Rock, The Youth and The Music Industry
Posted on 30th Jul 09 by Mike McGrath Bryan | 
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Right, I’ve had it up to my lobes with people going on and on about “emos” and “minis” and God knows what else to last me several lifetimes, and I’m sure most people reading this have too. And far be it from this writer to vent online, but I think it’s about time we discussed [...]
Right, I’ve had it up to my lobes with people going on and on about “emos” and “minis” and God knows what else to last me several lifetimes, and I’m sure most people reading this have too. And far be it from this writer to vent online, but I think it’s about time we discussed it openly.
You can’t fail to miss, in most town centres in this fair land of ours, an increasing number of vertically-challenged youngsters running around in hoodies, fringes, blah, blah, blah. It’s a well-worn furrow at this point.
Yes, they’re enough to wreck any sane person’s head, with their insistence on taking a good 80 or 90 pictures of themselves in the mirror for use on their webpages, only to post ALL OF THEM online, or their incessant doling out of hugs (at least in one accursed area of Cork City centre).
The problem lies solely with the music industry and its desperation to crank out more of what worked before, only in more modern get-up
Yes, it’s very, very easy (and tempting) to take cheap shots at a generation that appears to be succumbing to the decay of society in general (and being none the wiser to it), but before you do, maybe it’s worth considering your own teenage experience.
Chances are many people reading this were resident in a city centre growing up, where, by sheer dint of the number of people, chances are a lot of like minds are going to find each other anyway. Then again there are probably many people reading this that had no clue of counter-culture and independent ethics until a chance encounter with Nirvana, Soundgarden, or any other alt-rock acts of that whole explosion in the early 1990s. This is a key point: music and its discovery is nothing short of a wonderful, life-enhancing (-saving?), emotional and cathartic journey. All journeys start somewhere. It’s the starting point, however, that’s becoming the problem.
The problem lies not with the kidz, who, for all intents and purposes, are new souls as far as music is concerned. It’s the shit they’re fed.
Look at an issue of KERRANG! magazine and you’ll see, the majority of weeks, a tiring, and frankly trivial mix of fresh-faced pop acts, stale and cynical nu-metal leftovers and the odd token appearance by a respected/legendary band to give it credibility. This mag has always been the bible for rock youngsters, regardless as to whether or not these youngsters will admit it as adults. And while the consideration is given to the bottom line when it comes to the publication and mass distribution of a weekly magazine, the fact is KERRANG! still feature a quota of new acts to keep the content fresh.
I reckon those in charge could do more to help get the young’uns in on the act
However, the new acts they choose are almost invariably trendy, young and possessed of awe-inspiring hair. This promotion of style over substance (see at your own risk: My Passion) feeds a whole “fad” mentality which will ultimately damage rock and alternative music by trivialising it as another social-identity-cum-consumer-base.
Just look at what the kids are fed when left to their own devices: pussycore fops turned MOR kings Avenged Sevenfold, who seem to refer to their creative exploits as monetary investments in their interviews; My Chemical Romance, whose album The Black Parade was a thinly-veiled attempt at marketing sympathy to the lonely, vulnerable, bereaved and young was a heinous case of exploitation comparable to the shenanigans of the tobacco industry; not to mention Fall Out Boy, Panic at the Disco, Youmeatsix, and God knows how many other myriads of pretenders and careerists exist under the surface of the whole rotten thing.
The problem lies solely with the music industry and its desperation to crank out more of what worked before, only in more modern get-up, rather than getting behind genuinely different and soulful acts. And while that is a problem that needs solving anyway, perhaps there is one good that comes from it: the recent spate of reunions of acts from the past. These kids are growing up in a world where, once more, Faith No More, Alice in Chains, Pixies and many more, are back, enjoying the legacy they have created while playing to a new generation, to whom all their wonders and creative bijous of days past are fresh, new revelations. Rather than simply promoting these as nostalgia shows, I reckon those in charge could do more to help get the young’uns in on the act.
We are fighting amongst ourselves when we should be kicking against the pricks together
From there, as it has done with generations past (this seasoned veteran included), the discovery of influences and contemporaries upon these bands, opens one’s doors even further. Case in point: Nirvana drew influence in equal measure from Black Sabbath, The Beatles and Black Flag; Sabbath and the Beatles took inspiration from blues (and other ingredients), while Black Flag and their contemporaries changed the world of music as we know it. And so on, the journey of discovery continues. It varies from person to person, but the aforementioned isn’t a bad model at all.
Finally, the question of ignorance comes up: how many times have you seen an older metalhead talk shit about emos, emos talk shit about metal in reaction to their treatment, blah, blah, blah? I’m sorry, I thought this was a counter-culture. I thought we avoided the gossiping, the sniping and the bullshit when we made our individual decisions to do our own thing rather than toe the line.
