Were living in the mid to late 80's again.. anyone agree? read here!

BassSurfer · #1 06-20-2007, 08:01 AM

Emo Punk: Today's Hair Metal?
artist: emo punk date: 06/14/2007 category: general music news

Recently, Maureen Callahan wrote a piece for the New York Post about Crush Management, the NYC cadre that shepherds the careers of Fall Out Boy, Panic! at the Disco, the Academy Is ... , Boys Like Girls and Armor for Sleep (or, as Callahan puts it, "basically any band that a 13-year-old girl with a blog and a Hot Topic habit obsesses over"), reports James Montgomery of MTV.com.

Aside from providing readers with some genuinely bananas quotes from songwriter/ rock-and-roll vampire Butch Walker about credibility (especially considering this is on his résumé), the article is excellent primarily because it floats the hypothesis that the artists Crush represents are basically the modern-day equivalent of Warrant or White Lion: good-looking, commercially successful bands that no self-respecting music fan would be caught dead listening to. Hair-metal acts for the MySpace generation.

And if that's true (and it probably is), then that raises the question: Are we currently living in the Trixter/Winger era of the genre? Has emo-punk — a term that, at this point, is so indefinable that it somehow encompasses My Chemical Romance, Panic and Cute Is What We Aim For, three bands that are neither particularly "emotional" nor particularly "punk," unless you count ripping off Queen, dressing up like a marionette or being terrible as such — become so same-y, so formulaic and so watered down that it now borders on self-parody? Is 2007 really just 1989 but, you know, worse?

Well, yes.

Let's compare: Both hair-metal and emo-punk acts exist almost primarily on the aesthetic plane — the obvious connection here is the hair — and count among their chief reasons for success the physical attributes of one bandmember (be it Kip Winger's toothy grin or Pete Wentz's, um, pouty lips). As a result, both appeal primarily — nay, almost exclusively — to young girls, those who, as Callahan puts it, are "not yet ready for real rebellion." Both are critically derided, save one act that is begrudgingly admired by critics (Extreme, MCR). And while both do, in fact, rock, no dyed-in-denim rock fan would ever admit to liking them (i.e. a Metallica fan would've never said, "Skid Row is kind of awesome," inasmuch as no Linkin Park fan would admit that "Boys Like Girls totally brought it last night").

This was taken from www.ultimate-guitar.com

Who got it from www.mtv.com

And now...

Does anyone agree with this?

I agree with this and think we are experincing that time period again.. but only worse.. we need a band like Nirvana to break through and end this bad musical period once and for all...

this is my opinion only.. so please no bashing or flaming lets get a good disscussion here..

Thanks

txbasschik · #2 06-20-2007, 09:36 AM

I think it is true. And now, if you will excuse me, I must get on my knees and pray fervently for the 2nd coming of Nirvana.

I was so happy when grunge arrived. Not because I loved it so much, although there are individual songs that mean a lot to me. But because it dealt hair "metal" its death blow.

So...c'mon, Judgement Day!

Cherie

ric1312 · #3 06-20-2007, 09:48 AM

Na, I don't think so. Even though rap was around in the 80's rock still ruled or at least was played 50% of the time on MTV and music award things. (Not that, that is an end all)

Rock was still king.

Now you can't get away from rap.

I think it's ironic that rock got dissed after the 80's for doing the same thing over and over with bands just imitating each other, yet rap has done the same things since it came out without really changing much. Same music, same voices, same fashions, same subjects in their lyrics. Yet, no one dares to point out how commericialized and stagnent it is.

Geezerman · #4 06-20-2007, 09:53 AM

Did they just try comparing metallica in the hay day to Linkin Park?

Bass Boy · #5 06-20-2007, 10:26 AM

Not only musically. Things like the Real Estate markets and Politics are also the same as the 80s.

Dan1099 · #6 06-20-2007, 11:55 AM

I was with them until they called Linkin Park fans "real rock fans." Linkin Park was one of the bands that got this "my life sucks and you don't understand me" train rolling.

Anscari · #7 06-20-2007, 03:10 PM

No. Hell no.

