WATCHMEN! THE MUSIC VIDEO!-Ugh...ok...more on the MCR story we heard about earlier...

[The Guard]

But that's exactly the point. The whole idea of punk music, in some aspects came about because teenagers were fed-up with overproduced, complicated music that kind of dominated the mid to late 70's.

Damn that complex, intelligent, artsy crap. .

Punk, pure rock n roll, was something anyone could play, but weren't. It was music that these people wanted to hear, and you didn't have to have "immense talent". Johnny Rotten couldn't sing, neither could Joey Ramone, or Joe Strummer or Darby Crash or Ian MacKaye or Henry Rollins. You didn't need talent. You just needed to play. The response to something like "Well, Johnny Rotton doesn't have the tonal qualities and a clearer voice like Gerard Way does" is "Who cares?"

Fair enough.

The attitude of the Sex Pistols is the universal attitude of the punk genre. MCR has stated that they were trying to get that sound like The Sex Pistols had. They may have achieved that sound, but there's nothing to back it up. There's no attitude or aggression behind it. It's just..bland.

It's difficult for me to listen to anything they have and call it "bland"...

"**** you" from a band was never "clever". It was never supposed to be "clever". It was a simple mindset, to do things their way, outside of the mainstream. They can't sing? Big deal. They can't play? who cares? What punk was, was never mainstream like MCR. It wasn't friendly. It wasn't overproduced and it didn't try to be anything it wasn't. (Unless it's some crap band like The Casualties, who try too hard. That's when it stops being "clever" if you want to call it that. It becomes silly. But that can be said of almost anything.)

So essentially, "punk" is people who don't have any discernable talent, playing music that is not discernably clever, in a manner that is nothing new or insightful.

Fair enough.

Listen to the first album by The Who "...Sings My Generation" and listen to some early punk albums. It's sloppy and aggressive and raw. It's full of power and energy. It's something pure and knows what it is, and doesn't try to be anything different.

The Who I'll give you, there's definitely some power there. Where's the power from the Sex Pistols?

 

[Motown Marvel]

my music ego is showing here, but can we stop talking about the sex pistols like they're the definition of punk? good band? sure. but lets be honest, they were as produced as any modern boy band. Malcolm McLaren saw what was going on in new york with bands like the NY Dolls and the ramones and wanted to copy it, not only the sound but more importantly the look. and he went back to london and cobbled together the sex pistols and copied the sound in an attempt to jump start a fashion trend, which he successfully did. but if we need a band to define punk, lets talk about the godfathers of punk, the originators, The Stooges.

 

[CaptainGenerica]

Side note. What does "mainstream" mean to people?

I never personally considered My Chemical Romance to be "mainstream". (If anything their participation in this movie will make them mainstream, not the other way around.) Emo has always been kind of a niche market. Mainstream to me is Justin Timberlake. It's Britney Spears. It's Michael Jackson, or Bruce Springsteen. Cher, Madonna, the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Queen. Even Bob Dylan is more mainstream than My Chemical Romance. These are pop culture icons that everyone knows; to me that's what mainstream is. Is there a different definition that I'm not aware of?

MCR aren't revolutionary by any stretch. And they're not indie. But how can they be mainstream if they're really not all that famous or popular? (Perhaps they're more popular than I think they are..?)

 

[CaptainGenerica]

my music ego is showing here, but can we stop talking about the sex pistols like they're the definition of punk? good band? sure. but lets be honest, they were as produced as any modern boy band. Malcolm McLaren saw what was going on in new york with bands like the NY Dolls and the ramones and wanted to copy it, not only the sound but more importantly the look. and he went back to london and cobbled together the sex pistols and copied the sound in an attempt to jump start a fashion trend, which he successfully did. but if we need a band to define punk, lets talk about the godfathers of punk, the originators, The Stooges.

Lol, good point. I think I might have started the discussion. Sorry about that.

 

[The Battousai]

(Perhaps they're more popular than I think they are..?)

Bingo

 

[Motown Marvel]

Side note. What does "mainstream" mean to people?

