[demonrail666]

One of the things that sort of disappoints me about a lot of bands at the moment is the way in which they've got either no political content whatsoever, or else when they have, it's of that celebrity chic, post Live Aid, carrot cake, herbal tea, stop the war while adopting a 'frican variety. Which is just self-obsessed bollocks, as we know. Where the fuck are all the bonkers Krautrock types, the Les Rallizes Denudes, the Yoko Onos?

Is it morally sound these days not to be political in music? Is it fuck.

[afterthefact]

You know what I like about a lot of bands today is that they don't have a bunch of political crap in them. They must have realized at some point that all it does is get people all riled up and angry, but with no real results.

If you want to make a change in politics, run for senate, don't start a band.

[Rob Instigator]

having political lyrics si not about trying to make a change. it is more like talking about what you care about. like Morrissey sang, "sing your life".

if you love art, sing about art, if you are apssionate about politics, sing about politics. if you are a reactionary psycho pseudo-fascist who loves orchids and cheese, sing about that.

what I see is that over the past 25 years, the youth of the USA (I cannot speak for other nations) are driven further and further away from politics, in an concerted effort to create a disenfranchised section of the populace, who, because they do not care about poltics will not get involved in local activism, or in national activism, or even be concerned about when to vote and such things.

we in the USA are bred for apathy in the last 3 decades, because the people that run the show, the powerful elite, got scared out of their wits between 1965-and 1975.

by virtue of that, bands spend more time singing about pathetic stupid shit like how a girl hurt your stupid feelings or how they have a very expensive wristwatch or how they are just angry, but they DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY ARE ANGRY ABOUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

just my thoughts on it.

[afterthefact]

I see what you mean.

I guess I fall under than apathetic category, so I see it differently.

[noisereductions]

I'm not too interested in political music these days.

[gualbert]

Originally Posted by afterthefact

If you want to make a change in politics, run for senate, don't start a band.

I agree.

I don't like ultra-political bands much ( like Dead kennedys or Crass ).
I feel the music is just a mean to an end , and they're making it just to get a larger audience than if they wrote a book.

[Rob Instigator]

so you truly feel the dead kennedy's were just trying to get an audience? you think jello and company were pretending? perpetrating a fraud?

come on.

jello would slap yr bitch face

[Rob Instigator]

you know what the most political band in the last 25 years is?


FUGAZI


for the it is about personal politics. very important. social change through personal change.

[SuperCreep]

I sometimes mind politics in music and I sometimes don't. I like it when Crass does it, and even if I don't agree with all of it, it does make me think a lot. What I don't like is when I'm going to a show (especially every show I've been to in the past three months) and every fucking band is pushing Obama down my throat or some shit. I guess it all boils down to how effectively and creatively a band is able to incorporate a political message in their music. I think it can be a great thing when it's pulled off right.

[SuchFriendsAreDangerous]

What s your reason for existence?
Do you believe in anything?
Or does your lifestyle contradict
The words you write the songs you sing?

Are you happy in your work
As you protest abut the unemployed
You don t wanna work but you need the money
The reality you can t avoid

But do you wanna work for the money?

Do you wanna work for the system?

Are you happy as you vote
To keep the parasites alive?
You don t want to vote but you think you should
They said it was right and you never asked why

But do you wanna vote for your conscience?

Do you want to vote for the system?

Are you happy signing up
In the army just to get some pay?
Fighting a war without a cause
Can you manage to ignore your self-decay?
But do you wanna fight for your country?
Do you wanna fight for the system?
You re their reason for existence
They use you to finance their state
The words you shout with such conviction
Is it the only way to express your hate?

 

[Rob Instigator]

blatant politicking a la rage against the machine or megadeth comes off as heavy handed and tedious, and in rage against the machine's case, very juvenile, screaming "wahh waaah waah I don;t like the bad boogey man wahhhh"

I do not like such stuff, but when people talk about social change, about becoming involved , about what is important to them that can move me.

dead kennedy's did it right. they wanted to showcase their leader's political anger, well-informed political anger.

