Punk binge
Today I should've been working on two 5,000 word essays that are due in less than two weeks, but I could not bring myself to write one word. Instead I read leisurely, set an itinerary for next Monday's trip to Glasgow to see Grizzly Bear with St Vincent and indulged in punk rock - especially The Clash, Black Flag and The Germs. I love the whole progression from protopunk to punk to post-punk.
The Who, The Stooges, The Velvet Underground, David Bowie, T.Rex, New York Dolls, Dictators, Patti Smith, Television, The Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Ramones, Black Flag, The Dead Milkmen, Descendents, Bad Brains, Minutemen, Dead Kennedys, Bauhaus, Devo, Joy Division, The Germs, Souxie & the Banshees, Minor Threat, Adolescents, Crass, Blondie, The Talking Heads...one could go on forever exploring the treasure trove of groundbreaking music of the latter decades of the 20th century.
It's so fascinating to listen to someone like Blind Lemon Jefferson, then to hear how he influenced Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup, who influenced Elvis Presley who influenced The Beatles. This whole trajectory opened the door for The Who, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, David Bowie and The Stooges. Then you hear metal developing and you get the likes of Iron Maiden and Slayer. You hear the punk that became hardcore punk with bands like The Germs, Descendents and Black Flag. You see everything converging with Converge. Speaking of Converge, Axe to Fall...unrelenting, amazing, you should buy it.
Falling into all of this music is a vortex of aural pleasure.
The Who, The Stooges, The Velvet Underground, David Bowie, T.Rex, New York Dolls, Dictators, Patti Smith, Television, The Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Ramones, Black Flag, The Dead Milkmen, Descendents, Bad Brains, Minutemen, Dead Kennedys, Bauhaus, Devo, Joy Division, The Germs, Souxie & the Banshees, Minor Threat, Adolescents, Crass, Blondie, The Talking Heads...one could go on forever exploring the treasure trove of groundbreaking music of the latter decades of the 20th century.
It's so fascinating to listen to someone like Blind Lemon Jefferson, then to hear how he influenced Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup, who influenced Elvis Presley who influenced The Beatles. This whole trajectory opened the door for The Who, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, David Bowie and The Stooges. Then you hear metal developing and you get the likes of Iron Maiden and Slayer. You hear the punk that became hardcore punk with bands like The Germs, Descendents and Black Flag. You see everything converging with Converge. Speaking of Converge, Axe to Fall...unrelenting, amazing, you should buy it.
Falling into all of this music is a vortex of aural pleasure.