I never personally considered My Chemical Romance to be "mainstream". (If anything their participation in this movie will make them mainstream, not the other way around.) Emo has always been kind of a niche market. Mainstream to me is Justin Timberlake. It's Britney Spears. It's Michael Jackson, or Bruce Springsteen. Cher, Madonna, the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Queen. Even Bob Dylan is more mainstream than My Chemical Romance. These are pop culture icons that everyone knows; to me that's what mainstream is. Is there a different definition that I'm not aware of?

MCR aren't revolutionary by any stretch. And they're not indie. But how can they be mainstream if they're really not all that famous or popular? (Perhaps they're more popular than I think they are..?)

MCR gets regular air play on the nations "alt. rock" stations. their videos are on MTV regularly. they sell millions of albums. their concerts sell out stadiums. they're quite a famous and well known band. this makes them mainstream.

and for the record, theres nothing wrong with being in the main stream. its just, 99% of bands in the main stream now a days (MCR included) f**king blow. this is because the telecommunications act (of 1996? i forget) deregulated radio, allowing anyone to own as much airspace as they can afford, which took all the diversity and competition out of radio. so now, every single radio station in america is essentially owned by 2 or 3 companies. this is not good. oh s#!t, im ranting....

 

[CrimsonMist]

Damn that complex, intelligent, artsy crap. .

lol, at the time it was problematic. I mean, where was "rock n roll", ya know? It still is, to an extent today. But with the internet, you can't really ***** as much. That and the music business is just silly now.

Don't get me wrong though. I mean, i enjoy Yes very much. But i also enjoy The Damned, T. Rex, The Stooges and loads of other different kinds of music. I'm just explaining that specific genre.

It's difficult for me to listen to anything they have and call it "bland"...

And i wouldn't doubt it. I was referring to this cover specifically. It's bland and generic. For more examples, check out Machine Head. I saw them open for Metallica on Sunday(feb. 1st) in between a band called The Sword and Metallica. Generic, bland "metal". Just like this cover is bland, generic "punk".

So essentially, "punk" is people who don't have any discernable talent, playing music that is not discernably clever, in a manner that is nothing new or insightful.

Yes and no. Punk is just rock n roll, basically. The Velvet Underground, The Stooges, MC5, The Sonics, The Damned, The Clash, The Sex Pistols, Generation X, Minor Threat. It's all insightful if you care to listen to it. It's not trying to be "new", because rock n roll is a constant. If you(in general terms) wanna go listen to Coldplay and all that pretentious crap, go right ahead. Gimme "Fun House" by The Stooges any day. It stays new by staying the same, if that makes any sense.

The Who I'll give you, there's definitely some power there. Where's the power from the Sex Pistols?[/QUOTE]

Listen to "Nevermind The Bullocks" man.(youtube it). The power is there. As Motown Marvel said, the Pistols were thrown together as any modern day boyband, but in retrospect i don't think any of the members actually gave a crap. They were beyond Malcom anyway. But i still believe Public Image Ltd, Johnny Rotten's band after the pistols was far more entertaining and interesting. It also showed that Johnny Rotten could actually sing. Check them out. Or go listen to The Damned(the best of the english punk bands, imo), or Slaughter & The Dogs, The Stooges, the Ramones...the power is there man. If you can't see that, i dont know what to tell you.


Oh and Motown, i kind of have to disagree with you about the Stooges being the originators. It's The Velvet Underground!t:


I should also point out that, yea, despite listening to YES, that band is more exciting and interesting than Coldplay ever was and will be. So there.

 

[CrimsonMist]

MCR gets regular air play on the nations "alt. rock" stations. their videos are on MTV regularly. they sell millions of albums. their concerts sell out stadiums. they're quite a famous and well known band. this makes them mainstream.

and for the record, theres nothing wrong with being in the main stream. its just, 99% of bands in the main stream now a days (MCR included) f**king blow. this is because the telecommunications act (of 1996? i forget) deregulated radio, allowing anyone to own as much airspace as they can afford, which took all the diversity and competition out of radio. so now, every single radio station in america is essentially owned by 2 or 3 companies. this is not good. oh s#!t, im ranting....

