23 Comments

There were always “protest” singers, usually in the folk music traditions, who sang about social issues, as far back as union anthems, the Dust Bowl and Great Depression, and post-war anti-nuke songs. Then came Viet Nam, the draft, the Summer of Love…There are some great ones as well as some best forgotten.

But that was before the oppressor-oppressed paradigm took over, before we stopped protesting for peace and humanity and against the military-industrial/ government complex, and started hating people.

Before we decided that our underlying humanity was less important than political affiliation.

Before we said to hell with the issues and lost the ability to think critically.

Before we decided that the messenger was more important than the message.

Before presenting the “correct” image became more important than causes and consequences.

The rock and roll graveyard is full of these victims; and luckily it’s a big space. There are only a few Bob Dylans and Pete Seegers and Phil Ochs in history, just a few Sam Cookes and Marvin Gayes. Their pointed and plaintive songs are the ones that live on, because they speak to our humanity and desire for a better world, instead of fomenting hatred and anger.

When I leave this world, I want my friends to remember me when they hear “What’s Going On,” not “American Idiot.”

Expand full comment

Yeah, thanks for the comment, it's exactly my point! I understand rebellious spirit of rock'n'roll, and I have nothing against that, and I love powerful anti-war and anti-establishment rock hymns of the past like my favorite Zombie by The Cranberries.

But not this modern virtue-signaling Wokery posing as rock.

Expand full comment

Seeing that most musicians have to buy into the Freemason/ Satanist agenda, it’s is expected of them to promote this bullshit. That’s why the ones who try to expose things like child trafficking, Chris Cornell for example, are murdered.

Expand full comment

Yeah, I would expect that from pop musicians, but from the rock ones it's a great shame.

Expand full comment

Yes but I think it drives so much good music. Think about the Stones, David Bowie, etc. It is the badness they hint at that makes their music good. The Beatles were rumored to be created by the Tavistock Institute and then there’s all the bands from Laurel Canyon the CIA pushed.

Expand full comment

Well, old bands like The Beatles were still cool, their agenda was much more subtle but this modern Wokery like,'Use your voice' from the last Evanescence album - e. g., vote against Trump with a music video of BLM riots, Evanescence singer Amy Lee among them - is just downright disgusting.

Expand full comment

There’s a big difference between the music of rock n roll bad boys and political rants. There is nothing subtle, thought-provoking, or pleasant about being people spewing hate. It’s the equivalent of telling people what to think. It’s like Pink saying she doesn’t want people who disagree with her personal stances on social issues to listen to her music. Whaaat? Talk about an echo chamber.

Expand full comment

Yeah, exactly my point, I was surprised some people conflated it with old rock 'bad boys', it's entirely different IMO too.

Expand full comment

I'm not sympathetic to the rock you mentioned as my ears turned off about 20 years ago the rare gems still resurface from modernity, but Bob Dylan and neighborhood bully are the ultimate political protest song, more in sympathetic to what you wrote is the politics that infused bands such as Green Day which ruined listening to their live stuff because the rants in between which I did not recall previously to modern Republican Presidential leadership ruined the experience

Dave Turner from soul asylum is another, if I recall Mike Ness from social D was bitching about Trump also.

Neighborhood bully with excellent added graphics

https://youtu.be/_r6hZx0Jr7g?si=5FdnpTwMU0aPSkHa

Expand full comment

Well, now I don't listen to them too and found cool rock bands like Manic Street Preachers (who are still active) with still true rebellious message, not Woke abomination, but before I listened to those bands since I liked female lead and voice in rock music.

Expand full comment

Call me old school but I tuned out over 20 yrs ago also. There's enough great music for me to listen to from 40s,50s, 60s, 70s, 80s rock, jazz, big band, classical (even older), French, Brazilian, Cuban, Fado, etc., etc. than to have to pick thru the current garbage, no pun intended. Actually, I did come across a new to me artist I like very much on YT, maybe you know him Alex? Ilya Serov 👍

Expand full comment

Pun was cool actually albeit non intentional. Well I guess it depends on when you were a kid and teen and which bands you grew up with. I was teen in late 90s and 00s so I grew up on bands like Garbage and Evanescence, or Cranberries and Placebo. They meant a lot to me. That's why it was so dreadfully disappointing when some of them turned so ultra Woke, it felt like betrayal really.

Expand full comment

Sorry but you missed out on the really good stuff Alex. Do you ever watch any of the 'first time listening' vids on YT? They do play some gems and it's always fun watching first time reactions. So many comments I read from very young listeners who actually love and listen to the oldies gives us hope! I added Ilya Serov he's very good and talented. I love turning ppl on to music!

Expand full comment

Well, it's not that I completely missed it, I listened to some good old stuff ofc, especially from 80s, but it's just not the same as when you grow together with a music band, do you get my meaning? When you're a teen and this band is Uber popular?

Expand full comment

I get what you're saying. Eighties had some interesting music but it also started the electronica stuff when ppl stopped playing real instruments, it took little real talent. I like ALOT of music that I didn't grow up with bc I hear real instruments, real singing voices and the talent was exceptional regardless of the fact that it was before my time.

Expand full comment

Eating their cake and having it, too. Growing older and definitely not wiser.

Expand full comment

And that's sad - usually people are becoming wiser at that age, but those are just old fools...

Expand full comment
Comment deleted
Jun 18
Comment deleted
Expand full comment

Well, I guess both Evanescence and Garbage jumped on trendy Woke political bandwagon to get out of the oblivion because they were almost forgotten before it, but it still doesn't justify this shit IMO.

Expand full comment