I wanna take you to....

June 16, 2003 8:42 AM

Electric 6 is the new rock sensation in Europe... Their first video, 'Danger' (High Voltage) was tastless but undeniably funny... But with their new one, 'Gay bar', nobody will dare to say Rock music isn't political anymore... After George Michael's Shoot the dog video (which has been discussed here if memory serves me right), this one is just another way to admit that yes, political "leaders" do inspire artists...
posted by Sijeka (30 comments total)

I think this video is better!
posted by gdav at 8:51 AM on June 16, 2003

I liked it better with the kittens
posted by monkeyman at 8:51 AM on June 16, 2003

Jinx, personal, no backsies!
posted by gdav at 8:54 AM on June 16, 2003

Are you sure these guys are really queer? After hearing this song on the radio, I thought they were more like the pro wrestlers who pretend to be gay. Like this guy.

Also, I can't get the sound to work on that video, but if it is just the song over that video footage...then I think the Bush/Blair love song lip synching video was funnier.

That said, this is the last time I'll mention gays or feminists in any thread on MetaFilter. It's like a soccer riot any time those topics come up. At least when someone who's not a gay/feminist makes a comment. For this thread, though, please DO NOT read anything into what I wrote. I don't know all your secret passwords, okay. It's just a friggin' comment about a song that's on the radio.
posted by son_of_minya at 8:58 AM on June 16, 2003

'new rock sensation in Europe'

Hold on, people other than style mag journos and media whores like them now?
posted by ascullion at 9:04 AM on June 16, 2003

I believe it commemorates the time the singer's girlfriend left him for a woman.

Over here in the UK, broadcasters got a bit precious about the "let's start a war" line, so E6 re-recorded it as:

Let's do an edit
Let's do a radio edit
at the GAY BAR....
posted by gdav at 9:05 AM on June 16, 2003

> Are you sure these guys are really queer?


Well, the lead singer isn't since, my bass player knows his ex-gf. Mind you, I'm not sure where you got the idea that they are. Just because they sing about a Gay Bar? He does make out with that freaky looking girl in the "High Voltage" video. And really, who cares?

Aside from questions of who puts what where, I've been obsessing over this band for a couple months now. I highly recommend their album, which is sitting in my cd tray right now. It's sort of like if Bryan Ferry got a rocket crammed up his...

Anyway. Go buy it. Rock.
posted by lumpenprole at 9:09 AM on June 16, 2003

'new rock sensation in Europe'

And they're from Detroit! I like them in very very small doses... extremely small does.
posted by drezdn at 9:09 AM on June 16, 2003

Upon viewing the links, I wonder why the word leaders was in quotes on the FPP. Methinks they're better suited around the word inspired.
posted by herc at 9:13 AM on June 16, 2003

Jul 11 - Seattle, WA - Crocodile Cafe - MEFI ROCKUP.
posted by folktrash at 9:14 AM on June 16, 2003

The official video. Real, streaming.
posted by donth at 9:32 AM on June 16, 2003

Okay... I get it now. "Gay bar." "George Michael." That threw me off.

Come to think of it, though; there was no mention of anything political when the song was played on the radio. Wonder if I'm just dense, or if Americans in general aren't catching the "political" meaning.
posted by son_of_minya at 9:32 AM on June 16, 2003

I didn't know about it in UK....that's shocking...editing is the new plague...
posted by Sijeka at 9:33 AM on June 16, 2003

gdav: I believe it commemorates the time the singer's girlfriend left him for a woman.

lumpenprole: Well, the lead singer isn't (gay) since, my bass player knows his ex-gf.

Interesting...

Oh, and not to be narky, lumpen, but having an ex-gf doesn't mean much. Does the name Roddy Bottom ring any bells?

I hope they aren't anything like Andrew WK.
posted by GrahamVM at 9:36 AM on June 16, 2003

.
posted by soundofsuburbia at 9:43 AM on June 16, 2003

nobody will dare to say Rock music isn't political anymore

The problem is, you're right. Meanwhile, I'm sick and tired of every asshole frontman telling me how I should vote. These morons don't seem to grasp the concept that I purchase their albums for the musical content, not their political platform.

Serj Tankian, Tom Morello, and every other musically inclined pseudo-revolutionary can kiss my ass. Rock is about music; leave your politics at the door.
posted by Dark Messiah at 10:41 AM on June 16, 2003

>Oh, and not to be narky, lumpen, but having an ex-gf doesn't mean much. Does the name Roddy Bottom ring any bells?

