Panic In Detroit

cool bowie quote


http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080925/ENTERTAINMENT04/809250307

"Thru his early lyrics, the Midwest wasteland, its youth so often convulsed in boredom and anxiety (rightly), is mapped in all its sophomoric petulance. Words that at once produce both a fearful and tragi-comic plea to be heard above the juggernaut of 'progress.'"

— David Bowie on Iggy Pop

"'Cause I'm a practical American from the Middle West; and I can piss on a grave while welcoming guests."

— from Iggy Pop's "I Felt the Luxury"

I've been listening a lot lately to Iggy Pop, of Ann Arbor, of David Bowie's darker side, of The Stooges, of that high white era when the Midwest had somehow found itself atop the music heiarchy.

Beginning in the 1950s and continuing strong through the 70s and 80s, as the Big Three automakers were getting high on success, bands such as The Stooges, The MC5, The Romantics, Bob Seger, Ted Nugent, Alice Cooper, Del Shannon, Stevie Wonder, The Temptations and many more made legends of themselves. They were all from Michigan, where Motown and techno was also born.

From Indiana and Ohio and Illinois, we saw geeky kid after geeky kid turn guitar pro and super star in that time.

When Kiss (a New York band) wrote the song "Detroit Rock City" (although that was about a fan who died in an accident) and Ian Hunter (though he was British) wrote "Cleveland Rocks," the Midwest was sunk undeniably into the annals of music history.

I think Bowie was right, as he often was, when he talked about Pop's "tragi-comic plea to be heard above the juggernaut of progress."

As Detroit became Motor City and Chicago became Oprahland, a lot of kids were trying to understand their role in the big picture, and it made for great music: get the job at the factory, get the girl; or escape the job at the factory, get the girl. We are rich with Steinbeckian plot and poetry, here in the Midwest.

We've had more bands come from Michigan (Marilyn Manson, The White Stripes, Eminem, etc.), and more will come, but something's happened now, and Detroit is not the Rock City it once was.

Maybe it has to do with the hurt of the automakers or the economic decline of our fair state. Maybe it's because the record execs like to move around and find people from different parts of the country, to put a little variety in their lineup.

I think it's because there is no more Rock City, outside of the World Wide Web. A hopeful starlet can be plucked straight from YouTube and planted on "The Late Show." Or kidnapped from MySpace and shoved in front of 20,000 lustful teenagers.

As "a practical American from the Middle West," I'm worried a bit about this. It's like we're losing another export, along with automobiles, to technology we didn't master.

We ruled the world for most of the 20th century and the 21st has come to rule us.

But I don't think the tenor of our song has changed all that much. It's a new juggernaut, but we're still, as Bowie said, struggling "to be heard above the juggernaut of progress."

homesickjameswilliamson wrote:

We've had more bands come from Michigan (Marilyn Manson, The White Stripes, Eminem, etc.)

Great article but Marilyn Manson was founded in Florida and is now based in Los Angeles and MM (Brian ) himself was born in Ohio.

Still the writer speaks a lot of sense.

The general problem with Detroit is that it's guts have been ripped out, there's nothing left and no one wants to stay. It has a great history that's so rich and vital. But find me someone who wants to move into the wasteland. The Motor is dead and all that is left is a city in ruins, so sad.

Funhousehideaway#2 wrote:

The general problem with Detroit is that it's guts have been ripped out, there's nothing left and no one wants to stay. It has a great history that's so rich and vital. But find me someone who wants to move into the wasteland. The Motor is dead and all that is left is a city in ruins, so sad.

i agree FHHA, its terrible what has happened to one of americas most important cities, for music and industry - i read a thing, it used to be considered the heart of america - spose its shows just how bad americas become if its heart is corroding

Funhousehideaway#2 wrote:

The general problem with Detroit is that it's guts have been ripped out, there's nothing left and no one wants to stay. It has a great history that's so rich and vital. But find me someone who wants to move into the wasteland. The Motor is dead and all that is left is a city in ruins, so sad.

is it really that bad? nothing positive to say at all?
I certainly want to go, it's a place of pilgrimage far as I'm concerned! but to actually live there, I suppose is a different matter. It just has this romantic haze from my POV tho
how utterly fabulous to have such a rich musical legacy, even if it's all doom and gloom now.

Still cool music influences comin from there!
think it's a special city..it's more happening 'underground'.

