipstick "LONG LIVE ROCK" and work with that until I got wet. Hitching a ride on the parade float of hip-hop is likely to be as circular and slow as hating on "pop rappers." Much as I believe in a generalization, when ineffectual, it's just a mudslick in the middle of the field that everyone's gotta deal with. It's no fun and slows play.
None of this should read as refuation of hateration. To quote UB40, "love is all is alright, but you've got to find a little more hate." (Check here on Wednesday for an expansion on this theme, and check here on Tuesday for more rock-related information. ) I look forward to having the time to potato the cardigan crew, bodydrop the moaners and clap back at the anti-pop crew. But I must live by the rules I enforce, and this hairtrigger gasbaggery is not its own reward, no matter what I tried to tell you. Don't try it at home, kids. (Back to the regularly scheduled tennis match.)
Jocks vs. geeks? Never that. The strongest folks I know are geeks. The asleep vs. the awake I call it.
Posted by Sasha at August 22, 2004 09:25 AM | TrackBack