With all the ignorance in the world that exists; where the neo-fascist BNP can get elected to British local government, racism is still a factor in crimes that go on, and religion continues to be taught as fact to our most vulnerable minds in our primary schools; we are fighting amongst ourselves when we should be kicking against the pricks together.
What matters, above all, folks, is the music. It’s about time people, whether wizened old hands, or wide-eyed youngsters, copped on to that fact.
Mike McGrath Bryan runs the blog, Dying on my Radio Set
Tags: alice in chains, alternative rock, avenged seven, avenged sevenfold, Black Flag, black sabbath, converse, emos, faith no more, fall out boy, fringes, hoodies, ignorance, infuriation, kerrang, kerrang tv, kids, matrix mafia, metal, metal hammer, minis, my chemical romance, nirvana, panic at the disco, punk, scuzz, Soundgarden, The Beatles, the black parade, The Pixies, vans hoodies, victims, Youmeatsix
Look at it this way, many emos are (to use a truly exhausted term) trend followers, or dare I say it attention seekers. Take a good hard look at the band shirts they wear and ask yourself, how many of these bands will be around in 10 years? Granted, you see the odd Metallica and Pantera shirt, only because they seem obligatory to them as they’re deified by the likes of Kerrang. People who listen to music as a trend, to look cool will never comprehend the feeling that someone who truly loves music gets, music is never something that they’ll actually “get”.
But! There are still lots of these scene kids who will latch on to music as a passion, not a trend (like what you said with FNM, AIC and The Pixies, those bands should make a real impact on them). I was somewhat similar. When I was ten or eleven I got Linkin Park’s Hybrid Theory and from there I got into Metallica and Maiden, it grew and grew and grew and thus my life was changed forever. Someday these kids (I say kids and I’m only 18, ha!) will grow up a tad, look back, laugh and think well, it was a gateway to real music.
The important thing to remember is that this is just a fad and it will die eventually. But whoever types rawr gets it!!!! I jest!
To answer your first point, no, most of those bands on those pretty little shirts won’t make ten years, and will be filed as mistakes alongside Crazy Town, Alien Ant Farm, etc.
But – and maybe this is mad – doesn’t every youngster possess unlimited potential if it is nurtured properly?
what is the purpose of this article..record companies push style over substance..kids buy into counter culture even if it’s formulated by record companies..no shit sherlock! god you must be among the minority who as a young teenager was never swayed by the prevailing trends..fnm, alice in chains..one trying to be the chillies, one trying to be nirvana..independent ethics? all thte ‘alt-rock’ bands of the early 90′s you mention were signed to major labels..likewise all of them were kerrang cover darlings..there will always be a market for ‘counter-culture’ bands aimed at the teenage, and one of the biggest spending in terms of the music industry, market..this article makes no sense to me
Emo isn’t exactly counter-culture though is it? yer man from the Get up Kids summed it up well the other day when he apologised for helping create modern emo- it’s morphed into the new glam-rock. punk ethic doesn’t get a look-in with kids it seems.
peabody, on closer inspection I think you’ll find that both FNM and AIC are very different from the RHCP and Nirvana. The members of either bands mentioned would probably physically attack you if they heard you saying that (or take some form of scatological revenge in Patton’s case). All four are great fun to listen to though.
Peabody, I feel so bad for you right now, you silly goose.
Sometimes these rants I go on are more passion than anything else, but Peabody went in with a fine-tooth comb to suck the life out of it. My point (roundabout as it was) is the kids need to stop being mind-numbed and be turned on to good music, then go from there, because the survival of the music industry depends on its future, in my view.
Debate me on that if you wish, but if you can propose any better way to perpetuate the music we all love and have attached ourselves to, be my guest. Otherwise, keep a lid on it, because anything that isn’t constructive is destructive at this juncture.
And Peabody, yes, Nirvana were on a major, but went out of their way to help promote bands they like, and support independent music to the extent they could anymore. Nirvana, as mentioned, also lead elsewhere, sonically, and so the journey continues. We need to stop being so short-sighted, P!
Mike thanks for clarifying your point..i agree kids need to be turned onto good music and i have tried my upmost to turn my 15 year old sister onto good music for years alas to no avail..i thought you were getting a cheap shot at kids for following counter cultural trends a fact that has always been the case from teddy boys to the beat poets to mods..personally though i don’t believe society is decaying..it’s an arrogant assumption to believe that throughout the entire course of human history it is during our lifetime that society will decay..personally i don’t think you can ‘turn’ the kids onto good music from a young age..my mates 12 year old sister listens only to tom waits and bob dylan, mine listens to black eyed peas and beyonce..it’s up to kids as individuals to turn themselves onto good music..it’s part of growing up to discover your own tastes and learn from your own mistakes..
p.s keep your pity to yourself nay
also if this isn’t someone trying to be anthony kiedis i don’t know what is
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ho6pZqUNtko
ah peabody, that discussion has been going on since the 80′s, relax, it’s just a phase, you will grow out of it….(for the trainspotters!)
this is fun-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdHrGLkFG6U
none of this ego BS goes on in electronic music culture. artists could be judged on their musical contributions/ innovations.
you last line is right- its the music that matters. and im glad i dont have to think about things like dress codes when i go to a techno night.
i think the term “counter-culture” has a lot to answer for. i never want to hear it again…
Counter-culture: any movement defined by the fact that you can buy anything you please over-the-counter..