Nadja wrote:

Funhousehideaway#2 wrote:

The general problem with Detroit is that it's guts have been ripped out, there's nothing left and no one wants to stay. It has a great history that's so rich and vital. But find me someone who wants to move into the wasteland. The Motor is dead and all that is left is a city in ruins, so sad.

is it really that bad? nothing positive to say at all?
I certainly want to go, it's a place of pilgrimage far as I'm concerned! but to actually live there, I suppose is a different matter. It just has this romantic haze from my POV tho
how utterly fabulous to have such a rich musical legacy, even if it's all doom and gloom now.

i\d say it depends where you look, but for the most part its destroyed u'no, both physically alot of the buildings are destroyed, but even just 'from within' kinda thing, as in job prospects, and as we're sayin music, and stuff, just not the city it used to be u'no

Quote :

Still cool music influences comin from there!
think it's a special city..it's more happening 'underground'.

yep! too true, white stripes and all the other ones, amean i spose white stripes are the best of the bunch but theres the greenhornes, or the compostie of the two; the raconteurs, and, well theres others, cant think of the names atm, but there are a couple other note worthy bands i think

I can't stand The White Stripes. I don't know if I'm just being irrational... I know how they appreciate The Stooges and all, but...hell, I just don't like their music.

Nadja wrote:

I can't stand The White Stripes. I don't know if I'm just being irrational... I know how they appreciate The Stooges and all, but...hell, I just don't like their music.

i dont think you're the only one

i love their music, personally, but i can get how people wouldnt like them

i think theyre good, earlier stuff was better, though icky thump has some great moments

I can never get over the gimmickyness of the White Stripes. Even when they're on full-on furious mode, it's never quite convincing, somehow.

And 'Hotel Yorba' is fucking horrible.

Well talking of The White Stripes I've only ever listened to the album "Elephant" and I really enjoyed it. I like their underproduced, thrashy sound on that album. Even if everybody's sick to death of it "Seven Nation Army" has a great riff.

the science eel wrote:

I can never get over the gimmickyness of the White Stripes. Even when they're on full-on furious mode, it's never quite convincing, somehow.

[/i]

I agree. It's not the sound or style that I find fault with as much as this feeling of insincerity I get from them. Anyone that gives me that impression I just can't listen to.

Nadja wrote:

the science eel wrote:

I can never get over the gimmickyness of the White Stripes. Even when they're on full-on furious mode, it's never quite convincing, somehow.

[/i]

I agree. It's not the sound or style that I find fault with as much as this feeling of insincerity I get from them. Anyone that gives me that impression I just can't listen to.

Me neither, normally. But I find this with a LOT of 'modern' bands. Do you?

the science eel wrote:

Nadja wrote:

the science eel wrote:

I can never get over the gimmickyness of the White Stripes. Even when they're on full-on furious mode, it's never quite convincing, somehow.

[/i]

I agree. It's not the sound or style that I find fault with as much as this feeling of insincerity I get from them. Anyone that gives me that impression I just can't listen to.

Me neither, normally. But I find this with a LOT of 'modern' bands. Do you?

Yes. Practically all of them. It's depressing.

Nadja wrote:

the science eel wrote:

Nadja wrote:

the science eel wrote:

I can never get over the gimmickyness of the White Stripes. Even when they're on full-on furious mode, it's never quite convincing, somehow.

[/i]

I agree. It's not the sound or style that I find fault with as much as this feeling of insincerity I get from them. Anyone that gives me that impression I just can't listen to.

Me neither, normally. But I find this with a LOT of 'modern' bands. Do you?

Yes. Practically all of them. It's depressing.

Queens of the stone age and Turbonegro sure can boogie hard, heavy and fer real.

Dirtbombs, gories?

I've been to Detroit and neighboring counties twice. There are McMANSIONS being built that would make your eyes pop out. They need cranes to build 'em. That's entire neighborhoods going up. Ann Arbour is glorious. All around the University of Michigan is booming. There are grand old stately houses being renovated and looking GOOD. The lake areas are astounding. It's beautiful all over. Detroit itself is just another dirty city, but aren't they all? We've had urban renewal going on here for nearly a century. Out with the old in with the new. All this gloom and doom and the end of the "American Dream" is pure BULLSHIT.

Rode Hard wrote:

All this gloom and doom and the end of the "American Dream" is pure BULLSHIT.

Everytime I hear the term "American Dream" I cringe.

Quote :

Everytime I hear the term "American Dream" I cringe. Laughing

y?

also good to see you back Rode!

Because it is a cliche. "I'm living the dream" is a term used by people acting out their own selfish little fantasies which they excuse by calling them patriotic.

G, F#, E wrote:

Because it is a cliche. "I'm living the dream" is a term used by people acting out their own selfish little fantasies which they excuse by calling them patriotic.

oh rite, i thought you meant something else, sorry, lol

Sorry that was a bit of visious rant

nah, its a legitimate statement, its such a crock as americans would say (...ok, not all americans lol)

but im reading U.S.A by John Dos Passos atm, and unbelievable, its a trilogy abotu the war and everything and the great depression and the "Great American Dream", and its how ppl are just struggling to get to this thing they think they can get, when all they get is shit on, its bullshit u'no

look into it, its a great book!, im on Nineteen Nineteen, the second book

Sounds good. I'll check it out.