SLC Punk

SLC Punk has always been one of my favorite movies. Why would a Matthew Lillard, underground, Morman, punk, indy-type film be appealing? It was appealing because it represented the harmless rebelliousness of American youth. Not too long ago there were hate crimes involving homosexuals. When a frightened community attempts to point the finger at someone, skin heads, punk rockers, and skate rats become the target. Much like how Mike Nifong rushed to a decision about the Duke Lacrosse team, down-home local people may jump to a conclusion. They called it a “Lynch Mob” back in the days of slavery. The salvation of society has always rested precariously in the cradle of reason. Reason comes from cool. Whence does cool come? It may be time for America to receive a refresher course in the art of “Cool.” James Dean. Fonsy from the TV series Happy Days. Sean Connery playing James Bond. Clint Eastwood. Possibly the easiest example to personify cool is Peter Fonda’s character in his own scripted movie of the l960’s, “Easy Rider.” Appropriately enough he and the modern day equivalent of cool played cameo roles in the recent theatrical release Wild Hogs. Paul Teutul Sr. and Jr., the master craftsmen of TLC’s successful show OCC, both appeared in the opening sequence of the movie. It was Peter’s appearance at the end of the movie that attempted to put the off track motorcycle road romp into perspective. Unfortunately as with many ADHD infected products, the message was too short to provide wisdom to an adolescent mid-life crisis movie meant to capitalize on a new show. The point was missed. Fonda’s message was short. “Get back out there on the road and discover the true nature of being a biker.” Huh? Confusion insues. Ray Liotta, the son of the returning iconic Blade, shuffles off to his bike. The message might be, “Are the Hell’s Angels cool?” While I will leave that up to history to decide, I will continue with the idea that the preservation of society relies upon cool. ADHD suggests we are not in control enough to remember taking a shit yesterday. If we can’t remember minutia like that, how is culture going to sustain and be a valuable influence to the quality of our everyday lives? The answer is, “Culture needs to be reinforced on a daily basis.” We need constantly to see the good things about our society reinforced on television and in the news. We need to see art on a daily basis, because art transcends time. Art transcends time, therefore ADHD. To produce art you have to get past ADHD, dig in and understand movements greater than yourself and your pitiful life, and provide a deeper and therefore longer lasting philosophy about life. The disposable society we have today fueled by the phrenetic pace of television is inconsequential. Why is SLC Punk cool? A couple of dorks in a mostly Mormon populated city forged an existence that was at least of interest to themselves. While it proved to be self-deprecating in the end like the hair band phenomenon of the l980s, while they were living it gave them an identity. No longer were they going to accept the labels placed upon them by traditional society. If society tried to place a disparaging label on you because you do not fit into its norms, then based upon the freedom concept upon which America was founded, we should be able to live as we please without judgment from society. Unfortunately when society does not understand more diverse lifestyles, they can get the blame for wrong-doing in dire situations. If I remember correctly it was the “jocks” in SLC punk that murdered the homosexual, not the punk rockers. Often it seems inbred incumbent assholes are sheltered from reality in America. The punks in SLC Punk were nothing more than rebellious kids that chose to live the way they wanted. Because you listen to loud aggressive music, drink beer, and acknowledge that your body wants to do more than sit in a cubicle from nine to five doesn’t mean you are worthless or criminal. As with a quickly forgotten “Goth” movement in pop culture, punks exercise the right to express themselves visually. What is unnerving to me is that most of our recent pop culture is being suppressed. Not only has the music disappeared like a mist into the clouds, visual images that are the documentation of our history have all but vanished from television. We are left holding empty chains dangling from an outstretched hand. What is supposed to be in the hand? History cannot be made until people unite. While I value the internet as a tool of research and enlightenment, it cannot and should not be used for social networking. That is a large powerful statement that is going to piss off the youth of America. In an age where many freedoms have been excised beyond control, the internet leaves one avenue of self-expression and therefore socialization. My concern is the Big Brother that watches us at home and in our schools is more present on the internet than in a free society. While the freedoms we once held as basic, clean water, clean air, the right to drive around, the right to skateboard, the right to hang out at a drive in, etc., many of these subversively have been stolen by Imminent Domain. Much like commercial real estate firms are trying to steal the Lower 9th Ward from poor black citizens of New Orleans, private interests have been systematically buying up America’s land once thought of as free. I guess little Johnny doesn’t have the right to go play in the woods anymore, since those woods are going to become condominiums for the next generation of illegal immigrants representing over population in America. When I was in high school the number we learned for the population of the United States was 230 million. What is it now, and what is it to become? The problems here seem so insurmountable it is much easier and more fun to think about other places in which to live. Why try to fix a system that doesn’t seem to want to be fixed? Should we abandon America for South America like so many young business graduates capitalizing on Globalization? Should I contemplate how to revitalize the music industry? Is it even possible? Run-D.M.C. pioneered the sampling of other artist’s recordings as the foundation for their own songs. Possibly this was the beginning of the end for live music. While the recognition of great feels in live music is a notable cause, the inability to recreate them naturally albeit with human skill has proven to be a weakness. Instead like the thousands of software designers employed by Nokia and Sony, they lack the vision, soul, historical context, and artistry to produce art. That to me is what I saw on VH-1 last night. It was an image of young people that don’t get it. They are posing, attempting to be “in the know,” while all along astutely are aware of their ignorance. Because American society has not given them the stage upon which to produce fulfilling lives, they are desperate and turn to the only comfort they have, the internet. Until we change the current excepted status quo of quality of life in America, the rest of our youth will suffer from the same ills. Many scholars of business and economy have said emphatically we as a country do not have a “Work Force.” Even if manufacturing jobs were to turn up on America’s home soil, they say there would be no one to man the posts. That is because the re-structuring of American business that happened ten years ago has proven to be a mistake. Dad, after 23 years at DaimlerChrysler, was laid off for not possessing the necessary skills to compete with a more modern work force. Doesn’t that mean that those jobs were out-sourced to India and China, and dad’s position with its pension, health insurance, and clout was terminated. “Why should we waster money on you if we can get a gook in China to do the job for 1/50 of what you do it for? That is not a violation of slave labor laws is it? Putting viable volunteering foreigners to work? Does it matter that they don’t pay income taxes and use the benefits we pay for? “ The Industrial Age in America is over. We had better try to compress our lives into the sizes of computer chips, because that today is where we are expected to live. Logan’s Run may be an ensuing reality, where the environment is so harsh with CO2 we must build yet another bubble in which to live, this time shielding us from the life giving rays of the sun. The next time I see a live band attempting to perform, I am going to envision a nerd in a dark, dank, musty basement tapping on the computer keyboard with a copy of GarageBand open on the desktop.