Ethics & Rock
Most people my age that live in this part of the world have been chattering about the Touch & Go 25th Anniversary thing. I didn’t go. I hope people had a good time. I think there was a lot to celebrate – especially seeing some of the people on the bill that hadn’t played together in a long time. Thinking about that music again brought back great memories…and some of those bands never went away in my head or on my daily rotation of rock in my headphones or in my office computer. Hell I’m listening to the Slint record as I write this.
What I say next is going to sound like me being a wet blanket…but let me make it clear that I have nothing against celebrating the MUSIC that the record label in question put out over the years. It is more than worthy of note – and not just because Hey Judester was a cool record when I was in college. Again, there is much worth remembering and celebrating from the Touch and Go catalog.
I watched that stupid Touch & Go promo film on You Tube and it made me want to fucking puke. Everyone talking about the ethic – ethos – whatever the fuck of the record label and the handshake deals – and how musicians and promo people and interns were all equal and how they were all expected to treat each other.
By the way, I’m all in favor of treating people from all walks of life with respect (I don’t always do it, I can be a fucking prick) – but I think this is the way humans should operate (both from a religious perspective…and there are even arguments from the field of evolutionary biology that sort of support this “morality”)
But to listen to Steve Albini drone on about Corey Ruske(sp??) and what the Touch and Go ETHOS is…and how someone could go from the audience to being in a band to being involved in distributing these records
PUH-lease!
Really, who gives a rat’s ass?!?! All this talk about ethics and rock…
Having a mission to carry the torch for this music – and this attitude…
A scene that promotes creative expression and dignity…
That’s not the business of record labels.
And when we hear the bass player of the Nekrons (CR himself) talk about the novelty and worth of the Touch and Go business model – I am here to say thanks to him for putting out this great music…
…but also to say “Shaddddup about your business model butt munch!”
Oh, and to say, “Remember how you got sued by the Butthole Surfers?”
Happy 25th Touch and Go, now shut up and get back to the rock.
I’ll try and do the same.
What I say next is going to sound like me being a wet blanket…but let me make it clear that I have nothing against celebrating the MUSIC that the record label in question put out over the years. It is more than worthy of note – and not just because Hey Judester was a cool record when I was in college. Again, there is much worth remembering and celebrating from the Touch and Go catalog.
I watched that stupid Touch & Go promo film on You Tube and it made me want to fucking puke. Everyone talking about the ethic – ethos – whatever the fuck of the record label and the handshake deals – and how musicians and promo people and interns were all equal and how they were all expected to treat each other.
By the way, I’m all in favor of treating people from all walks of life with respect (I don’t always do it, I can be a fucking prick) – but I think this is the way humans should operate (both from a religious perspective…and there are even arguments from the field of evolutionary biology that sort of support this “morality”)
But to listen to Steve Albini drone on about Corey Ruske(sp??) and what the Touch and Go ETHOS is…and how someone could go from the audience to being in a band to being involved in distributing these records
PUH-lease!
Really, who gives a rat’s ass?!?! All this talk about ethics and rock…
Having a mission to carry the torch for this music – and this attitude…
A scene that promotes creative expression and dignity…
That’s not the business of record labels.
And when we hear the bass player of the Nekrons (CR himself) talk about the novelty and worth of the Touch and Go business model – I am here to say thanks to him for putting out this great music…
…but also to say “Shaddddup about your business model butt munch!”
Oh, and to say, “Remember how you got sued by the Butthole Surfers?”
Happy 25th Touch and Go, now shut up and get back to the rock.
I’ll try and do the same.
posted by edP | 6:18 AM
13 Comments:
Why anyone ever lets Albini speak is beyond me. I wouldn't know him today if I tripped over him in an alley, but the minimal contact I once had with him was enough to make that clear. Ethos my assos.
Hell yes dudes!!!
Whenever Albini opines about a band, I feel the need to remind him that his own body of work is nothing to write home about.
You know, I admire the Fugazi "business model" too, which gets 150% more coverage than the band's music. And Fugazi's music is pretty good.
By the way, for all the talk about Chicago's wonderful punk community, you might almost be led to believe it isn't an alienating art school rich kids clicque.
T&G did do things on their own and did produce a lot of seminal music in an era where this was not the norm (no big-box stores, Web sites or national distribution yet). They were certainly not the first indie label but they definitely became the model that indies followed (along with SST and Dischord).
It was the very business model that drove the creation of the "Byron" and other DeKalb compilations. (Don't you imagine that's what Rich was thinking?)
p.s. - Corey Rusk's band was the Necros - not the Nekrons.
p.p.s. - I didn't make it to the reunion after all but I did see a number of videos on YouTube (God bless YouTube) and it looked like a good time. Wm. David Sims is pretty f'n cool.
Heh heh... Chris said "seminal."
Everybody needs a chris b. Ours is chris b.
Don't mind me, I just thought I'd start the day off as a jackass.
What else is new.
I prefer my rock bands to have shitty ethics and loose morals. But that's me.
I don't know about T&G, or music scenes, or even business models. Just based on what you described, they sound like a bunch of self-congratulatory hippies to me.
I'm not jealous or anything.
The first thing to pop into my head of after reading this post was Randy Gardener in his ratty old Jaeger stained Jesus Lizard T-shirt. Thank you to T&G for that. I think that shirt might have celebrated its 25th anniversary too.
re this Chris: "It was the very business model that drove the creation of the "Byron" and other DeKalb compilations. (Don't you imagine that's what Rich was thinking?"
That's fine as far as it goes...but whatever the DeKalb music scene was - I prefer not to think of it in those terms - a movement, a model whatever - I like to think of the individuals and individual bands - the stuff I liked and the stuff I thought sucked ass...it was a coincidence that they were in this place at that time...maybe the DeKalb music scene is the perfect thing to talk about in this context - because it sounds so silly - it isn't a scene worth remembering - it was people and good times and some good music
Necros, sorry I always turn shit into robot shit Necrons...
And again, I have no problem celebrating that music and those bands - and I'm sure that there are tons of great records that they put out that I haven't consumed completely...but when I hear again and again about what is important - the ethic the ethos - YUCK! Just play the damned songs - they stand on their own.
Ed, I agree. It was a coincidence. There wasn't a lot of common ground musically, which usually identifies it as a 'scene'. Here here to PDawg--the Chicago scene is a always has been a boys club. I can't really blame them, though, it's a natural tendancy to selfishly guard the thing you hold most dear.
"it isn't a scene worth remembering - it was people and good times and some good music"
Isn't that the definition of a "scene"? By denying that it was a scene also denies that I was the mayor of action city. That's refuting Bobbo - the foremost historian of the era. Don't believe me? Ask Kaka (she's the queen.)
I don't deny the titles of you Bobbo and Ms K - you guys are totally cool...
And in a certain respect, the "scene" was cool if you want to call it that because of the people and the good times...
But those things - for the most part - are independent of the music made
And any "ethic" that existed...I just think it is irrelevant
Maybe it is a chicken and egg question - the place we are gives us some of the material we write about and the opportunity to play that material...
but when you look at a kick ass hot rod - do you really wonder what kind of town it came from, or were the workers happy when they made it?
No one gives a crap about that.
Death to all hipsters!
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