Thursday, April 15, 2010

ever get the feeling you've been cheated?

It’s Thursday. I’m exhausted. I’ve been going to bars, interviewing for jobs and generally hanging out and acting awesome and the results are way less sleep than I like to get. It’s a good thing my wife’s having a baby in a few weeks. Then I’ll be able to relax and get the sleep that I’ve been missing out on. I’m going nuts, folks.

Speaking of sleep deprivation induced lunacy, I just saw a trailer for a movie starring Gavin McInnes called “A Million in the Morning.” It looks pretty good. Also, I just got a crazy head rush. If I wasn’t already sitting down, I would have sat down. As it stands, I don’t really know what to do. Lie down? That’s ridiculous. Who ever heard of blogging while lying down? That’s the absolutely last rung on the ladder of creative output. Blogging while lying down…jeez. That’s a step beneath tricking out your World Of Warcraft avatar with new cool tights and tunics even.

Okay, whatever. Headrush gone. Now I’m gonna get into the meat of today’s article. You dildos ready?

Good.

When I was a youth, I often found myself in debates about whether something was ‘punk rock’ or not. Now, let’s make no mistake here, this is a stupid conversation absolutely 100% of the time. You’re quite literally better off having that dumb conversation about the notion that colors are different to different people, as in: “what if my blue is your red, bro?”

The general notion here is that since we all have necessarily unique world views (from inside our heads, duh) all sorts of shit, specifically colors, could be totally crazy different to everyone’s eyes and the fact that you and your homie agree that your chuck taylors are red and so is period blood only really exemplifies that you two have the same grasp on colors relative to other things, but the true objective meaning of “red” (ready for this?) could be anything bro. Anything at all.

This is the dumbest conversation of all time. Everyone has it. Everyone freaks out over a huge bowl of Cookie Crisp while high some afternoon and wonders if in fact the milk doesn’t look more like blue goop than what we traditionally think of as milk (whiteish), but the fact is, that’s how you see things and you’re never gonna occupy someone else’s mind, so color vision is a case where objective=subjective and that’s all there is to it. Also, you and your turd friends are no more unique and inquisitive when stoned than me and my turd friends were twenty years ago or my dad thirty years before me and back and back and back all the way to the pharaohs.

Now, as I read over this last paragraph, I’m struck by three things: 1) I’m absolutely awesome at blogging 2) that’s up there on the uselessness meter with being awesome at not clinking those Chinese relaxation balls together when you rotate them in your hand (something else I’m awesome at, by the way, ladies) and finally 3) The ‘is this punk rock’ question is even dumber than the endless skullfuck that is the objective color theory. Here’s why:

Punk rock is just a dumb idea that a bunch of people cooked up and ascribed a bunch of different notions to. It’s been woven with ideologies as completely opposed to each other as ‘no future’ and ‘eliminate our carbon footprint, don’t eat animals love your mother’. That RIGHT THERE is enough of a reason to be able to say that defining something as ‘punk rock’ is like defining something as ‘my favorite.’ It’s a completely subjective, arbitrary thing that can and will change as your own tastes and lifestyles change.

What kids are really asking when they ask “is this or that punk rock” is more along the lines of “I define myself as a punk rocker. Is this something I approve of on an either visceral or logical level? Can it fit into my own identity as something that I associate with or not?” And that’s navel gazing at best and a completely idle masturbatory excuse to hand down judgments and call your friends half stepping posers at worst.

Here’s an example from a conversation I had with Matt Stamps, the guitarist from my old band when we were sixteen:

Matt: do you think wiping down your strings after a show is punk rock?

Me: (unintelligible mumbling)

Matt: What?

Me: I said ‘no way, broseph!”*

Matt: Well, I think it is. Know why?

Me: Why’s that?

Matt: Because wiping down your strings keeps ‘em bright for longer, and that means you don’t have to change them as much and saving money is punk rock.

Me: (thoughtfully) Hmmmmmm….

Now, I don’t think I need to go into why this conversation is so mind numbingly stupid, do I? Of course not. But I’d just like to posit that ‘saving money’ is something that your parents do and try to impress the importance of onto you, and punk rock, like it or not kiddos, is really just one big response to lame parents constantly being up in kids shit, and therefore saving money is NOT punk rock. However, being poor, or at least not having a job or relying on your parents, some would argue IS punk rock, and therefore, saving money is a lifestyle necessity which makes it totally punk, bro. So there you go. We’re both wrong.

Okay, I feel stupider for even having indulged Matt’s and my sixteen year old selves with any response at all that doesn’t just sound like a giant fart noise.

The funny thing is, there’s very few musical genres that offer a lifestyle to go along with it. Hip hop, Metal and punk. That’s about it. I mean, sure, if you’re into white guy funk or gay pop or whatever, you probably have some mannerisms and fashion ideas that come from your musical genre’s culture, but people don’t say “that shirt is really gay pop” or “dude, Wolf Blitzer is totally white guy funk.” It doesn’t happen. It’s not even REALLY overtly stated with hip hop, though people tend to define hip hop in the reverse of metal and punk. Here’s what I mean:

People say shit like “John McEnroe is totally Metal” or “KFC is NOT punk rock dude!” but with hip hop they tend to define hip hop by what it’s about. “Hip hop IS three in the morning grilled cheese specials at the diner” “Hip hop is all about fresh, clean socks.” I don’t know why that difference exists. Is there any sort of fundamental cultural difference between metal/punk tastemakers and those of hip hop? Huh. None that I can think of.