This is true, as well. Radio sucks now. My dad told me the first time he ever heard "God Save The Queen" on the radio. The DJ was actually so disgusted by it that he said that he'd only play it once and never again. But back then, radio was the shizzat. You could hear The Sex Pistols followed by The Easybeats, and just have a weird program and you'd hear album tracks and not just singles. That's why radio sucks now. It's the same 5 songs from the same 6 or 7 bands every hour, on whatever station you listen to. Satellite Radio is much more interesting, though. You get to hear the obscure of the obscure. And it's great.

 

[Motown Marvel]

Oh and Motown, i kind of have to disagree with you about the Stooges being the originators. It all began with The Velvet Underground!t:

now, dont get me wrong, the velvet underground are one of my all time favorite bands. like, they were f**king IT, man, you know? and they certainly did play into what eventually became punk, but i would hardly define them as punk. and the stooges obviously took some influence from them considering john cale produced their first album. a lot of other bands came before the stooges that played into what became punk eventually, the sonics for instance. but it was the stooges that really made punk into a GENRE, you know? and it was also in a review of the stooges music that the term punk was first used to describe a style of music.

 

[CrimsonMist]

now, dont get me wrong, the velvet underground are one of my all time favorite bands. like, they were f**king IT, man, you know? and they certainly did play into what eventually became punk, but i would hardly define them as punk. and the stooges obviously took some influence from them considering john cale produced their first album. a lot of other bands came before the stooges that played into what became punk eventually, the sonics for instance. but it was the stooges that really made punk into a GENRE, you know? and it was also in a review of the stooges music that the term punk was first used to describe a style of music.

I dont know man. White Light/White Heat is IT, for me. That album, if anything(though you could argue that "The VU & Nico is the first, is the first punk album, truly to me. Besides, both bands are usually called "proto-punk" or whatever. I suppose you could say that White Light created a genre with no name. The Stooges gave it everything else: the sound, the name, and more of the attitude, you name it. To this day, there is still nothing i've heard that is more awesome than the sound of jingle bells in a song about sex.

Hell, you and i are both fans. Who cares?t:

 

[Motown Marvel]

ha ha, like i said man, i aint diminishing the achievements and importance of the velvets. thos cats expanded and explored the horizons of rock and roll more than anyone else. and many of their songs were definitely treading the grounds of early punk. im just saying, in terms of a punk band, making punk music, and establishing the punk genre, to me it was all the stooges. but you know, these sorts of things, its always impossible to define them as fact since it's all inspired by the past while inspiring the future, where do these things begin and end?

is this the right place now to brag about the time i was on stage with the stooges, arm around iggy, singing 'no fun' into the microphone with him? or about hanging out with the band enjoying conversation with ron asheton? aww, poor ron. RIP.

 

[LifeisNoCheese]

Side note. What does "mainstream" mean to people?

I never personally considered My Chemical Romance to be "mainstream". (If anything their participation in this movie will make them mainstream, not the other way around.) Emo has always been kind of a niche market. Mainstream to me is Justin Timberlake. It's Britney Spears. It's Michael Jackson, or Bruce Springsteen. Cher, Madonna, the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Queen. Even Bob Dylan is more mainstream than My Chemical Romance. These are pop culture icons that everyone knows; to me that's what mainstream is. Is there a different definition that I'm not aware of?

MCR aren't revolutionary by any stretch. And they're not indie. But how can they be mainstream if they're really not all that famous or popular? (Perhaps they're more popular than I think they are..?)

Like Motown said, they're mainstream in the alt. rock genre. Your grandma might not know them, or your dad, or even your sibling. They don't play MCR on the pop stations, and I've never heard Metro Station on the alt. rock stations.

MCR gets regular air play on the nations "alt. rock" stations. their videos are on MTV regularly. they sell millions of albums. their concerts sell out stadiums. they're quite a famous and well known band. this makes them mainstream.

