Monday, November 13, 2006

The musical hoodwinking of Gen X

I just listened to Duran Duran and remembered this piece I wrote a couple years ago. Still as true today as it was then.

TWANG!
We've been had
By David Rey

A week ago I left you with a question posed to all Gen X-ers by Matt Dillon’s character in “Singles.” – that being “Where is our Misty Mountain Hop?”

As I was rolling out the sod that became my new side yard on Saturday a familiar tune wafted out of the radio resting on my porch – and I had my answer.

“Smell like I sound, I’m lost in a crowd – and I’m hungry like the wolf. Straddle the line, in discord and rhyme, I’m on the hunt I’m after you…”

And there it was, Duran Duran’s “Hungry Like the Wolf.”

And then the horror of that realization caused my mind to jump to a scene in Spike Lee’s “Malcolm X,” where Denzel is delivering the cold hard truth to the folks on the streets of Harlem.

“You’ve been had. You’ve been took. You’ve been misled. You’ve been hoodwinked. You’ve been bamboozled…”

“Hungry Like the Wolf” is what they passed off as quality music to us poor Generation X children. No Hammer of the Gods for us poor spawn of the 80s.

I’m now fairly convinced that they used some sort of mind controlling subliminal messages embedded in a large portion of 1980s music. How else can you explain my initial uncontrollable response to the opening riffs of that Duran Duran song?

That being the immediate stop of all conversation while in mid-sentence and the twitching urge to run and turn the radio volume up. My wife was similarly afflicted.

It’s not just that song – noooo – I like all of Duran Duran’s music. Better than that, I even like their spin-off groups, Arcadia and The Powerstation.

As I write this, I feel like Neo, after he took the red pill and woke up in that vat of pickle juice – no longer trapped in The Matrix.

I can see “Rio” and “Girls on Film” for the plastic, nauseous ditties they are. I can see how those swirling color Mtv videos poisoned my teenage brain – making me believe Simon LeBon was smooth and stylish.

Al Green is smooth and stylish…

Marvin Gaye is smooth and stylish…

Simon LeBon was geeked and garish…

I know this now. I have been awaked. My mind is clearing itself of the reflexive joy caused by “The Reflex.”

Being cast out, along with my programming to love Duran Duran, is my fondness for songs like Patty Smythe’s “The Warrior,” Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ On a Prayer,” and Men At Work’s “Who Can it be Now?”

Though I admit, I’m not quite ready to let go of Men At Work’s “Down Under.”

After all, it has the only popular music reference to a vegemite sandwich – at least that I know of.

So you see, it really is sad. Those of you that grew up in the golden ages of popular music, the 1950s and 60s, have no concept of your children’s musical depravity. Constant barrages of Phil Collins, Robert Palmer, Wang Chung and Quiet Riot have left long-term scarring.

So when you see us getting all misty eyed when Journey or REO Speedwagon start in with their power ballads, show some understanding. We’ve been took.

1 Comments:

Blogger Hollywood2 said...

This is the music that caused us to be the scourge generation. Remember our genX movie: "Reality Bites."

Funny and earily prophetic. Nobody works for the Gap anymore, but ...

Winona Ryder got caught shoplifting. My cute, cute Ethan Hawke ended up a nothing. Only Ben Stiller made it, really. And wasn't that the point of the movie?

Reality STILL bites. And, it's all Duran Duran's fault. Bravo to you and your lovely wife for pointing that out.

Let go of the "Land down under." It's pickle juice and vegemite is prison food.

3:18 PM  

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