Music Blog

I’m sure Lord Protector John Ashcroft would not approve of Michele’s Drunk-o-Meter. Heightened risk of 70s disco?

The Guardian has an article today about how Britain is perceived around the world, asking people from Albania to Zimbabwe what the first thing that Britain makes them think of. Hats off to Leo Cantarbi, a 26 year old mechanic from Argentina, who characterises Britain as “Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and Norton motorbikes”.

The stereotypical out of touch British judge claims to know nothing about “teenage beat combos”. But they’ve got nothing on this loon in Morocco. From BBC News comes this disturbing story about the jailing of heavy metal fans and musicians.

The 14 men, all between the ages of 22 and 35, were convicted of “acts capable of undermining the faith of a Muslim” and “possessing objects which infringe morals”.

Their sentences of between one month and one year followed newspaper pieces which dubbed them “Satanists” involved in international devil-worship.

Nine of the convicted men were in three Moroccan heavy metal groups Nekros, Infected Brain and Reborn.

The case has highlighted concerns that the country’s authorities are totally out of touch with young people.

French-language weekly magazine TelQuel particularly rounded on the judge for saying “normal people go to concerts in a suit and tie”, not a black T-shirt with heavy-metal symbols that the court saw.

No doubt some people will use this as another opportunity to bash Islam, but it seems to me it’s more the fault of a reactionary judiciary, egged on by the Moroccan equivalent of the “Daily Mail”. The fact it’s being opposed by others in Morocco is a positive sign, at least.

Andrew Ian Dodge has some further comments, and notes this is the sort of thing Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson and Tipper Gore would dearly love to do.

David Carr of Samizdata.net has lost touch with Youth Culture

I think the actual epiphany came about two years when I managed to get myself caught up in some sort of street festival on my way home from work one night. Not even for a fleeting second did the idea of joining in occur to me. Finding myself in the midst of a gang of teen-somethings gyrating furiously to some noise or other reminiscent of a car alarm, my overwhelming desire was to be somewhere else. I was tired, I was hungry and I really, really wanted to be home.

Over on Blogcritics, Michele follows a similar theme, and compares the music today’s teenagers listen to with the music of her own generation, and states that 25 years ago, punk was punkier, heavy metal was heaver, and everything was superior to the manufactured plastic pap today’s music industry churns out.

And it’s not just the musical forms of heavy metal! On the ModMod mailing list, devoted to trains, we get comments like this, from my good friend and fellow railway modeller Alan Monk.

Don’t ask me to go later than that, I lost interest in the real thing circa 1990, so all these new fangled bogie hoppers and boxes just go straight over my bonce. What are these horrid new engines anyway, and where have all those nice blue ones with the arrows on the sides gone??

And even this:

Mmmmmm, Shackletons

One of the RAFs best aircraft (Vulcan, Victor, Canberra and Lightnings being the others). I used to do all the airshows in the 1980s (before it all went plastic….sound familiar? ), got lots of lovely phots of all these REAL a/c!

I think it’s just called ‘getting old’. Every generation thought it’s music (and trains and planes?) were better than what came before or after. So if today’s teenages insist on liking Nu Metal and Virgin Voyagers, who are we to criticise?

Rhyme of the Ancient Keyboards reminds us of the elder days of flared trousers, when men were men, beer was one and six a pint, and keyboards didn’t look like ironing boards. Just remember the wonderful music made on instruments like these.

projo.com have started a weblog about the Rhode Island club fire tragedy, collecting links to blog and news entries.

Yes, Blogcritics has it’s own awards! The Critiquees – Blogcritics Music Awards. Needless to say I don’t have any of the top 10 albums of the year.

Today’s Grauniad has an interview with the unrepentant new glam metal act The Darkness, which has an a lot of resonances with this article about jocks vs. nerds in American high schools (link from Cold Spring Shops). When you read the whole of both articles the resonances become clear.

“None of us have bought an album by a new band in 10 years,” says Dan. They shudder at the mention of indie. “The difference with rock is that it’s all about working hard, playing hard and showing discipline,” asserts Poullain. “Indie bands don’t have the ability to do any of that.”

Musically, they say, bands of their nature are simply more accomplished. “It goes with the whole uncool thing,” explains Justin. “You have to spend a certain amount of time in your bedroom practising your guitar. You can’t hang out and be cool. That’s why geeks are better musicians.”

The NME think they should be killed; presumably because they’re in total opposition to everything the NME stand for.

Only thing I can’t understand is the definite article in their name. The one thing all good bands have in common is the lack of a “The” at the beginning of the name, which is an indicator of punk or indie.