So, I just finished writing my review of Pirate Radio (don’t look for it right away, though — the movie doesn’t come out until Nov. 13), and from the Plugged In perspective, it had all sorts of problems: Sex, drugs, anarchistic … you know, all the paraphernalia that comes along with stories about rock ‘n’ roll.
Frankly, I thought the best thing about the film was its soundtrack. I’ve always gravitated toward ’60s-era rock, and the producers strung together some mighty fine music in the course of two hours.
But it got me thinking about a bit of a paradox–and perhaps even a problem–in my own pattern of thinking: Is it hypocritical to poo-pooh or condemn the rock ‘n’ roll mythos while embracing some of the music itself?
Personally, I don’t think there’s anything inherently wrong with electric guitars or a certain style of drum beat, and I believe it’s OK to listen to, say, The Mamas & the Papas “California Dreaming” or Jefferson Airplane’s “Somebody to Love.” A couple of Plugged Innerites have confessed their affection for The Beatles on this very blog. Assuming there’s nothing amiss with the lyrics themselves (we at Plugged In would still have a problem with, say, The Rolling Stones’ “Let’s Spend the Night Together”), I think it’s
But I can see the flip side of the argument, too–that the intent of the artist is important to the song’s meaning, which would make much of 1960s rock ‘n’ roll fairly problematic. Is Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” an inspiring, almost spiritual ode to relationship? Or a ditty about heroin? I can understand how this distinction could affect someone’s thinking about the song.
So with all that in mind, let me open the conversation up to you: Do you like rock ‘n’ roll? And, if you do, do you ever feel guilty about it? Or do I wring my hands over nothing?
Recent Comments