Monday, November 16, 2009

A Little Cultural Welfare To Some Who Are In Serious Need

They're at it again.
Those behind-the-curve neo-cons are now using this sorry, old chestnut from the peace-love-dope era:

For what it's worth, although I think this is a nice song, I've been sick to death of it for many, many years.
Find it, conservatively (nice pun) milked dry of all its (inappropriate to the context) "significance here.
Still, I feel for my Conservative brethren, I really do, so I'm going to offer some constructive criticism on their choice of rallying anthems.
They need help, you you think?
Okay, first you neo-con babies, you're in the wrong decade.
The undercurrent of both of the songs you've chosen so far, was fed by a negative perception of the Viet Nam war - if you can imagine that.
So listen up. Next you'll be appropriating "Four Dead In Ohio" and, believe me, no one wants to see that.
I'd advise you to look to a later time, a time when the undercurrent was less anti-war than "fuck the government - I need a job!"
Where you need to be, musically, is the UK, circa 1980.
If what you want is some serious, apocalyptic, angst-ridden sentiment, uttered by a genuine (at least they believed it - and maybe it was true)) working class, this is the shit.
This first is going to play well with the self-protection crowd, I should think.
Now, shh.

I'll let you get caught up.
Brixton.
Okay, this next one doesn't capture the paranoia of the right as well as that one did.
I just included it because it's short and can help broaden the horizons of those less fortunate and it rocks.
Of course - it goes without saying - when you adopt my recommended play list - one of the stipulations will be...
that you'll have to dump Sarah. That chick's bad news. brother.

Okay, we've had two from The Clash, one of them completely gratuitous.
Let's venture farther afield, maybe get at that old "Army Of One" spirit.

"Hong Kong is up for grabs
London is full of Arabs
We could be in Palestine
Overrun by a Chinese line
With the boys from the Mersey and the Thames and the Tyne"


Sweet.

Okay, I've gone ga-ga over the Brits - but I haven't forgotten the good old USA.
Now, neo-con artistic directors, I don't want to influence anyone's decision since I know this music is all a strange and wonderful new field, so feel free to pick and choose.
I'd just like to say, as an American and two-time-Reagan voter, that even though Johnny was the only seriously vocal Republican of the four, these are our boys from the fly-over, heartland borough of Queens, NYC.

Now there's a Republican anthem.
Recorded 1978 - Carter administration - see, it works.
Especially when you factor in Johnny:
Johnny Ramone;
"God bless President Bush, and God bless America."
At the Ramone's induction into the rock and roll hall of fame.
Seriously, the Ramones are your guys.

1 comment:

  1. Glad you're hip to "the Clash" Dan. they're the shit,now as much as then. And pretty damn talented. Everything "Rage Against the Macchine" wanted to be...Washington Bullets was one of our anthems back when CA (Central America- not the Schwarzenegger fiefdom) was our stomping ground.
    Good post! and not a single fat bald guy with a goatee

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