Monday, October 16, 2006

Fade Away Or Become A Haven For Ashlee Simpson?

Actually this post idea came from Chelle (a.k.a. Mariemm), but I wanted to expound on it a bit longer.

CBGB's shut its doors this weekend closing out what was basically the Holy Land for punks.

So is it better to fade away hanging onto the vestiges of what you once were or morph into some trendy temporary thing devoid of any true soul?

I'm glad CBGB's took the fading away route. The landlord decided not to renew their lease, so it really wasn't a choice. BUT it's the principle I'm referring to here.

See, the club had enough street cred that it could've lent some of that to some really ass-clown performers looking to get some credibility. I'm sure someone like Ashlee Simpson would've loved to perform there so that she might be able to wear the shirt in the pic without
Sid Vicious rolling over in his grave or having Joe Escalante use a 3-syllable word that would send her bird brain into complete convulsions. I'm quite certain some dude from some fucking teen-angst drama like The O.C. with his faux-hawk would try to put on a show trying to show just how "punk" he really is.

Instead of going that dead end route, they chose to put real punk bands out there. While I'm nowhere near being a real punk, I do love punk music and what it represents. Sure I love
Blink 182, Alkaline Trio, and Green Day; but I also love The Ramones, Generation X, and of course, the Sex Pistols.

See the difference between these bands and the likes of some piece of shit from Malibu is that being a true punk is about more than wearing a fucking sparkly t-shirt that says "punk". It's more than a
faux-hawk. It's more than a nose-piercing. It's about completely spitting on the establishment, not just a fashion trend. So if you ever see some kid wearing a shirt with the word "punk" scrawled across the front shopping in a Macy's at a suburban mall, you have my permission to rip the shirt off, march the kid to Sam Goody, and have him listen to "Never Mind The Bollocks".

10 comments:

Andi said...

And, should anyone see said sparkle-punks, hand them a copy of Los Bros Hernandes _Love & Rockets_...the original alternative comic.

Sorry, my thesis is infecting every part of my life.

Anonymous said...

C'mon old timer. You can't reference 'the O.C.'. Nobody watches it anymore (except for me). At least make the 'Laguna Beach' reference, and let me have the allusion you're still cool.

Joel said...

amen

Chelle said...

Love Joe. Not only a great bass player, he's also an awesome DJ - plays Vandals songs out the wazoo.

Hey in your area on 17th and 18th of Nov; Beer?

Cincysundevil said...

Andi-
Don't worry. I once had a chance to buy X-Men Number 1 in mint condition while I was stationed in San Angelo, Texas back in 1993. I didn't and kick myself daily!!

Cincysundevil said...

Ruben-
I like the booing that accompanied her halftime performance at that college bowl game.

Cincysundevil said...

Deeesguy-
C'mon; we're not that hip or young anymore. Remeber the Jimmy Eat World concert when we were two of about 20 people who could drink at a sold out show? Need I say more?

Cincysundevil said...

Dcnats-
Can I get a witness?

Cincysundevil said...

Chelle-
Joe is pretty cool; it's nice to see a punk who is really educated.

Definitely meet up for a beer!

NML/Natalie said...

I quite like Ashley's nose too. She's a dickhead though... but less so than her sister!