Re: [Marxism] Two rock-and-roll band documentaries

["Calvin Broadbent" <calvinbroadbent@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi,

In response to Louis' own review of the Ramones and Metallica
'rocumentaries', I would just say a couple of things. I think Louis makes an
interesting point in counterposing the ideology behind a lot of punk and
metal music to that of the rock music of the 1960s. Undoubtedly, the punk
and metal rejection of the dreamy hedonism of the more popular end of the
hippy scene led those forms into some murky political waters. To be fair,
the metal band Black Sabbath (perhaps the principal originators of that
musical style, in my view) were by no means an authoritarian or conservative
group. Early Black Sabbath lyrics are definitely more politically aware than
those of their descendents. Likewise, there is absolutely loads of punk
music that has embraced left-wing ideas in its lyrics. Still, Louis'
suggestion that punk has some sort of inbuilt antipathy toward collective
action is not too wide of the mark- most left-wing punk is basically
agressive anarchism. Some metal bands- most notably Birmingham's seminal
Napalm Death, Brazil's Sepultura, and New Jersey's brilliant Brutal Truth-
have purveyed fully anti-capitalist ideras in their songs.

Nonetheless, I believe that the vast majority of heavy metal music is more
or less right-wing. Either we have endless paeans to War and Death (a la
California's musically brilliant Slayer), or endless whining about the
singer's grim emotional state (most of the contemporary metal bands). With
Metallica there is usually both- IMHO, they haven't made a good album since
'Ride the Lightning'.

Anyway, I think a good class analysis of the development of these musical
forms (in terms of the class background of the performers and the fans and
also the class context wherein such virulently macho identities are
packaged) would be interesting. At any rate, I think if people want to
listen to good lyrics they would do well to listen to good (less commercial)
hip hop music and a lot of the folk music of the past. This week I have been
listening to Fela Kuti a lot.

cheers

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