>GnR came from Sunset Strip Hairville, but it was their punk
>influences opened the door for Nirvana.
>Jennifer
This may be a mere matter of hair-splittage, but if I had to pick a
Hollywood band that really opened up a door for Nirvana, I'd have to pick
Jane's Addiction. I realize Axl and Co. incorporated punk and primal rock
'n' roll into Appetite, but by the time Nirvana showed up to the mainstream
party four years later, they were as much a reaction to the exiles on
hairville as anything else. In fact, the success of Nirvana seemed to be a
repudiation of Guns 'n' Roses, and the lesser bands of that hair-farming
ilk. Perhaps this is why GnR's "Spaghetti Incident" rang so hollow for me.
After Nirvana, GnR's take on punk was all sound and fury, signifying
nothing.
>>Poor Paul Westerberg. He spent his time in the Mats cracking jokes, and
>>everyone took him seriously. Now, he spends his time taking himself
>>seriously, and everyone thinks he's a joke.
>>I said this
>Arguments lose me when they generalize. "everyone"? Sez you.
>Chris said this in reply
OK, my fault. So, let me enunciate my beliefs on Paul's new one. I don't
think it's very good. Musically, I find it to be tepid, and lyrically, let's
just say that Paul and I aren't exactly on "speaking terms" anymore. But, if
it touches a nerve in you, then my generalization is particularly unfounded.
But, let me say this. Generalizations can work both ways. Some of us
old-school Mats fans don't necessarily want Westerberg to return to the
"drunken poet" era of yesteryear--even though we may see all of his
post-Pleased To Meet Me stuff as lesser works to one degree or another. For
me, the "lesser" in question isn't contingent on "to drink or not drink." To
me, the lesser at work is one of taste and passion. I just feel like he's
mailin em in these days--and has been for some time. Live, he may
resuscitate his earlier passion, but on disc it just doesn't sound like he
cares whether I care or not. Maybe he does, but regardless, to suggest that
I don't like PW's work because of some fantasy of juvenalia is as much a
generalization as my earlier generalization was.
Lance . . .
