Difficult Music

ALL WASHED UP?
This week, I'm taking some inspiration from a few of my PRFU 340 classmates and diving into the seedy underworld of rockers who've seen their time in the spotlight come and go. Thank god they have the Internet, otherwise we'd forget about them completely.

The Whackmaster!
Ted Nugent. Wang dang, the Nuge sure had rock fans in a stranglehold during the free-for-all that was the '70s. He may have been distracted by chronic Cat Scratch Fever, but that didn't stop him from inflicting tinnitus on an entire generation of Camaro owners. Ted hasn't had a hit in a long while, but he's still active on the musical front. However, Ted's official site downplays the rockin' in favour of a fusillade of pro-hunting, wildlife-conservation, "America: love it or leave it" ethos. It looks like the Nuge has carved out a cottage industry based on his passion for the hunt. As a child of the suburbs who placates his carnivorous tendencies at Safeway, I can't really relate to all the killin' (I know I'm guilty of distancing myself from the realities of the slaughterhouse and the general nastiness and waste of commercial meat-packing, but it's one of those small hypocrisies I have to live with if I'm going to stay sane), but what can I say? Ted walks the walk.

Domo Arigato!
While cruising through Styx's official website (they're pretty active these days, with the surprisingly-popular-in-Eastern-Canada Lawrence "Larry" Gowan replacing Dennis DeYoung on keyboards/vocals) I found an article that talks about the phenomenon of aging rockers finding their original audiences again. It seems that older fans are rediscovering the bands they followed back when they--the fans and the bands--still had hair, flares, and drug habits. It's cool, and I approve, but it would be even better if, instead of following the same old bands, the average over-35 rock fan had the curiosity to check out groups like Spock's Beard, who are making music that's a helluva lot more vital than what most classic rockers are cranking out these days.

Born and Raised in South Detroit...
What can I say here? I thought I'd send you on a little A/V excursion. This kind of thing justifies the Internet's existence. Even though the song is as wimpy as a meal of tofu dogs, carrot sticks, and rice pudding, I just know that the Nuge would approve.