Previously I extolled the virtue of black music at #32 on the count down. In that post I described rap and hip hop music as embodying a mentality of Arrogance in the face of oppression. That is an appropriate sentiment regarding racial relations in this country for black Americans, but it is also a very relatable sentiment to teenagers of all races because all teenagers feel oppressed by society, and high school, and the legal drinking age etc. I also referenced Rock and Roll music as being about freedom, fast cars, fast women, and the open road. Somewhere in between, these two musical genres spawned a musical movement that never really got a proper genre label, and was housed in the Rock Alternative Radio air space next to Emo and Screamo bands. I am stealing Weird Al Yankovic’s Angry white boy Polka song as inspiration and just calling it angry white boy music. Angry white boy music when compared to the political struggle relevant to the actual development of hip hop and rap, was really just a way to capitalize on that suburban teenage angst that attracted kids like me to hip hop, but had no higher purpose than to be cranked up really loud and whip a frat party into a frenzy (I am sure Greenday would take offense at that characterization now, but in 1995?). I guess this is what the sound track of white privilege, and white guilt, and white fragility sounds like. But at any rate, this was the music that resonated with me as an angsty teenager and as an angsty young adult and I still relate to this music on a viseral and cathartic level, but by and large I can’t really listen to it anymore, just like Dee Snyder says he can’t play most of his twisted sister music anymore because he doesn’t have the “righteous indignation” now that he is a grandfather. I too feel like a grandfather because I had my kids so late in life. But that’s a future post. I remember my playlist to go to basketball tryouts was Eminem’s “loose yourself” followed by a couple of songs off of Sum 41’s Does this look infected Albumn, Linkin Park’s “I’m about to break,” and then Eminem’s “till I collapse” and “The way I am.” This was a cassette tape I made by recording off of CD’s or in some caes just off the radio, because I was ghetto like that. I also think it’s relevant that, to this day, I secretly pine to be a proverbial “Rock Star,” but the Beloved and Award winning Mrs Peterson shot that down in 5th grade. I have no musical talent. No rhythm. I can’t sing a note, like not at all, my voice is terrible terrible terrible and that is an understatement. But all this angry white body music gave me hope that I could just rap and scream and still be a front man. However my short lame experiment with playing the base guitar ended after Chris Hanson asked for his base back when it had sat in my room for 3 months and I hadn’t learned a single chord. Still I like to close my eyes, to hold back the tears, as I imagine myself rocking out on stage to all of this...... This was Before Travis BarkerTotally Over played. It was used in the move "Passengers" for God's sake, but classic none the less.The Offspring were UnderratedSo was Eve 6That's PDX's own Everclear. Don't look now but Art is actually rocking a Scottie Pippin Jersey.Sure, Now they do 80's covers and Disney Soundtracks, but you gotta love Weezer.I had to "Play the Vampire Song" for Mr Scheel.Who is Reggie???Is it a reference to his Grammy performance partner Reginald Dwight? Or Some Underground Rapper that was gunned down in 1998? Eminem and Kid Rock! How does this song not get more love??
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