In most of the bands that played hair metal there were incredible virtuosos in every instrument, and the music was fun to listen to.

Now list all the EMO guitarist that are actually able to strum something else than a power chord, all the EMO bassist that know that there are more notes than the root, and all the EMO songs that don't inspire one to cut his own veins.

BassSurfer · #8 06-20-2007, 03:55 PM

everyones obviously right to their own opinon

Alan Vorse · #9 06-21-2007, 07:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dan1099

I was with them until they called Linkin Park fans "real rock fans." Linkin Park was one of the bands that got this "my life sucks and you don't understand me" train rolling.

Are you sure that wasn't Nirvana

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anscari

No. Hell no.

In most of the bands that played hair metal there were incredible virtuosos in every instrument, and the music was fun to listen to.

Maybe there were a few good guitarists, but personally I think the level of musicianship is about the same (Poision? Warrant?) I agree that both genres seem to be more about image than music.

bradjonesbass · #10 06-21-2007, 07:34 AM

Quote:

In most of the bands that played hair metal there were incredible virtuosos in every instrument, and the music was fun to listen to.

Playing multiple notes in quick succession, does not make one a virtuoso...

Bruce Lindfield · #11 06-21-2007, 07:41 AM

I disagree - I lived through the 80s playing in bands and it was a totally different time!

So there was no internet and people went out to see live bands far more than they do now - more venues than there are now!

There were loads of big-name bands touring - whereas nowadays they just play at festivals and nothing else!

Anscari · #12 06-21-2007, 07:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bradjonesbass

Playing multiple notes in quick succession, does not make one a virtuoso...

Right, but there's more than playing fast.

Benjamin Strange · #13 06-21-2007, 08:11 AM

I think we're just beginning to see emo become 80's hair metal... we're far from the Winger era still. Emo hasn't completely devolved into self-parody - yet. The same could be said for alot of the metal-core stuff (whatever that is) - I'm seeing emo spread into metal, and these guys are buying pointy guitars, wearing makeup, and the hair is starting to get out of control. But it hasn't completely gone the way of excess the way 80's hair metal did.

That said, I'm not sure if it ever will. Emo and metal-core seem to strive toward mediocrity rather than excess. I also very much doubt that a Nirvana is going to come and tear all this down; how does one rebel against mediocrity? I'm sorry, but I don't think we will ever see a rock revolution the likes of the grunge movement ever again.

bradjonesbass · #14 06-21-2007, 08:18 AM

I think the more apt comparison is Emo to 80's synth pop...

It's funny to see Winger get slagged when they may have had the best musicians of the genre... guys who had played with Zappa and The Dixie Dregs... they probably made more $$ over those 5 years than the entire rest of their careers combined.

Alan Vorse · #15 06-21-2007, 09:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bradjonesbass

I think the more apt comparison is Emo to 80's synth pop...

It's funny to see Winger get slagged when they may have had the best musicians of the genre... guys who had played with Zappa and The Dixie Dregs... they probably made more $$ over those 5 years than the entire rest of their careers combined.

I know the drummer played with the Dregs, but which one played with Zappa?

bradjonesbass · #16 06-21-2007, 10:24 AM

Kip did, I believe... I know he played with Alice Cooper for a while, but I thought he played with Zappa for a short stretch, and Reb Beach is freaking amazing.

tycobb73 · #17 06-21-2007, 10:34 AM

Kip was a great bassist, but I still hate that band more than almost any other.

On another note, I saw some distant family memebers about a year ago. They were around 15 yrs old. I saw what they were wearing and thought "man that looks like Madonna in her early days".

BassSurfer · #18 06-21-2007, 04:05 PM

keep it going this is getting to be a good thread..

Jezz8me · #19 06-22-2007, 04:14 AM

definitly but not because of emo, have you listened to any of the indie stations, perticualy tripple J in australia there is so many 80's sounding bands, almost all inspired by the cure. and i am begining to love 80's music when i used to hate it.

BassSurfer · #20 06-22-2007, 06:35 AM

^ if i lived in australia then i would hear em =)