The Agenda: 18 and Life

Jun 9, 2010 by David Couch

It’s been a while, and now with my New Year’s resolution firmly out the window, I’ll just fill you in on the the bits and bobs that may or may not have something to do with music.

I’ll start with the most recent news and work back shall I?  Good, are we sitting comfortably…?

I got into a… “discussion” (definitely not a fight) with some “un-enlightened” folks outside the bar the other night.  I’ve always been called an emo – maybe it’s the uniform skinny black jeans or the fringe – I just don’t know.   But, rather than it being an insult as some would intend it, “emo” or emotional music is older than you might think and not the not the half-arsed pussy-would-be goth that has been popularised by shit rags like the NME and The Daily Mail.  Let’s look at the facts.

1. Emo was not invented by bands like My Chemical Romance and The Used.
2. It all started somewhere around the 1980’s and originated in the hardcore punk scene in Washington D.C.
3. Bands like Minor Threat, Rites of Spring…etc were the pioneers of emo.
4. The phrase “emo” was coined because of the emotional involvement the singers put into their songs and became visibly upset on stage and a genre was born.

Ticking along nicely in the underground it never really broke onto the mainstream until the early 2000’s with bands like Jimmy Eat World, Dashboard Confessional, and of course My Chemical Romance in 2001 but I digress.  These bands gave emo a slice of pop influence that lent itself to mainstream audiences.  Then the black hair, eye shadow and macabre tendency to sing about suicide was popularised by the newspapers (Daily Mail) claiming “emo” was damaging their kids.  As any of you with a CD collection that extends outside the top 40 you’ll know that most songs, if not all of them, are about an emotional experience. The fact that emo openly refers to depression and frustrations is something that young people relate to and square people have condemned in their ignorance.  You’ll always fear what you don’t understand; and that’s what I told that punk. Mahalo.

With that rant out of the way, I’ll lighten the tone by telling you a bit of good news.

I entered a Relentless competition to become their staff blogger for a year which would be pretty bitching.  I may or may not have a VIP pass to this years Reading festival… we’ll see.

As for music, this week I have been listening to a lot of Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds in particular The Ballad of Robert Moore and Betty Coltrane.  Also on my playlist is Semisonic, Closing Time which I haven’t listened to in an age.  In the name of the unsigned scene I recommend bands Fixation and The High Society both very good bands… maybe Justin should get them on the show… if you read this before I email you, check ’em out and get them on the show J!

But that’s it for now, and don’t say I don’t spoil you.

Mahalo.

p.s.  I got a Titty Bingo hat through the post… It’s not what it sounds like 🙁

~DC~