FTR: Keidis took a strong dislike to Patton after seeing the video for ‘Epic’ and branded him as ‘ripping off’ his own style. Obviously Patton called him on it and so there was a bit of a fued between them which may have culminated when Mr. Bungle dressed up as the Chilis and played some half-assed covers of theirs at a Hallowe’en show (it’s on Youtube).
I often wonder in the future, are emo bands going to land in the ‘oh man, I can’t believe I listened to that’ phase (a la bad 90s pop) or ‘oh man, I miss those guys’ (a la AIC, FNM, etc). There’s one band that’s definitely going to land in the former category: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQVpITyOdc8
i know i;m old but i remember when emo started and it was bands like goo goo dolls, matchbox 20 etc……i wouldn’t call fallout boy, panic at the disco emo, they’re pop bands, no? emo meant emotional rock, didn’t it?
wearing certain clothes and havin a certain look is just wanting to find an identity, it’s like havin a tattoo,
personally i’ve no probs with “emo” looking kids or goth looking kids ( ok i don’t like their clothes) but at least they’re into music and not orga fianna fail, or BNP or being neo nazi’s.
As long as so many kids are still gettin turned on by music then the future might just be rosey…..
…..fnm vs chilis= fnm victory by a country mile
If you go back further, about 1983/4, a wave of bands loosely labelled “emotional hardcore” formed a resistance to the increasing amount of bad elements in hardcore punk. By singing about internal struggles in terms other than blind rage, bands such as Rites of Spring and Embrace (the American one, featuring Ian McKaye) had taken a genre close to death and revitalised it. Sometimes it is that simple. It was brilliant: the music was passionate, its delivery was fierce, and it stood out from the legion of skinheads that were using hardcore to vent.
When those bands folded, the already-disliked term “emo” slowly began to mutate, the music becoming far poppier, the feelings more dramatic. Jawbreaker and Sunny Day Real Estate were two bands from around this era, and emo garned light exposure in the whole alt-rock explosion; Jawbreaker toured with Nirvana and Green Day.
From there you had the Get Up Kids, The Promise Ring, Jimmy Eat World, etc. We’re all familiar with it from there.
As far as clothes: I looked at it, and at that age, beginning to escape and do your own thing, is hard in some circumstances; alienation can be psychological as well as social. Sometimes it’s better to find like minds before heading your own way…
FNM vs. Chilis: draw in my opinion. FNM are beyond reproach, but I’ve had my share of good times with the Chilis soundtracking (check their 1985 opus Freaky Styley), so being a sentimental bugger, it’s a tie for me.
Article in summary : Back in my day we had *real* music, not this noise you kids are into today.
“the kids need to stop being mind-numbed and be turned on to good music”
And who decides what’s “good” music? You? Fuck that.
If anyone is listening to *any* music for *any* reason other than they enjoy it, they are a fake, and should stop pretending to be a music fan.
Think there’s more to it than that but you certainly have a good point there.
Granpa Simpson: “I used to be ‘with it’, but then they changed what ‘it’ was. Now what I’m with isn’t ‘it’, and what’s ‘it’ seems weird and scary.”
:O)
Nicely raged, VOD/C, one problem, I in no way ripped on the kids for their music taste, I explicitly stated that it was the labels and associated media.
I’m 21 years old. I have no right to say “back in my day” for AT LEAST another year or two.
But you DID rag on the modern bands and heap praise on the older ones, which is what I was really getting at.
The ones that took the money and ran, the ones that willingly slot themselves in the great marketing machine instead of just doing it for the love of it?
Did you see Avenged Sevenfold at Marlay Park? I never saw a band so bored, go to such cheap shots to garner a positive crowd reaction and generally just so unappreciative of the fans that travelled and paid to see them. I never saw a band deflate a field of 15 or 20,000 the way they did.
“The ones that took the money and ran, the ones that willingly slot themselves in the great marketing machine instead of just doing it for the love of it?”
What about that is exclusive to modern music?
None of this is new, it was there in the 90′s, the 80′s, the 70′s and the 60′s.
And, just as ever, the choice is the same : Don’t like it? Don’t listen to it then!
Most of this is attention seeking, but I think us music lovers really get confused in all this. I have longer hair than most boys in my school, but I’m not “emo,” “scene kid,” or “goth” I just simply love the music, and have grown to like my hair as it has a longer length. I also play many instruments, and have been for a few years and I believe that should help fuel the fact that I love music. Oh. And if your getting tired of these people for the way they look, or act. Get over it. Not your decision.