Blogs and Jokes=Better Blogs

            Chapter eight reads like a current piece on the state of indie music, other than the parts where it says rock n’ roll and refers to the 50’s.

Let’s try this: “Fats Domino, Ricky Nelson, the Everly Brothers, and Elvis Presley were all lumped together as “rock ‘n’ roll singers”—meaning simply that they all had records being listened to and purchased by large numbers of teenagers”

And make it this: “Fats Domino, Ricky Nelson, the Everly Brothers, and Elvis Presley Bon Iver, the Strokes, Passion Pit, and Wolf Parade were all lumped together as “rock ‘n’ roll singers” “indie rock”—meaning simply that they all had records being listened to and purchased by large numbers of teenagers hipsters”

I read this and felt like a 14-year-old girl in the 50’s. The new “HOT” genre, indie rock, fills all the qualities that Starr and Waterman detail. A bunch of artists that sound barely to nothing alike are being lumped into this genre that basically has come to mean different or weird. The bands had a cult following, just as small indie bands have now and they each formed their own identity (is this my midterm again?). Hipsters are seen around town (LA=town) wearing skinny jeans, flannel, carrying around their vinyl, just so people know they collect it.

The music has accumulated a following of people who are grounded by the same aesthetic and attitude.

Rock ‘n’ roll was the beginning of this audience, of us young adults being appreciated as music consumers with power. I’m no different than any other consumer, obsessed and guided by what I idealize about “hipster” culture. I completely connected with the video professor Kun (see above) showed on Tuesday with the people waiting in line to see the Beatles. I connected all right…with the screaming girls (I’m more of a John man myself). While indie rock doesn’t write songs about the trends it facilitates (it’s too cool for that) it certainly holds the same amount of clout that rock had over its audiences. And we both think we are cooler than school.  

Rock did something in the time that wouldn’t be possible now. When a generation was trying to assimilate and a group of kids were taught who to hate, who to fear, only music could “tear down that wall” (Oops, wrong historical event)! Starr and Waterman said no matter who you were, as long as you were young, “rock ‘n’ roll was your music.” Rock gave access to all audiences, it was a blend of many genres and therefore was musically accessible, but it was more than that. Kids were looking to revolt, they were finished with being frightened and they wanted to put fist pump, just like those kids in the Jersey Shore. The president talking about possible nuclear war no longer filled TV’s, Elvis was on now. Rejuvenating the generation with music that wasn’t afraid, so why should they?

Rock ‘n’ roll was the music of a new generation, just like Pepsi, or Kanye West, and it formed their listening habits as well as their ideals. Rock shredded the industry and the young minds it reached when turned up to 11.