Honestly, the last time I saw a music video of theirs on MTV was 2005, and that was only a clip after commercials. MTV doesn't do music anymore.

 

[CaptainGenerica]

Well I suppose I stand corrected about how mainstream My Chemical Romance is. Personally I've only heard them on the radio once or twice; they're a band I hear about more than I actually hear. And I hear about them mostly from people who happen to be talking about them, rather than entertainment media. So I got the impression they were a little on the obscure side.

 

[LifeisNoCheese]

Well I suppose I stand corrected about how mainstream My Chemical Romance is. Personally I've only heard them on the radio once or twice; they're a band I hear about more than I actually hear. And I hear about them mostly from people who happen to be talking about them, rather than entertainment media. So I got the impression they were a little on the obscure side.

I understand where you're coming from, and honestley, my local alt. rock station has hardly played MCR since their last album, up until the release of the cover.

 

[CaptainGenerica]

I understand where you're coming from, and honestley, my local alt. rock station has hardly played MCR since their last album, up until the release of the cover.

Truth be told I rarely listen to my local alternative station. When I listen to the radio it's either jazz or classic rock. (Actually one of the few times I heard MCR on the radio was on the classic rock station; they played their cover of Under Pressure, which I thought was decent.) When it comes to alternative I buy the albums and go to the concerts and whatnot, but no radio--I guess the DJs just bug me.

 

[Octoberist]

Like Motown said, they're mainstream in the alt. rock genre. Your grandma might not know them, or your dad, or even your sibling. They don't play MCR on the pop stations, and I've never heard Metro Station on the alt. rock stations.



Honestly, the last time I saw a music video of theirs on MTV was 2005, and that was only a clip after commercials. MTV doesn't do music anymore.

I know that people always say that MTV doesn't play music vids anymore, but is it now true? Since the death of TRL, is it all gone?

 

[alexdunn]

I'm usually not an MCR fan, but the song's actually not that bad. Very 80's punk.

 

[LifeisNoCheese]

Truth be told I rarely listen to my local alternative station. When I listen to the radio it's either jazz or classic rock. (Actually one of the few times I heard MCR on the radio was on the classic rock station; they played their cover of Under Pressure, which I thought was decent.) When it comes to alternative I buy the albums and go to the concerts and whatnot, but no radio--I guess the DJs just bug me.

They played that on a classic rock station? That's pretty cool, Under Pressure was a good cover.

I don't really listen to the radio that much anymore. Usually just the morning talk show on my way to school.

I know that people always say that MTV doesn't play music vids anymore, but is it now true? Since the death of TRL, is it all gone?

I haven't watched it in a while. All they are is pretty much a reality tv / drama station. I think they do little clips of vids after the show is over, but I think that is about it.

 

[inflames]

aaaaand here's the music video

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=51474710

 

[spida-man]

love it.

 

[CaptainGenerica]

They played that on a classic rock station? That's pretty cool, Under Pressure was a good cover.

I don't really listen to the radio that much anymore. Usually just the morning talk show on my way to school.

Yeah. My classic rock station does that kind of stuff occasionally. It was sort of "..and that was Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen. Speaking of Queen, My Chemical Romance just released this cover, blah blah blah."

I'm usually not an MCR fan, but the song's actually not that bad. Very 80's punk.

Don't let Mercurius hear you say that... lol.

 

[Matt Mortem]

Soo I just heard it. Terrible. MCR is allright, but this did not feel very watchmen ish to me. I don't know. Not a a fan of this in Watchmen

 

[TheBatman072]

Soo I just heard it. Terrible. MCR is allright, but this did not feel very watchmen ish to me. I don't know. Not a a fan of this in Watchmen

It's not in the movie.


It's played during the credits AFTER the movie.

 

[Bubastis]

That song is about as damn punk as Miley Cyrus.

 

[LifeisNoCheese]

It's not in the movie.


It's played during the credits AFTER the movie.

In the video, they were playing Pale Horse, and apparentley they're a bigger part of the movie than the credits.