It's Rough Justice
Writing from vacation here. Why? I guess I feel compelled to defend super successful and wealthy rock stars. Like they need my help, but I can't resist.
Steve said: "Apparently, Sir Mick thinks we're stupid."
Yeah, maybe so. After all, we're the ones buying the tickets and the albums, myself included. I'll buy A Bigger Bang on the Tuesday it's released, but not because there's a song entitled 'Sweet Neo Con.' As long as the whole album rocks as hard as 'Rough Justice' does (arguably the best new Stones song in 20 years or more, IMHO) I don't care if the record is a concept album about the life of Jacques Chirac. It's only rock and roll...
"Either that or he's feeling the heat from his little impetuous temper tantrum."
I really doubt it.
"Or could it be that all is going according to plan?"
Now you're getting somewhere.
"The Stones should have been smart and retired after Exile on Main Street, they were pretty much done at that point."
No, you just stopped paying attention.
Here's the thing: Rock lyrics have always gravitated toward political commentary. Fighting authority (which always wins, according to John Mellencamp) is a huge part of rock and roll, and few things are more authoritative than the government. So think of political commentary in rock as another ‘bully pulpit’ that a few folks are lucky enough to have to share their ideas about things. And that’s cool because rocking is a voluntary action: you don’t have to rock with Mick if you don’t want to… but we all want to, and Mick knows it. It just that in the midst of the rocking, he’s going to throw in a few things he’d like to say. No big deal, right?
To wrap this up, nothing is more rock and roll than yanking somebody’s chain. And a handful of lyrics that vaguely address our current US administration (which happens to register as a tiny and insignificant blip in the history of The World’s Greatest Rock And Roll Band) is just the tip of the chain-yanking iceberg that Jagger, Keef, Charlie, and the other Stones have been floating on for decades. Good for them for staying in the game.
Steve said: "Apparently, Sir Mick thinks we're stupid."
Yeah, maybe so. After all, we're the ones buying the tickets and the albums, myself included. I'll buy A Bigger Bang on the Tuesday it's released, but not because there's a song entitled 'Sweet Neo Con.' As long as the whole album rocks as hard as 'Rough Justice' does (arguably the best new Stones song in 20 years or more, IMHO) I don't care if the record is a concept album about the life of Jacques Chirac. It's only rock and roll...
"Either that or he's feeling the heat from his little impetuous temper tantrum."
I really doubt it.
"Or could it be that all is going according to plan?"
Now you're getting somewhere.
"The Stones should have been smart and retired after Exile on Main Street, they were pretty much done at that point."
No, you just stopped paying attention.
Here's the thing: Rock lyrics have always gravitated toward political commentary. Fighting authority (which always wins, according to John Mellencamp) is a huge part of rock and roll, and few things are more authoritative than the government. So think of political commentary in rock as another ‘bully pulpit’ that a few folks are lucky enough to have to share their ideas about things. And that’s cool because rocking is a voluntary action: you don’t have to rock with Mick if you don’t want to… but we all want to, and Mick knows it. It just that in the midst of the rocking, he’s going to throw in a few things he’d like to say. No big deal, right?
To wrap this up, nothing is more rock and roll than yanking somebody’s chain. And a handful of lyrics that vaguely address our current US administration (which happens to register as a tiny and insignificant blip in the history of The World’s Greatest Rock And Roll Band) is just the tip of the chain-yanking iceberg that Jagger, Keef, Charlie, and the other Stones have been floating on for decades. Good for them for staying in the game.
posted by Strother | 11:45 PM
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