Thinking anthemically…

Nirvana’s “Come As You Are” (because friends who are vets of the first Gulf War said they played this and “Smells like Teen Spirit” ad nauseum while they were in Iraq)

Cat Steven’s “Peace Train”

Tracy Chapman’s “Talkin’ About A Revolution”

Chumbawamba’s “Jacob’s Ladder”

Green Day “She’s a Rebel”, “Jesus of Suburbia”, “Holiday” (I’d throw in Boulevard of Broken Dreams, too, but then we might as well play all of American Idiot…)

Eminem’s “Mosh” (natch!)

Beastie Boys, “In a World Gone Mad”

Sting, “Brand New Day” (yeah, long, but I always feel better after singing this one along with Sting in the car or shower)

Kekuhi Kanahele, “Omoomo” (in Hawaiian language, about a chieftain who gets his comeuppance — ouch)

Annie Lennox, “Train in Vain” (a sing-along-at-the-top-of-your-lungs, this cover, while thinking about utter disappointment in this president)

Catch you next Friday, when I hope we have many reasons to be celebrating.

Gibby Hanes was revving up the venues in Austin with the Butthole Surfers when I lived there in the late 80’s. Fun Times, I tell ya.

Tell Gibby that Muffin says “Hello”

Donita, I love MOST of your choices, but I still don’t like rap or hip-hop. Ok, I’ve given it a chance but it still grates on my nerves like nails on a chalkboard. Sorry, call me hopelessly uncool but I just can’t see any redeeming value in Public Enemy’s hit. That’s fine, right?

My dad (a lovely man) really doesn’t like brocolli. Yet he has some at least once a week. Now, he gets plenty of greens from other veggies he likes, so there’s no nutritional need to do this. He just likes a challenge of doing stuff he doesn’t enjoy.

Personally, I think he’s a bit silly on this one.

So, yes, it’s very fine indeed to not like something. Don’t let my dad fool you :)

Fortunate Son

Stand up and fight anthems?

Rage Against the Machine. The entire catalogue. If you don’t want to go and take out some right-wing ass after listening to “Killing in the Name of…” stop breathing now. Michael Moore did a video for “Sleep Now in the Fire” that has to be seen to be believed. During the filming of it, Rage stormed the New York Stock Exchange, causing it to shut down for the day. Other bands have talked about being political. Rage really was. I miss them. I miss them so much (Zach–come back! We need you!).

The “new” incarnation of RATM, Audioslave, does great political things still (the successful Taco Bell protest!), but they’re not RATM.

System of a Down: Boom! Aside: Michael Moore did an incredible job with the video for this song, using news footage from around the world of people protesting the Iraq war in Feb. 2003 interspersed with footage of ordinary people and SOD speaking against the war during the protests. It was awesome. SOD is almost worthy enough to assume the mantle Rage discarded when they broke up.

Two cheers to that and I raise you Nine Inch Nails:

Head Like A Hole
and
The Hand That Feeds

And I’ll add Afrikaa Bambaataa and John Lydon:
World Destruction

Hah! My older son used to listen to that. “Jesus Freak” is the only song I remember.
Then he got into regular rap, and the one that I can think of that I sort of like is “Wanna Be a Ballah” by Li’l Troy.
I was filling my car up and someone next to me had that playing, and I was singing along. They laughed.

You should see the looks on people’s faces when they hear that I’m in my 40s and get in mosh pits. OMG. It’s like I just sprouted horns and a tail! Best of all, I tell them my TEENAGED SON is the one who has to grab me and keep me from leaping into the pit, when we’re at concerts where we didn’t get pit admittance, most notably at the Korn concert. I kid you not, my son grabbed me by the shirt and arm, to haul me back, before I made a complete fool of myself. And I wasn’t even drinking or high!

For the record, Korn is the loudest band I’ve ever seen in concert. I used to say it was Deep Purple, but Korn made them sound like whispering gnats. The sound came out of the speakers so hard that you literally could not breathe from the impact. It felt like a sucker punch to the chest (and never mind your ears!). Bolted down chairs felt like they were coming loose from a concrete foundation; I was leaning against the chairs in front of me, and the damned things shook and rattled! Then I got used to that level of noise, and started climbing over the rail for the pit again, to my son’s consternation. Totally cool!