Quote:
Originally Posted by cardboard adolescent
wow, that post made me swoon a bit. i wish everyone i ran into had something to say about situationism.
however, you did forget to mention the fall for still active punk bands.
also, there is the possibility which i don't necessary subscribe to but still recognize that perhaps both sonic youth and madonna sell purely on the basis of image, but that a band like sonic youth appears to have better staying power because they need to develop a strong, loyal (elitist) fan base to support them which grows over the years because of its cult status/intellectual prestige/outsiderness whereas a pop group can simply ride the mainstream wave and gain temporary, widespread popularity. i personally don't think it's completely true, the overtones on some sonic youth songs send chills down my spine like no pop song i've ever heard, but i think there probably is a degree of truth to it. in a way we're all drawn to the images artists project to us, and the authenticity of any of them is questionable.
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You're right about the Fall... how could I have possibly forgetten their longevity? Sonic Youth has always been fascinated with the otherness of things, which may explain their appeal to post modern types. Their music is the most visceral of any band I've ever heard live and I usually suffer from a couple days of aftershocks when I hear them live.
I understand that there is an anti-intellectual bent among modern day punk rockers but they don't understand the punk attitude. John Lydon was and still is a cogent political polemicist and critic of the music business. And Lydon never was shy about discussing his music in an intellectual context.
John Lydon interviewed in 2007: