*The Onion had a great “archival” issue online, which featured this hilariously-poignant piece on the “dangerous” lyrics of an opera performance:
Onion article
The Onion always has a great way of not only poking fun of society but media as well; I would be cramming the point down the provincial throat if I were to further explain how this relates to emo today.
*Last week, The Guardian reported on a curious advertisement: John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols) shelling out butter.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mSE-Iy_tFY]
A lot’s been said about Lydon’s performance, most of it being negative. Seeing as how Lydon isn’t exactly known for making friends, it’s easy to see why people have hung their head in shame for the nostalgia of 70s UK punk. In all honesty though, this is an act not exactly out of the ordinary (but not exactly ordinary either) to see Lydon pull; the militant value system that punk sometimes folds itself into that sees its followers create inner turmoil and dissent daily is something that Lydon himself never complied to and has defied from the beginning. Remember, the Pistols were on a major label (three to be exact – EMI, A&M, and Virgin), a fact that rebells against the intents of independence that many people believe exemplifies true punk. Let’s not forget the fact that Lydon’s post-Pistols group, Public Image Ltd., were themselves a revolt against punk aestheticism, the perfect namesake for post-punk. Lydon never really aligned himself with any school of thought, always pissing on this or that for whatever reason. In affect, the Country Life butter commercial isn’t some terrible attack on the ten commandments of punk, but another individual and odd choice in the life of one of punk’s predecessors; the role is just another quirk that gives more heft to the argument that punk is a flexible, amorphous term.
GRE terms:
*Mollify: (V.) Soothe
“Both volumes of The Appleseed Cast’s Low Level Owl have an ambient texture that works to mollify more than depress, as the stereotypical ideal for emo music is concerned.”
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMfnv9QvjTQ]
*Dirge: (N.) Lament with music
“Emo music is often played in TV shows as a dirge to represent a sad moment in the life of one of the characters.”
