Megan and I were standing around Sunset Strip tonight as part of what she has called "our summer of $5 non-alcoholic drinks." (I'd like to point out that it's also the summer of paying way to much too park, including a $10 faux-valet tonight where the dude pulled my parking break all the way back and I had to drive around the lot to try and get it down.) We had just seen some band whose name escapes me at the moment, mostly because we didn't see them listed on the bill beforehand, and were waiting for New Skin, The Spores and Arugula (forgive the lack of umlauts, I'm tired and can't find the character keys on here). I told her that I just can't feel anything for punk anymore. She mentioned maybe listening to some Black Flag, but, the thing is, I have a hard time listening even to the old stuff at this point. In fact, outside of The Clash and early Siouxsie and the Banshees, I haven't willingly put on a punk album in years.
To be truthful, I've never considered myself "punk" in the slightest, not even when I was at an age where everyone was punk. I prefer PIL to Sex Pistols, Robert Smith-era Siouxsie and the Banshees and disco Clash songs (Mick Jones had it all over Joe Strummer, imho, and Big Audio Dynamite and BAD II will always make me dance). That isn't to say that I didn't like punk music at all (I did and still maintain the collection to prove it), it just wasn't me.
Now, when I hear stuff that falls into that punk category (and you can argue all you want about what is or isn't punk on that website with the message boards where people take pot shots at bands all day) I feel nothing but ambivalence. Even at its best, I can't muster up any sort of enthusiasm. It feels like I really have heard it all before. Now, all music is derivative of something, but let's just call that statement a moot point because I really don't feel like going on some French philosophical route. Nothing, however, can possibly be as derivative as punk. Sometimes, I swear I'm actually hearing cover songs because the lyrics are nearly identical from band catalogue to band catalogue. Rebellion and some vague "they" who say "we" can't do something or are lying to us about something and I'm never really sure if that vague "they" is the government or parents. Come on, kids, all you wanted was a Pepsi, right? Just a Pepsi.
::: feel free to start singing Suicidal Tendencies "Institutionalized" right around now:::
I try. I really try to give the music a shot, but it's like a constant game where I tell myself exactly where Misfits-style chants are going to come in, when the guitars are going to get all Black Flag-like and when the singer is going to go on some Jello Biafra ranting. At the same time, though, I can't hate it. The music is just sort of there filtering through the background at shows or on the radio simply existing and failing to provoke any sort of intense reaction, at least from me.