Unpopular opinion: I think Halloween cover shows are a stupid. I mean, I also hate fun, so there's that, but why the fukk would you want to spend any (much less excessive) effort to play someone else's songs? Once. It's not like you are the Saturday night band at the beach bar....no one ACTUALLY cares what you are doing after tonight, which means (in my humble but correct) opinion) that you have been (at best) merely pandering to your friendly acquaintances (real friends like me would tell you that cover shows are dumb) or (at worst) completely wasting your time. In 2016 the only thing that made me think about changing my mind was LOS PUNK ROCKERS, a crew of utterly inept mutants butchering a set of SEX PISTOLS tracks. In 2017 the only thing that made me think about changing my mind was LOS PUNK ROCKERS, a crew of inept mutants butchering a set of RAMONES tracks. Also...RAMONES are totally overrated. Listen to the old recordings - they weren't that fast OR that hard, and they were Republicans. There are tracks, to be sure (we should be clear on this: Animal Boy and Too Tough To Die are the only RAMONES albums actually worth owning or listening to - the first couple have a few tracks each, but so do Back In Black and ZOSO....and even ifyou are chill when that shit comes on while you are digging ditches at work, you don't actually want to put that shit on in your house.....do you?), but who actually puts on Rocket To Russia? No one. LOS PUNK ROCKERS give these RAMONES tracks the spirit and the energy and the lack of fukks that stupid punk rock songs require - nay: DEMAND - to actually feel subversive and/or relevant. If you're wondering how many shits LOS PUNK ROKCERS give, I can tell you without even answering them: ZERO. None. They just beat the shit out of the shit on Halloween once a year....and I hope that 2018 will bring be an interpretation of THE CLASH, who are also overrated.
3 comments:
I'm sure there are going to be plenty of people who will find your comments on said bands / albums / Halloween cover shows blasphemous. What I like about opinions are that they are simply that - opinions. There's no reason to get "offended" over opposing views (unless they are blatantly wrong - like the poisonous "isms" that plague the planet or the obvious evils) if we can remember that. I know MRR's new submission policy, whether in jest or in all seriousness, has had the same affect as I'm sure your opinions in this post will have - some are outraged and others supportive. With all that being said, I recall one time an older co-worker's husband was selling off his record collection, for which she provided me a list. On it, were RAMONES records and STOOGES records. I ended up choosing the STOOGES records over the RAMONES. When I mentioned this to friends, they were not happy; however, I was. I do play "Rocket To Russia" occasionally (usually during the holidays, probably because of the Phil Spector element.) as well as the first few releases, though I do tend to gravitate more towards The Jam (and yes, I know someone out there will think The Jam are overrated, too). I enjoyed the Los Punk Rockers' tape you posted last year and enjoyed this one as well ...I think I probably would have been better off just writing that.
Who cares, you're an old man who didn't even give a shit about punk until 1995. Before that you were into NEW WAVE. Then you joined a 5th tier hardcore band and now you have opinions.
DK: I don't think ANYONE thinks you (or we) would have been better off just writing that you enjoyed the LPR tape and sparing your paragraph long missive.
Anonymous: If you read these pages closely (but honestly, why would you?) you would see that; 1) I am STILL into new wave, 2) I did, in fact, give a shit about punk well before 1995, but geography and a simple lack of exposure kept me from making connections between the BGK bangers I bought off those mailorder one-sheets inside DEAD KENNEDYS records to a greater and interconnected International DIY Punk Scene. I wanted to know more, I fukkn YEARNED for it, 3) Most of my hardcore bands have been 4th tier at worst, and I make every effort to present them here with context and without pretense, 4) I had opinions before, also, and: 5) I am definitely old. But there are plenty of people older who are still delivering the goods....so I figure I'll stick around. Luv U.
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