If Music Could Talk

Long road trip Marky?

BitterTom wrote: ↑

29 Apr 2019, 4:31am

London Traffic is awful.

Yes I wouldn't wanna drive through it.

Seems very apt now London suffers gridlock.

101Walterton wrote: ↑

29 Apr 2019, 4:33am

Long road trip Marky?

Boredom.

Marky Dread wrote: ↑

29 Apr 2019, 4:43am

BitterTom wrote: ↑

29 Apr 2019, 4:31am

London Traffic is awful.

Yes I wouldn't wanna drive through it.

Nice set up by me! Again!

BitterTom wrote: ↑

29 Apr 2019, 4:48am

Marky Dread wrote: ↑

29 Apr 2019, 4:43am

BitterTom wrote: ↑

29 Apr 2019, 4:31am

London Traffic is awful.

Yes I wouldn't wanna drive through it.

Nice set up by me! Again!

Old Mother Reagan - Violent Femmes

JennyB wrote: ↑

29 Apr 2019, 10:40am

Old Mother Reagan - Violent Femmes

Held Up Without a Gun, the b-side to Hungry Heart, is a fairly unique tune: three verses, three choruses, and a guitar solo and all done in about one minute and ten seconds:

The entire Circle Jerks debut.

Napalm Death's entire output probably.

Marky Dread wrote: ↑

29 Apr 2019, 11:25am

Napalm Death's entire output probably.

Kidding aside, think they moved to longer song structures over time.

Wolter wrote: ↑

29 Apr 2019, 12:03pm

Marky Dread wrote: ↑

29 Apr 2019, 11:25am

Napalm Death's entire output probably.

Kidding aside, think they moved to longer song structures over time.

I've only ever heard a Peel session. That from memory was pretty short. Maybe they became Pink Floyd later on.

Marky Dread wrote: ↑

29 Apr 2019, 12:07pm

Wolter wrote: ↑

29 Apr 2019, 12:03pm

Marky Dread wrote: ↑

29 Apr 2019, 11:25am

Napalm Death's entire output probably.

Kidding aside, think they moved to longer song structures over time.

I've only ever heard a Peel session. That from memory was pretty short. Maybe they became Pink Floyd later on.

I mostly only listen to the early stuff.

I had an interesting conversation with my girlfriend last night concerning rock and roll and the appropriation of black culture. We're both on the same page regarding race in this country. We're both pretty "woke" regarding the fact that the deck has been stacked against African-Americans for centuries and that there has been a ton of cultural appropriation. The conversation about music, however, was a bit contentious. She mentioned that she used to like Elvis, but as she learned more about the racial history of the US - she couldn't get past his cultural appropriation of African-American culture. I approached the conversation from the direction of the music itself. I guess I think of music as a kinship of like minded individuals who respect and learn from one another. I think I like to see it as more colorblind than maybe it is. I do agree that Elvis benefited from being white.

My question to the group isn't so much whether or not there has been the appropriation of black culture in rock and roll, but it's what do we do about it? Do we throw out the baby with the bathwater? Is it okay if we listen to it with the acknowledgement that it happened?

Also - what do we make of someone like Paul Simonon? Did Paul's love for reggae and dub constitute cultural appropriation when the Clash recorded reggae songs? It's kind of a slippery slope and I think that's where I got into trouble in my discussion last night. Paul grew up alongside immigrants from the West Indies. I think he came to love and understand that music honestly - as did Elvis.

Anyway...I'm rapidly losing the thread on this question - but hoping for some good discussion around this topic.

I blame Robert Johnson. You make a deal with the devil and you sure know he's gonna appropriate your music.

I'll speak solely for myself.

I don't give a damn where music comes from as I believe it belongs to everybody it's a universal thing. If someone has an idea and then someone else comes along and uses it to make something new or something better then so be it. Be appreciative of it's origins and it's possible inventor and use it respectfully. African-Americans having the deck stacked against them as you phrased it is of course a fact. But then I've no idea if the cave man ever beat out a rhythm on his cave wall. Racism / misappropriation of culture call it out for how you see fit. To me all cultures are our collective culture we are a race not many races. Bob Marley/Prince/Michael Jackson are just as much to blame as The Clash/Elvis Presley/George Michael.