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Best Punk Bassist

Every Time I hear the words Green Day and Punk used in the same sentence I want to stab myself in the eye with a spork!

Truthfully, classifying music in any genre is pretty subjective anyway. I understand it helps separate personal tastes and what not so we kind of half to accept it. Sure there are fundamental things that make Jazz Jazz, and Rock Rock but it's the Music not the Image that should make the distinction.

So in that context of things, Green day was bubble gum pop at the start, turned Top 40. The only reason why Bands like Green day get classified under some category is not because of their MUSIC unfortunately it's because of their ******** Image.

Funny Story... 1992, went to 924 Gillman for a $5 weekend of "underground fun". Green day somehow manged to get booked... Played 1/2 of one song and was booed out of the joint so fast it wasn't funny.

I guess the bottom line here is I respect a lot of Music that gets classified as Punk but when you put something like Britney spears in that category it tends to make people crazy. It's insulting to the people that have followed that Genre of Music for years and have struggled to get others to open their ears and minds long enough to even attempt to appreciate it for what it is. Because there really is some incredible Music to be found In that Genre. However mislabeling a crappy Pop band into that genre just gives it a bad name. Can you honestly listen to Fugazi and Green Day and find a similarity?

Oh and Back on Topic +1000 for NOMEANSNO
 
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Happy to see at least someone mentioned Stiff Little Fingers and the Jam

so to the list of already mentioned great people
I'd add (sorry can't remember the names of) the awsome unknown bass heroes of:

Radio Birdman
Really Red
X (the AUSTRALIAN X!!!)
Alley Cats
Celibate rifles


and the best band name goes to: Big Balls and the Great White Idiot
Link Removed
 
There's only one punk bassist worth listening to..... JJ Burnel of The Stranglers. Aggressive tone driving all the tracks. I'm talking 'old school' Stranglers up until 'The Raven'.

That man is a beast... plus he's a bad-ass too. He's mellowed a lot, but I wouldn't have gotten into a argument with him in the old days.

The Stranglers were a dangerous band, not merely posers!!!!
 
Funny Story... 1992, went to 924 Gillman for a $5 weekend of "underground fun". Green day somehow manged to get booked... Played 1/2 of one song and was booed out of the joint so fast it wasn't funny.

I guess the bottom line here is I respect a lot of Music that gets classified as Punk but when you put something like Britney spears in that category it tends to make people crazy. It's insulting to the people that have followed that Genre of Music for years and have struggled to get others to open their ears and minds long enough to even attempt to appreciate it for what it is. Because there really is some incredible Music to be found In that Genre. However mislabeling a crappy Pop band into that genre just gives it a bad name. Can you honestly listen to Fugazi and Green Day and find a similarity?

Oh and Back on Topic +1000 for NOMEANSNO
I'm by no means a fan of green day but...

Green Day had played quite a few shows at Gilman Street prior to 1992. It was where they made a name for themselves in the Bay Area before the masses heard them and they became the pop band they are today. Gilman St. had some great shows. I saw fugazi and nomeansno there as well as many other fine "punk" bands.

I agree that there's no way you could compare either fugazi and green day. But the same can be said about minor threat and fugazi? Or Black Flag and the Minutemen.

Remember that originally punk wasn't about a sound but an ideology. it wasn't about what you wore or what you played.

oh and back on topic +1000 for NOMEANSNO's Rob Wright also!
Daryl Jennifer of Bad Brains and Larry Boothroyd of the Victim's Family!
 
There's only one punk bassist worth listening to..... JJ Burnel of The Stranglers. Aggressive tone driving all the tracks. I'm talking 'old school' Stranglers up until 'The Raven'.

That man is a beast... plus he's a bad-ass too. He's mellowed a lot, but I wouldn't have gotten into a argument with him in the old days.

The Stranglers were a dangerous band, not merely posers!!!!

There were more, believe me...

but hey I'm going to see JJ do his stuff on march 26st
PARTY TIME:bassist:

JJ was dangerous indeed, I saw a German documentary about London Punk in the 70's where JJ was chasing the reporter & camaraman down the stairs of his appartment...or at least telling them to get lost or he'll....
 
There's only one punk bassist worth listening to..... JJ Burnel of The Stranglers. Aggressive tone driving all the tracks. I'm talking 'old school' Stranglers up until 'The Raven'.

I subscribe to the fact that JJ was the best until "The Raven". I also have to mention Graham Lewis (Wire), John McKay (Siouxsie & The Banshees), Bruce Foxton of course, Paul Simonon. Of post-punk/New Wave, the bassist playing with the Cure on "Three Imaginary Boys", perhaps it was Michael Dempsey. Generally, bassists in single-guitar bands were decidedly ambitious :)

Back in 1985, JJ Burnel had a gig in Warsaw. The cream of punk rock and new wave Polish musicians performed early Strangers' songs, with JJ on bass and vocals. The show I'll never forget.
 
Dee Dee Ramone, Mike Dirnt, Paul Simonon, Klaus Flouride all immediately come to my mind when I think of punk bass. So does Lemmy, to some extent, and I don't think he would disagree with me; his attitude has always been above (or below) musical classifications anyway.