[kj] Top 10 and the "throwback" era

[B. Oliver Sheppard]

I do, actually, just like I think the folk music of Woody Guthrie and 
before him Joe Hill had subtle ways of changing the world and the way we 
view it.

In American Hardcore one of the folks interviewed is the son of a US 
senator. He was in the DC hardcore band Marginal Man.

Jello Biafra ran for SF mayor, and ran for Pres. candidate on the Green 
Party ticket in 2000; Jack Grisham of TSOL ran for California governor a 
few years back. Aside from this more direct sort of influence, it's 
beyond argument that culture in general affects how folks view life. And 
how they view life affects how they vote but also how that culture is 
shaped. Would we be the same now if rock and roll had neever happened 
politically?

What about Bush adviser Karl Rove doing his disgusting "MC Rove" shtick 
at the recent Washington Press Clun thing? The "merely cultural" DOES 
indeed translate into folks' opinions on life. I was politicized and 
radicalized by listening to Crass, the Subhumans (UK), MDC, Dead 
Kennedys, etc., as a youngster. It's affected the political causes I've 
thrown myself into. The labor folk tradition of Pete Seeger, Utah 
Phillips, Billy Bragg, and Woody Guthrie has done the same... It does 
matter, believe it or not.

-Oliver



Brendan Quinn wrote:

> Do you guys believe rock or even "popular music" has changed the world in

> any real way? I mean, I believe it has changed individual lives, provides a

> lot of people with entertainment and inspiration etc, but in the scheme of

> things, it's really only been around 50 years or so, compare that to any of

> the empires or religions. And how influential is it really? In terms of

> trends etc, sure, perhaps it is. But compared to any of the wars,

> totalitatian regimes, doctrines of thought, philosophy, religion, science,

> politics, economics, laws, etc...I don't think personally it's been very

> influential on a global level. 

>

> Just my current opinion...

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