[kj] An Olive Branch for Olive-r

[B. Oliver Sheppard]

Thanks for writing that. And, absolutely -- it isn't fun to be bitchy, 
honestly. I guess I got into punk about a decade after you did, and even 
then not into Killing Joke except for a few years ago, though I had of 
course heard the name zillions of times. I'm getting to the age where I 
also am beginning to feel like an "old man" (I'm 32) and I get cranky as 
well. I apologize for the nastiness.

I love all the bands you mentioned, too. And obviously Killing Joke, who 
are a band I appreciate more as I get older. I also wore Bauhaus 
t-shirts in junior high ('89 - '90 -- I even still have a few), the era 
I call B.N. (Before Nirvana -- because after Nirvana in '92 or so -- 
sort of the 9/11 for punk, I think, even if Nirvana weren't a punk band, 
no matter what t-shirts they wore -- everything changed and suddenly the 
same jocks who wanted to beat you up after school for wearing black, 
wanted to "mosh" and go to shows and see punk bands). I dyed my hair 
black (still do) though I never had the balls to try a devillock; I had 
that skater haircut where the side is shaved but your bangs  hang in 
your face over one eye -- "the skater flop," or whatever. That seems to 
be coming back. And I loved the hell out of Vision Street Wear clothing, 
especially the shoes. I can't help but notice these kinds of 
accouterments that come with musical culture! (Hair, dress, etc.)  In 
the 80s it seemed punk and skateboarding were very entangled, and that 
was the stew I came out of.

Yes, you know your musical shit, too. The back-and-forth and tit for tat 
between us I don't get off on a bit. If it helps any, I also sort of 
want kids to get off my lawn these days. So, in short -- my apologies as 
well. I fuck up and make mistakes. I've been an arse, and I shouldn't 
have been.

By the way, those are cool pics and I'm jealous you were there!


-Oliver




Alex Smith wrote:

> Fair enough, Oliver -- I have been being needlessly nitpicky with you lately, and I apologize. I'm under a bit of presure these days (lots of layoffs where I work), and that's manifesting itself by making me needlessly argumentative.

>

> I know you didn't invent the term "hair metal" (or "crust" or "punk" or "hardcore" or "thrash" or "goth" or "shoegazer" or "DC hardcore" or "NYHC" or "Britpop" or "Darkwave" or "post-Punk" etc. etc. etc. ad nauseum), but I bristle at the abuse of these terms (seek ye "This Is Pop!" from XTC's first album, WHITE MUSIC). 

>

> Sure, this band or that band may have a lot of hair and wear it in silly ways (on their face, even!) -- but I don't know about you, I can't seem to hear their hair when I'm listening to the music.  I know the tonsorial/sartorial trappings of certain genres of music act as cultural identifiers, but they're just appetizer. The music and the messages contained therein are the real meat of the matter (or, to bludgeon this culinary analogy into the ground, "the entree").

>

>