Anyway, moving on.

This is becoming long, and I have to go get on my bicycle. It’s beautiful out there and I’m rambling on the internet about what’s punk and what’s metal and what hip hop is. I may as well be lying down.

Okay dildos. I can’t figure everything out for you today. Your turn.

Bye.

*I probably didn’t really say it this way.

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

First. Becomes I'm super punk rock.

This comment was typed from my desk inside my cubicle at my insurance office job in the suburbs.

Garfield Roscoe said...

dustyfloors...

I need a job... are you hiring? I'm pretty punk rock if it matters.

Anonymous said...

Hey Gar,

We are, I believe. If you want to give me your e-mail I can give you some info.
I'm assuming you're in Chicago. It's in Rolling Meadows and it's pretty easy, mind-numbing shit but it pays the bills...

You will be obligated to take lunch with me to argue how punk the new ___________ record is.

Anonymous said...

i wish you really had said broseph.

Garfield Roscoe said...

d-floors...

I have emailed you.

Remember when 'straight edge' was the thing? Man that was so punk rock.

Jake Regier said...

Have you seen the straight-edge kids these days? They're punk(er) than ever.

And I'm sorry to admit that when I turned fifteen and began to associate Creed with not being punk, I disowned them. But then I heard about Scott Stapp beating the shit out of 311 and making a sex tape with Kid Rock (the epi-tome of rock?), and that's pretty punk. Not punk enough to bring My Own Prison back to my iPod, though. Can't let that shit scrobble.

In response to yesterday, I reprimanded a friend last year for saying 'fay-cade' instead of 'facade' in a song.

Justin Drake said...

Creed? Really? Are we really going to let Scott Stapp into our sock drawer?

I think you should redeem yourself by finding and sharing a funny Scott Stapp video for us to watch.

Justin Drake said...

Here I will do it for you so we can cleanse the sock drawer and move on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WtO9R4h-Uo

Jake Regier said...

If Creed Shreds is what you had in mind, this one is infinitely better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipy58SaIRhs

And this ain't bad.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMlA8nQ0bXc

And, all spelling aside, TSR.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjYzedenRB8

Anonymous said...

Matt had it right. Just because one of your parents that grew up during the depression is frugal, doesn't mean it's not punk. As long as you are keeping someone from making money doing something that you could do, it is punk.

Unknown said...

Anus to mouth action never looked so creepy...fast forward to 2:16 it explains it all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hLAfSbFkvY

BRAD81 said...

You know I read this blog pretty much everyday and as a result I also read all your comments aswell so I thought it was about time I got involved. I really dont have much to say on this thought right now though as Im tired and I've had a long day.

Candice said...

i just noticed that you started putting spaces between paragraphs.

i'm not sure if that's punk rock or not but i like it.

Michael said...

Whatever happened to Matt Stamps? Does he still make music? Loved his work in Tuesday.

kennyg said...

dude. what if we lived our entire life as someone else's dream? when they go to sleep, we're born, and when we die, they wake up and start another day. and then they go to sleep again and we start another life.
one of my stoner friends started that conversation one time.

Drunken Acorn said...

In my last life I was Sid Vicious, So I was Super Duper punk. Wait that's not true, in my last life I was a pub named Roscoe, Sid Vicious was before that. But being a pub named Roscoe is punk too.

Unknown said...

Does Matt still play in a band or solo or anything? He was pretty awesome in Tuesday and Slapstick.

Owner Operator said...

so i'm sitting here in my own cubicle jsut like our old mate dusty up the top. fiddling away with an excel workbook that has about 50 spread sheets in it (wait i just counted 53)and i think to myself "i need a break, this is so not punk rock" and then i visit the old bsc and wow. nailed it on the head...

i'm more into saying what is punk rock like the hip hop style. kinda like "billy bragg is so fucking punk rock" and "NAS is pretty punk rock in his own right" etc


cheers n beers

Owner Operator said...

i just found myself skaning under my desk... legs swinging all ower the place... so punk rock?

Sean said...

face-planting into drum sets is punk rock.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8DTADicDXA

Sean said...

oh, and speaking of things that will make you face-plant... check this out:

32% ABV "super-beer" coming to the US

http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1978705,00.html?xid=rss-topstories

... if only it were cheaper!

Jake Regier said...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoPLBW4QYBQ&feature=related

I still love this every day of my life. But not as much as I love your most beautiful harmonies on Wishful Puppeteer.

Very punk.

Turkey Sandwich. said...

Debating punk is, pointless.

Almost as pointless as blogging about it.

planespotting said...

Whatever whether or not debating about what is or isn't punk is totally punk rock.

Did someone already make that assertion? I was too lazy to go through the whole comment thread and see.

That's totally punk rock too.