No, but I know what you mean. Of course that's true, but I'm sticking with my earlier position of:
Who cares?

anway, one thing I forgot is my obligitory cheap-cd link:
http://cheap-cds.com/surf/disps/422431
posted by lumpenprole at 10:43 AM on June 16, 2003

"It's sort of like if Bryan Ferry got a rocket crammed up his..."
and if you've seen and heard their live cover of "Street Life" or heard their older song "Computer" which cribs is structure from Roxy's "Mother of Pearl" it's not an inappropriate leap. (Yeah, I've kinda obsessed over the band for a while, too)...
The official video somehow, miraculously, actually made me laugh harder than the video of "Danger! High Voltage" (which you can't find on the band's newly-redesigned -- and info-anemic -- site)
posted by chandy72 at 10:45 AM on June 16, 2003

Rock is about music; leave your politics at the door

Rock music (as much as I love it) is far too repetitive to be about music. It's about culture, and identity, and lifestyle, and background, and language, and so on. Otherwise, we'd never go looking for new bands..
posted by ascullion at 10:56 AM on June 16, 2003

i've got something to put in you...
posted by triv at 11:31 AM on June 16, 2003

Dark Messiah, I know what you mean. Everytime I go to an art gallery and see something like Guernica, I get all like "Duh, Picasso, art is about pretty things... leave your politics at the door."
posted by stonerose at 11:53 AM on June 16, 2003

"Rock is about music; leave your politics at the door."


Blah? Let's scratch the whole 70's music scene then?
posted by Sijeka at 11:59 AM on June 16, 2003

Stonerose, ha, i liked this one. What did Nina Simone and Public enemy think they were doing anyway, trying to enlight what was wrong in their country?
posted by Sijeka at 12:02 PM on June 16, 2003

I went and saw E6 at a show here in Madison on the 4th. The crowd kinda sucked (die you indie-rock hipsters, die!!) but enough people were dancing like fools (myself included, as well as one man who was getting down in his wheelchair which was completely rad) that a good time was had. The band itself did everything they could to put on a good show. The frontman jump-kicked a cymbal, did pushups and situps and leg lifts on stage and generally had some quality crowd-interaction going on (including fondling willing girls from the crowd). $8 for a good show with two opening bands, I was pleased.

Gay Bar is not about them being gay, as I don't think any of them are. My interpretation of it has always been that it's the guy urging his girlfriend to go to a gay bar with him and grope each other etc. I can't really come up with a coherent, explicit political message to be gleaned from GB but whatever.

I think the "rock music no politics" statement has been answered adequately; I shall adrress it no further.

E6 rock pretty hard.
posted by kavasa at 12:16 PM on June 16, 2003

Over here in the UK, broadcasters got a bit precious about the "let's start a war" line, so E6 re-recorded it as:
Let's do an edit
Let's do a radio edit
at the GAY BAR....

I don't get it, they edited the line out of the official video too. ....I really don't get it. Is the word 'war' now a swear word? To who? Liberals? Conservatives? The elderly? Whos delicate ears are they trying to protect - the song is called "Gay Bar" fer kristsakes!
posted by dgaicun at 12:38 PM on June 16, 2003

I am yet to be amused by anything at rathergood.

Maybe it's just me, because it sure seems to be popular. All my friends went bananas over the viking kitties and I was shocked anyone over 7 would find that even mildly amusing.

*shrug*
posted by Ynoxas at 1:14 PM on June 16, 2003

I can't really come up with a coherent, explicit political message to be gleaned from GB but whatever.

If you truly believe your intepretation, I would suggest that the political message might be that if you and your girlfriend did indeed walk into a gay bar to grope each other, you might discover there's really not too much difference in how gays and straights grope each other in public drinking establishments. Especially as the level of inebriation increases. ;-)
posted by WolfDaddy at 1:41 PM on June 16, 2003

WD - could be, could be. :) I guess I've never been real into the whole media interpretation... thing. (had to go for a little extra pretension there)

Speaking of, though! There was an article I read a while ago on how the genders flirt, so I think it might more be an issue of how men grope vs. how women grope - although I suspect the difference between the two narrows with inebriation and familiarity as well. ;)
posted by kavasa at 2:35 PM on June 16, 2003

Electric 6 are up there with Har Mar Superstar in my opinion. When an American act is more popular in the UK than the US, you know you're onto a winner.
posted by wackybrit at 4:05 PM on June 16, 2003

Of course, when a British act is more popular in the US than in the UK, you know to stay well clear
posted by ascullion at 9:14 AM on June 17, 2003