Tuesday, October 26, 2004
Suburban Angst
So there's a new Green Day record out. People and critics love it. I heard things like, "they've re-invented themselves!". So for nostalgia, I listened to some songs. They're definitely.... longer. And.... have more parts. But I guess you have credit any major label act that's willing to try something new. Or at least, write long songs when their trademark is short songs. Anyway, I'm sure 14 year-old kids don't care. They've yet to build overly critical rock chips on their shoulders.
When I listened I thought mostly of how much I LOVED Green Day back in high school. Back when I LOVED punk rock (hardcores would scoff, but they were punk to me 'cause I was 14 and had a short attention span and vaguely hated authority and liked fast music and girls but never had the balls to ask one out).
And then I remembered this song. A song from this "punk" "'band'" I was in. "Civil Rights" -- one of our most socially critical numbers. The chorus went something like
'Cause they're takin' my civil rights from me
Don't wanna be a minority
Pushed and shoved to the ground
Our government won't keep me down!
Mind you, we were all white. Living in Rancho Penasquitos, California. And none of us had ever been pushed or shoved any where. I think we knew there was a government, but we weren't really sure what that meant. But damn we were pissed about it!
And it felt good. So viva la Green Day. Why the hell not?
So there's a new Green Day record out. People and critics love it. I heard things like, "they've re-invented themselves!". So for nostalgia, I listened to some songs. They're definitely.... longer. And.... have more parts. But I guess you have credit any major label act that's willing to try something new. Or at least, write long songs when their trademark is short songs. Anyway, I'm sure 14 year-old kids don't care. They've yet to build overly critical rock chips on their shoulders.
When I listened I thought mostly of how much I LOVED Green Day back in high school. Back when I LOVED punk rock (hardcores would scoff, but they were punk to me 'cause I was 14 and had a short attention span and vaguely hated authority and liked fast music and girls but never had the balls to ask one out).
And then I remembered this song. A song from this "punk" "'band'" I was in. "Civil Rights" -- one of our most socially critical numbers. The chorus went something like
'Cause they're takin' my civil rights from me
Don't wanna be a minority
Pushed and shoved to the ground
Our government won't keep me down!
Mind you, we were all white. Living in Rancho Penasquitos, California. And none of us had ever been pushed or shoved any where. I think we knew there was a government, but we weren't really sure what that meant. But damn we were pissed about it!
And it felt good. So viva la Green Day. Why the hell not?
