by Conor Glassey on Jul 22 2002
I frequently visit punknews.org to keep posted with what’s happening around the world in the punk rock spectrum. Occasionally I will read their music reviews, and a common trend that I have noticed is the constant bickering that takes place in the comments section after a review is posted for a band that is commercially popular. Here are some examples for those of you who are unfamiliar:
“Plain and simple, Blink 182 is a piece of shit pop band wrapped in a corporate-friendly punk package. These guys take all punk ethics and throw them out the window in a sleazy attempt to make a buck. They are N*Sync in punk clothing.”
“I want to organize a concentration camp for anyone that is a fan of Blink 182, Sum 41, Good Charlotte etc. They will all be given gasoline enemas and set on fire. I will piss on their ashes and burn them again. True punk fans unite and help me stop these mother fuckers!”
“Fuck this whiny ass, pop-punk-emo Blink 182 MTV bullshit.”
Now, I’m not saying that I endorse all of the bands in question. Granted, I like New Found Glory and Saves The Day a lot. Blink 182 has their moments, and for the most part, Sum 41, Good Charlotte, and MxPx activate my gag reflex. But whether or not I like the music of a popular punk band doesn’t matter. What these alleged “punk rock purists” obviously don’t understand is what I like to call the “trickle down effect”. No, I’m not talking about the unavoidable few drops of piss that drip into your underpants no matter how much shaking you do. The trickle down effect is what got me hooked on a lot of punk bands, and I know that I am not alone.
The trickle down effect was last in its prime around 1994, when I was in sixth grade. Green Day, The Offspring, Bad Religion, and even Rancid were sweeping the airwaves. I heard “Basket Case” by Green Day, and I instantly fell in love. I got Dookie for Christmas, and my cousin sent me Let’s Go for my birthday. My mom also bought me The Offspring’s Smash. From Green Day and Rancid, I was introduced to Lookout! Records, where I discovered Operation Ivy, Screeching Weasel, and Tilt. And of course, The Offspring and Bad Religion eventually sparked the research of Epitaph Records. My friends and I were immediately turned on to NOFX, Pennywise, and Millencolin. It was “music to our ears” (bad pun intended). No, but seriously…consider our “alternative” (damn I’m on a roll today!). Listening to NOFX in turn led to Mike buying Survival of the Fattest, turning us on to the cluster of bands on Fat Wreck Chords, and it has been all downhill from there. The trickle down effect is to punk rock what the Kevin Bacon “Six Degrees of Separation” game is to Hollywood.
As you can see, punk bands gaining popularity (no matter how much they suck) is good for punk rock all the way down the line. Bands these days becoming popular, whether it be on major labels, or on big indie labels such as Epitaph, Drive Thru or Vagrant, in turn leads kids to check out other bands on smaller labels. For example, one of the ways I used to find out about new bands, was from the thanks section in bands’ liner notes. I’m sure other kids out there do this, and if they bought the new Midtown CD, they might stumble upon an awesome Seattle band, The Blood Brothers. I’m really sick of hearing all this crap about bands “selling out”. It doesn’t matter what label a band is on, good music is good music. So, the next time you think about trash talking a band for gaining popularity, or signing to a major label, just remember that overall it is a good thing because of the trickle down effect. And wipe those drops of pee off of your leg!