[kj] An Olive Branch for Olive-r

[Alexander Smith]

Hang on a minute -- you're bashing Soundgarden but championing the  
Killers?? You need help, my friend.

My biggest problem with Nirvana (and I have a few) has more to do  
with people thinking that they'd invented the fucking wheel, when in  
actual fact, all they were really doing was ripping off a dozen bands  
that had come well before them -- from the Buzzcocks and Black Flag  
through the Melvins and --- WAIT FOR IT --- Killing Joke. I hate  
these fucking crap "documentaries" about Punk that talk about the era  
of the Pistols and The Ramones and the Clash and then skip right over  
to the early 90's with Nirvana -- pretty much insinuating the  
ABSOLUTELY NOTHING HAPPENED in the ensuing fucking decade between them.

People suck.

Alex in NYC


On Feb 27, 2007, at 6:02 PM, GREG SLAWSON wrote:


> It's good to hear others talk about Nirvana as being the death of  

> punk. Now it all makes sense--mainly because they sucked so much,  

> and really sounded like a metal band, but got labeled punk,  

> alternative, etc. Then we had to listed to over a decade of bands-- 

> Suckgarden, Mudhoney, Pearl Scam, Smashing Pumkins, etc etc--that  

> sounded pretty much like mainstream rock, but everyone said they  

> were somehow carrying on the punk tradition. Finally some popular  

> bands are returning to a bit more garage sound (Killers, Yeah Yeah  

> Yeah, Artic Monkeys, etc) and are at least tolerable...

>

>

> From:  "B. Oliver Sheppard" <bigblackhair at sbcglobal.net>

> Reply-To:  "A list about all things Killing Joke (the  

> band!)"<gathering at misera.net>

> To:  Alex Smith <vassifer at earthlink.net>, "A list about all things  

> Killing Joke (the band!)" <gathering at misera.net>

> Subject:  Re: [kj] An Olive Branch for Olive-r

> Date:  Tue, 27 Feb 2007 15:56:35 -0600

> >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").

> >>

> >>

> >

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>

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