harvell ANALyzed!

"According to received wisdom, noise is a bulwark against pop, a venue to be scatological in public, a rent in the social fabric. It's also shockingly middlebrow, very white, and masculine to the point of camp. (Keenan described noise grandpa Merzbow's guitarmy recordings as a "series of endless money shots.") Its anti-PC slant usually masks a pathology no deeper than the desire to act like a seventh-grader in public, but occasionally spills into real fascism or nihilism. Needless to say, it's very insular."

"...according to received wisdom."

Yes, that's about right, Jess, and here I had been reserving judgment, as I always do.

However, back in 2002, I gave these people the opportunity to understand themselves. They were leaving Nietzsche-like crap all over the place "face your fears, mannnn" (as if I hadn't heard all of that Manson-like crap in college, only they were "industrial" back then), and I believe I posted about it somewhere. Either in my other diary or on the stalking victims board.

I mean, I was really doing the reading and trying to understand. I even left a copy of "Arsenal" lying around, in which the letter writers were fighting over whether or not they agreed with the Unabomber.

So they can't say I didn't give them a chance.

They're just fucked up and that's not my fault.

It's really ironic, 'cos "Ken" never liked "noisy music". I'm not sure those "kids" do, either (and just how old ARE they?) I mean, he liked "classic rock" and whatever was most literal and "normal" and safe.

I seem to recall some of this shit going on back in the hardcore days, you know the refusal to be articulate, because it's a sign that you're capitulating to the demands of "society", man.

Because I'm female, they won't listen to me. I mean, I seriously considered dropping out of high school when I was a sophmore. My best friend had gotten stabbed in the stomach, another friend had failed and dropped out, an acquaintance had to leave because of pregnancy. To be truthful, I would have fit in better at public school. I didn't exactly feel like "fitting in" either, but then I took one look at my mother and said, "not going there, man."

Even in college, when I was in that basic writing class at Medill, I thought, "fuck it, I should just drop out and go to truck-driving school - I'll fit in better." I even talked about this with my best friend. I just did NOT fit in, and I couldn't take it anymore.

But the fact was, my grandparents (especially my grandmother, who was still alive) did not work their asses off so I could go to goddamn truck-driving school.

So, you know, I've been there, I've had my "nihilist" moods, and that's why I don't really sympathize. You can't really analyze your situation and understand it when you actively choose to be inarticulate and uneducated.

Like Jess implies, though - there's a real disconnect from the music itself.