A Cent and a Half

Now that I've stolen Against Me!'s latest album, New Wave, from my editor and have listened to it, I can safely say the following:

Against Me! sold out. Not their punk ethics nor their original anarcho-stance nor their Gainesville roots--they sold out their fans.

See, after Green Day made their epic move to Reprise from Lookout! and got endless and increasing shit for being sell-outs, no punk band can move to a major and not expect to get shit on. Green Day could feign ignorance to the reaction. Nobody else since could ever doubt the shit storm. My question is therefore always, why? Why take the heat? Is the financial and promotional support really worth it? For the millionaire members of Green Day the gamble obviously paid off and wound up with them being the biggest band in America over the past couple years. Whether AM!'s gamble will pay off or not is yet to be seen. I doubt it though. And in the meanwhile, they isolated their older fans. They didn't appear to give two fucks what their fans thought about their move to Sire or any of the overproduced, boring music that followed. My impression of the situation is that Against Me! chose not to care about their fans because they thought, "Hey, we don't need you, we'll make a more accessible album and replace you." Not. Cool.

However, all was not lost. If AM! did make an incredible record, we could forgive and forget their major status and move on. They essentially had to prove that the punk ethics and boxed-in sound was indeed, restricting them. They had to make London Calling II. And they didn't. They made some slick, boring, toned-down Butch Viggy sounding record. They made an album that sounds like some-band-pretending-to-be-Against Me!. These guys were all punk and passion, they were fucking roots rock. Not only did the expensive studio sound not work in furthering their music, it tears them away from what made them Against Me! in the first place.

I waited for the album's release to pass judgment on these controversial minstrels. I went to their show a few months ago and had a killer time. I had hope. But now that I've heard New Wave, not only did it confirm my worst suspicions, but the music itself was far worse than I even thought it would be.

In the words of New Wave's miserable excuse for a song, Stop!

This Wasn't Originally What I Was Going To Write About...

I need a job. Fast. But instead of looking for one I've been thinking about freelancing which is so above my head it's less thinking and more fantasizing. Nonetheless...

So last week I hung out with my friend Laura, before becoming part of team effort to finish off my roommate's keg in our kitchen at 4 a.m. We were getting saline solution at Dominicks in Roger's Park and Laura was checking out this guy in front of us. Well, not the guy, but his food choices: whole grain bread, vegetables, low fat granola, cottage cheese, healthy shit. He noticed her inquisitive gaze and some small conversation about health food ensued. She said that lately she noticed that a lot of people make healthy choices. I flashbacked to my days as a bagger at Jewel and tried to remember the general trends. Couldn't recall any, but it raised an interesting question. Are fatty food sales down and health food sales up? Health food is in the media, it's available in the stores, but are we buying it? After all McDonald's attempts to healthy up, thousands of people still order burgers and fries. Is the same true with groceries?

As a journalist, I've been trying to figure out how I can ascertain this information. And wondering how original this idea is. I'm betting I could go to the sources, but seeing as "I'm with the DePaulia" doesn't exactly illicit immediate respect outside of the DePaul/Lincoln Park community, it might not be possible. I'm thinking I explain the idea to Conklin, gather contact information, harass and hound people at Nabisco and Whole Foods, etc. and maybe even do a little spying at the grocery store myself. Hopefully Conklin can work his contacts at the Trib and I could actually get something published outside of The DePaulia or punkbands.com. Michelle Stoffel, future freelance journalist? Better than future desk clerk or Potbelly delivery person...ugh.

And random Lawrence Arms lyrics...
Hesitation was the station I used to get on at. Now it's asshole. Can you picture that?