And Now for Something Completely Different

I feel sorry for today’s kids that are fans of the hard rock genre. The 60’s ushered in the likes of the Beatles, The Who and the Stones. The 70’s were heady days for Led Zeppelin, Alice Cooper, Kiss and Black Sabbath. The 80’s saw the rise of Iron Maiden, Motley Crue, Van Halen and Ozzy’s best solo work. The 90’s brought us Pearl Jam, Nirvana and Nine Inch Nails.

The decades-long continuity of formidable talent has been broken. If there was indeed a Y2K problem, it is that it brought about the likes of Good Charlotte. For the blessedly uninitiated, Good Charlotte are a bunch of “snot rockers” that are a dystopian mix of the look of Trent Reznor and the sound of Sesame Street’s Elmo. Not to be outdone, CanCon A&R folks jumped into the fray with Simple Plan. With an album title like “No Pads, No Helmets… Just Balls”, their emasculated sound is a curious dichotomy when paired with their tough “punk guy” imagery. The lead guitarist’s last name of Stinco aptly manages to simultaneously describe both him and his band.

So to all those young rockers, I feel for you. It’s no wonder nobody wants to buy CD’s when all they have is some dastardly fusion of heavy metal/punk and the boy band. Maybe that’s why rap is so popular nowadays…



Motivational Tunes:
Die Krupps – Who Made Who
Bruce Dickinson – Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
W.A.S.P. – Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting
Harvey Danger – Flagpole Sitta