Comments on: New York Rock Ironized

New York Rock Ironized

oldleada — Wed, 13 Jul 2005 08:43:59 -0800

Is New York Rock: A Critical History hilarious band-busting sarcasm or so cloyingly ironic and juvenile as to be puke-inducing? (via ILX)

By: ITheCosmos

ITheCosmos — Wed, 13 Jul 2005 09:02:26 -0800

Blessedly, our official organs placed their might again on the side of right, Pitchfork as always above all others. It made me laugh.

By: klangklangston

klangklangston — Wed, 13 Jul 2005 09:06:51 -0800

"The result was opaque—the very opposite of clear"

By: ddf

ddf — Wed, 13 Jul 2005 09:08:20 -0800

Rock the savior of the world indeed. Humph.

By: jonmc

jonmc — Wed, 13 Jul 2005 09:16:19 -0800

That sucked.

By: scratch

scratch — Wed, 13 Jul 2005 09:21:48 -0800

Someone's grad-school homework?

By: jonmc

jonmc — Wed, 13 Jul 2005 09:23:32 -0800

Althogh I do agree with the italicized Bono quote.

By: celerystick

celerystick — Wed, 13 Jul 2005 09:29:32 -0800

the latter? it has all the trappings of rock critic cliche. (Is that the joke?) middlebrow rock critics like parrots, think the Clash was really Heavy and always name drop Exile on Main Street. If the guy is 19 it's well done on any level. If the guy is 30+ , inexcuseable.

By: elwoodwiles

elwoodwiles — Wed, 13 Jul 2005 09:34:02 -0800

To sum up: "Waaaaaa! Waaaaa! I'm not Chuck Klosterman! Waaaaaa! WANT MY MOMMY!!!" What a tool.

By: joe lisboa

joe lisboa — Wed, 13 Jul 2005 09:41:11 -0800

More tragedy arrived in the form of heretofore the worst album of the millennium, Andrew W.K.'s March '02 I Get Wet, which travestied New York rock in order to ruin it. I remember my first clumsy attempt at expressing my guilt-ridden enthusiasm for I Get Wet to a dear friend who, in all other respects, is the consummate music snob. Imagine my shock when he gave me a "well, duh" look, expressed his love of the album, and said, "No apologies, dude: if rock were never allowed to be dumb, then we'd have never had the Ramones." I think that's why, on some level, Andrew W.K. didn't just amuse so many otherwise icily ironically-detached critics (check out the Pitchfork review in question, or the FPP, assuming this is a bit of creative writing) so much as utterly infuriate them: it called their attention to the big, stinky elephant in the room, i.e., that rock and roll is (was?) always at bottom about a certain youthful enthusiasm for the dionysian. This is profoundly embarrassing to a certain class of rock snob (for reasons that vary, I'm sure, from person to person), and records like I Get Wet, which thrust it in your face, are bound to promote a reaction. It's a revolutionarily reactionary sort of record. Sure, we permit your Death Cab for Cuties and your Interpols to sulk about and pen their paeans and whatever, but it's always good (in my opinion) to have a regular kick-in-the-balls reminder of the heart of the genre (irrespective of whether it's still, in fact, beatin' in Cleveland). Of course it's big and dumb and loud and fun. That's the point, you square. NP: "Looking Around" - Yes

By: jonmc

jonmc — Wed, 13 Jul 2005 09:42:48 -0800

Of course it's big and dumb and loud and fun. That's the point, you square. a-mothafucking-men.

By: clevershark

clevershark — Wed, 13 Jul 2005 09:47:53 -0800

The author lost me at "With the death of irony". Whenever I hear that phrase I can't help but think that I'm dealing with a complete wanker.

By: klangklangston

klangklangston — Wed, 13 Jul 2005 09:50:53 -0800

Man, first off, I Get Wet wasn't a very good album. It had great songs on it, but Christ, try listening to it all the way through. There just wasn't enough there for me. But songs like Party Started, they are that "genius stupid" level where it hits all the lizard brain points just right. Andrew WK still finds his way onto mixtapes, but I can't ever stomach the whole thing anymore. Makes me feel diabetic, that much sugar all at once. Second off, Interpol blows.

By: klangklangston

klangklangston — Wed, 13 Jul 2005 09:51:13 -0800

Whups. Sorry about not closing my tags...

By: beelzbubba

beelzbubba — Wed, 13 Jul 2005 09:55:57 -0800

any treatise that claims Lenny Kravitz or Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness as saviors of rock and roll must have been written by someone with rectocranial impaction. I lost count of how many kittens died for him to write that article.

By: jimmy

jimmy — Wed, 13 Jul 2005 09:56:13 -0800

i genuinely loved "i get wet", and not in an ironic fashion whatsoever.

By: celerystick

celerystick — Wed, 13 Jul 2005 10:17:39 -0800

"What if that guy from Smashing Pumpkins lost his car keys?" (mp3 parody)

By: myeviltwin

myeviltwin — Wed, 13 Jul 2005 11:31:39 -0800

i genuinely loved "i get wet", and not in an ironic fashion whatsoever. Hey, me too!

By: ITheCosmos

ITheCosmos — Wed, 13 Jul 2005 13:18:06 -0800

Wait, this was supposed to be serious? I was reading it all wrong. Damn, man.

By: oldleada

oldleada — Wed, 13 Jul 2005 13:32:14 -0800

guys, while I don't know about a lot of the bands talked about at the end (puttin' on the ritz?), I'm pretty sure that this is meant to be totally ironic, in the sense that everything he says he likes he hates and everything he disses he likes. I happen to like the Strokes and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs some, and generally guitar music, especially Neil Young, but I think his political schtick is a funny parody of rock writing.