Back in my high school days, I hit up a Vans Warped Tour or two, and they were pretty sweet. For $20 or so you could get a full day of music out on a pier in San Francisco, in the shadow of the Bay Bridge. Mixed with a slew of unknowns, you'd get some big timers on the stage- Green Day, NOFX, Pennywise, Bad Religion. Often times I'd recognize a band's name and swing by to check them out... out of curiosity more than anything. And more often than not I was disappointed by a bunch of scrubs that didn't know how to put on a show.
But there was one that I came across back in 2000 that really made an impression on me. After sitting through such hack-jobs as Reel Big Fish and Sum-41, I had no high hopes for a band calling themselves Flogging Molly. They were probably gonna play some punk crap that sounded like garbage (not Garbage) and tempt me into calling it an early day. Oh boy, was I ever wrong.
This rowdy bunch of Irishmen (and women) hit the stage in full force, sporting (among the traditional punk rock insturmants) a fiddle, an accordian, a banjo and a tin flute. As they pounded Guiness after Guiness and pelted out anthem after dunken anthem, I found my young self to be in awe of their grand performance. I've never been much of a fan of punk music (or folk music), but these guys kicked ass, and it was undeniable.
If you've never heard of 'em, this one's a personal favorite:
Following their killer performance, I helped stack the line to purchase their new album (Drunken Lullabies, still one of my favorite CDs) and got the full band to sign it. Mind you, I'd never heard of these guys an hour earlier.
A decade or so later, you might imagine how my ears started burning when I heard their name shouted out across the newsroom. Many of the old-timers had no idea who they were... "some punk band" that "liked to drink and do drugs". At least, that's the impression that they got from a newspaper article declaring that a local community college was trying to get them to come and play, despite the objections of several on the student council.
After playing a few tunes to a newsroom ready to string these guys up for being a bunch of immoral no-good-nicks, they found that their brand of musical drunken numbskullery was pretty darn good, and many asked to borrow a CD or two.
As it turns out, the student council members that were working to deny the band's ability to play on campus happened to be a crew that we were familiar with. It was the same crew of student council members that declared a harsh stance for Prop 8 (the gay marriage ban) a few months back. Mind you, this isn't a private or religious school. It's a public community college.
They refused to offer funding for the musical event because the band is "known for cursing, for doing drugs, and drinking- getting drunk on the stage". While the business plan projects thousands of dollars of funding to book rental programs and scholarships, it very well may not happen because these guys are... well... a rock band.
While the primary opponent to the concert admits that he's more into "church and choir music", he's willing to allow a Christian band onto campus in order to "help teach students how to be gentlemen".
Sometimes... you have to wonder if people just like to pick fights wherever they can. If you really want to raise a religious fuss over Prop 8 (even though it's not a Christian school), that's one thing... but trying to block a rock band because they swear and sing about drinking (I've never heard anything about drugs)? It's on a college campus. Just try to go through a day without hearing about drinking and cussing. Give me a break.
If Flogging Molly does eventually make it to town, I'll be there with a pint in my hand (and perhaps a No on 8 sign in my back pocket). If you can't drink and cuss on a college campus, then where the hell can you do it? Mexico? Please.
A decade or so later, you might imagine how my ears started burning when I heard their name shouted out across the newsroom. Many of the old-timers had no idea who they were... "some punk band" that "liked to drink and do drugs". At least, that's the impression that they got from a newspaper article declaring that a local community college was trying to get them to come and play, despite the objections of several on the student council.
After playing a few tunes to a newsroom ready to string these guys up for being a bunch of immoral no-good-nicks, they found that their brand of musical drunken numbskullery was pretty darn good, and many asked to borrow a CD or two.
As it turns out, the student council members that were working to deny the band's ability to play on campus happened to be a crew that we were familiar with. It was the same crew of student council members that declared a harsh stance for Prop 8 (the gay marriage ban) a few months back. Mind you, this isn't a private or religious school. It's a public community college.
They refused to offer funding for the musical event because the band is "known for cursing, for doing drugs, and drinking- getting drunk on the stage". While the business plan projects thousands of dollars of funding to book rental programs and scholarships, it very well may not happen because these guys are... well... a rock band.
While the primary opponent to the concert admits that he's more into "church and choir music", he's willing to allow a Christian band onto campus in order to "help teach students how to be gentlemen".
Sometimes... you have to wonder if people just like to pick fights wherever they can. If you really want to raise a religious fuss over Prop 8 (even though it's not a Christian school), that's one thing... but trying to block a rock band because they swear and sing about drinking (I've never heard anything about drugs)? It's on a college campus. Just try to go through a day without hearing about drinking and cussing. Give me a break.
If Flogging Molly does eventually make it to town, I'll be there with a pint in my hand (and perhaps a No on 8 sign in my back pocket). If you can't drink and cuss on a college campus, then where the hell can you do it? Mexico? Please.
1 comment:
Hey Duff,
I like your links.
Love,
Kara
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