The New Punk Rock?
When punk first came to rock and pop music in the mid-'70s, it shook up the landscape, more than it even appeared to at the time. Now we have Ramones music scoring commercials, Iggy Pop selling cruise lines, and everybody and his brother claiming to be influenced by the Clash. Ever since that time, various musical genres--dance, rap, and electronica immediately come to mind--have called themselves the "new punk." Yesterday on All Things Considered, a new claim was made: Children's music is the new punk.
Stefan Shepherd, who blogs about kids music at Zooglobble, put forth the argument:
When [punk] started, it had an energy, and it had this sense of "We're just going to do it ourselves." I think a lot of the kids' music we're seeing now is artists saying "I just want to put out a kids' album, and I'm going to record it on my own time, I'm going to record it on my own dime."
Does he have a point? Well, DIY was an important part of punk, and the ATC story included Wee Hairy Beasties, a band that features Jon Langford and Sally Timms of the Mekons, and that's a pretty nice punk pedigree. But it seems to me that the punk I remember has a fair bit of anger associated. Are there a bunch of seething little kids that this music is serving? And what's the hierarchy of children's music? Does this make The Wiggles the Sex Pistols or the Clash? Or maybe they're the Knack.
The link above was to read the story, but from there you can also click through to hear the radio report or listen to some samples of the music itself.
posted by Doug @ 11:47 PM
3 comments
3 Comments:
I think that kids' music it's probably more like good-time new wave. Linda Ronstadt's 'Mad Love,' anyone?
This guy just wants more people to listen to kids music and his opinions. How about creative, new sounds? There's another characteristic of punk that kids music does not have--in fact they talk about why adults like the new kids music: because it sounds like music they listen to! The "We're just going to do it ourselves" sense is the ONLY thing it has in common with punk.
Well, DIY was an important part of punk
Is that right, or is punk a important part of DIY? DIY, especially in the mid 70s encompassed more than punk. New wave, power pop, however you call it, tended to be different. The punks weren't the skinny ties, even though they came from a shared DIY ethos.
I don't listen to much/any kids' music to know if Stevie's right, though I am cynical enough to agree that '[t]his guy just wants more people to listen to kids music and his opinions,' just on the face of it.
Your idea of figuring the analogues is amusing. The Wiggles are certainly a sensation, though not outrageous, so I don't think they're quite the Pistols. They've got more staying power than The Knack. They might work as the Clash, though we'll have to wait to see how many future Kid Rockers name them as influences.
I'd posit them as Blondie. They have catchy tunes, very poppy ("Fruit salad, yummy yummy!") They recently lost a key member of the group to an illness. Jeff sort of looks like Jimmy Destri if you squint enough. You get the idea... Maybe Ralph's World is the Television analog.
On the other hand, this makes me wonder who were the Velvet Underground, Iggy Pop, New York Dolls of Kids Music? Did all these people buy that 'Sharon, Lois, and Bram' album and decide to form a kids music band? Is Barney the kids music Iggy Pop? Maybe the Muppets are the New York Dolls of kids music...
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