[SuchFriendsAreDangerous]

Originally Posted by Rob Instigator

blatant politicking a la rage against the machine or megadeth comes off as heavy handed and tedious, and in rage against the machine's case, very juvenile, screaming "wahh waaah waah I don;t like the bad boogey man wahhhh"

I do not like such stuff, but when people talk about social change, about becoming involved , about what is important to them that can move me.

dead kennedy's did it right. they wanted to showcase their leader's political anger, well-informed political anger.

yes and no. see, it is good when it is done more intellectually, but at the end of the day, sometimes the angst must be let out through the music. sometimes political music makes a gig and opportunity to vent out so much frustration with out having to go out like they do in Gaza strapped with some explosives or some monks in Vietnam... in other words, the extreme in music is sometimes necessary to contain and channel the extremes in reality.. I can pit away the frustration with the Varukers instead of having to go outside and end up hurting some one, thus refreshed I can approach the more assertive, positive and progressive means of social change..

[Rob Instigator]

I can dig it

I just wish RATM equalled their intense fervor with intensely intresting music, but all we get is chugga chugga

[Pax Americana]

Originally Posted by Rob Instigator

you know what the most political band in the last 25 years is?


FUGAZI


for the it is about personal politics. very important. social change through personal change.

Agreed. That's one of the things I like most about Fugazi. The lyrics aren't like 'FUCK THE GOVERNMENT, MAN!!!'. They're a bit more cryptic, more subtle, and much more personal. It's been said a lot about Fugazi (with good reason) that for them the personal is the political. I've always been fond of that idea. I think quite a few of their songs are very introspective, but can be seen in a much broader context too.

That said, I do enjoy overtly political bands as well. For instance, I love the DKs. And one reason I love em is just because they were so over the top, and sarcastic, and in your fucking face about their politics.

[gualbert]

Originally Posted by Rob Instigator

so you truly feel the dead kennedy's were just trying to get an audience? you think jello and company were pretending? perpetrating a fraud?

come on.

jello would slap yr bitch face

I think they were an average rockabilly-on-speed band and that without the lyrics , they would have sold 5000 records.

[narlus]

Originally Posted by demonrail666

One of the things that sort of disappoints me about a lot of bands at the moment is the way in which they've got either no political content whatsoever, or else when they have, it's of that celebrity chic, post Live Aid, carrot cake, herbal tea, stop the war while adopting a 'frican variety. Which is just self-obsessed bollocks, as we know. Where the fuck are all the bonkers Krautrock types, the Les Rallizes Denudes, the Yoko Onos?

Is it morally sound these days not to be political in music? Is it fuck.

a band like Super Furry Animals is very political, and in a very subtle way.

[SuchFriendsAreDangerous]

this channeling of extremes into music is an ancient purpose of music. War songs, fight songs, dirges, political songs, chants, these things are by no means new. People have sung with passion and angst what was honestly inappropriate to actually do..

[gualbert]

Originally Posted by Rob Instigator

FUGAZI

for the it is about personal politics.

Nonsense.
Politics is the process by which groups of people make decisions that affect others' lives.

Minot Threat were a political band in the sense that they were supporting the prohibition of weed and the blame of alcohol use.
That doesn't seem to bother anybody.

[Glice]

Depends on where you look. I'm of the impression that it's very difficult to absolve yourself of a political relationship with the world, or better, with where you fit in a politcal schema. Elton John isn't without of politics, but the politics he's part of isn't really the same gestural politics that Billy Bragg or the DKs take part in.

Having said that, there's a good point to be made that just saying 'everything's political' or appealing to the notion (inherited from second-wave feminism) that 'the personal is political' doesn't make whatever gesture, or art, you're making gratifying within its existence as a political monad [excuse the wankery].

I've always hated the idea of some punk band singing to a crowd of white liberals about how racism is bad. In many senses, that egalitarianism, the 'everyone's here for a good time' social politics of the devoutly apolitical rave scene seems more appealing than a load of right-on people playing music that is essentially white music. There's nothing wrong with music being white. But there's no virtue to it either.

And regarding music being apolitical now - I often wonder if people look at what people sing about in different territories in its political context. If you're coming from a world where Crass and the DKs are common knowledge, the Dixie Chicks are not radical enough; there was, nonetheless, a massive shitstorm over some of what they said. Likewise, from my perspective, I'm always fascinated to hear how dancehall appropriates gender politics and gun culture, but I wonder if the people from the Dancehall societies just sing about what they sing about, with no consideration. Obviously, this isn't true of Capleton or Buju or Sizzla [etc] but do you think Dr Evil considers what he's saying as in any way 'political'?

Closer to home - Coldplay manifest perfectly a certain concessionary politics that is common to the UK, where nothing gets said ever and everyone waits at the back of the queue nicely.

Herr Rail: are you talking about people being explicitly political or what? Because I think a lot of Brits found that a bit hokey around the time of Red Wedge.

[Rob Instigator]