Pure Punk Picks
Add It Up – Violent Femmes
I don’t know, it seems the Violent Femmes have been pushed aside as being some novelty act. Maybe appearing on “Sabrina, The Teenage Witch” hurt their credibility, I don’t know.
Hey- they were a simple, street busker band with a guy playing an acoustic guitar as a bass along with a drummer playing a stripped down, rockabilly drum set with an acoustic guitar, strummer singer- before Chrissie Hynde, of The Pretenders, heard them playing outside a big arena she was playing and invited them to play an play an opening set for her that night.
And maybe they sound like they should be more aligned with folk/punk or roots, rock/punk or even indi rock- shudder the thought?
But for me, this song, this band is more hardcore, more punk than all the Cro-Mags off shoots bands put together.
This band sounds like as if Patti Smith and Jonathan Richman had a love child. Or maybe Jonathan and Lou Reed had started a roots rock/rockabilly band?
All I know is I hear a lot of Lou Reed, Patti Smith and The Modern Lovers influence here and, as you young folks say- “It’s all good.”
This song has the most decisive lyrics any virgin has said to himself. Early in the song Gordon Gano asks, “Why can’t I get just one kiss?” While adding, “But I look at your pants and I want a kiss.” Substitute “ass” for “pants” and I think, we have a winner!
It changes to, “Why can’t I get just one screw?” Another line, written by a virgin. With all the cock-rock bands before them, was this not a refreshing surprise? “Believe me I’d know what to do.” Yes, we’re convinced that you’re so horny you would say anything, do anything to get “some action” but you’d
probably last less than a minute!
“Why can’t I get just one fuck? I guess it has something to do with luck.” No, it has to do with that your lame and that you have no game.
But I’ve lived this, been there, and I’m sure plenty of you reading this have been there, too. Opportunity arises less often than your penis when you’re young!
“Nothing I can say when I’m in your thighs.” We’re all adults here. We all know what this line alludes too. And he’s correct- this is one case where you shouldn’t keep your mouth shut, so to speak, but use it wisely to the business at hand. Or at least, what’s clearly there- in front of your face.
There’s energetic, punk fueled parts here that coexist with mellow, reggae parts (THAT I ONLY REALIZED THE REGGAE, THIS WEEK!) Gospel like melodies, too.
There’s also allusions to suicide, murder and drug dealing in this song.
Especially, towards the climax where it would appear the young, virgin, white male attempts to buy some illegal substance from an older, woman of color and she says, “Wait a minute, honey. I got to add it up.”
I hear the wide-eyed innocence of The Modern Lovers in this song. Along with, a touch of the world-weary, city cynicism of The Velvet Underground, along with the poetic brilliance of Patti Smith.
And maybe, all of the early seventies punk and proto-punk music was just made to open a new door, a new light, a new way for me and others to see?
Along with the bands mentioned already, along with Iggy & The Stooges, New York Dolls, the MC5- they created an alternative to what the hippie generation had monopolized in rock music.
And I feel the Violent Femmes- Hey! Wasn’t that really just a name, making fun of the aggression of male orientated rock? Certainly not a proper rock band name for the early eighties- kind of a subtle, laugh and “Fuck you” at established rock bands.
So how do I add this band up?
The rockabilly of Jerry Lee Lewis, the plain spoken country of Johnny Cash, the potent folk of Woody Guthrie mixed with an upgraded version of sixties garage colliding into some of the most potent proto-punk of the times- Velvet Underground, Modern Lovers and Patti Smith.
And they took all these great influences to create a popular band that was unique at it’s time and is still unique and original.
So, I don’t know, maybe folks don’t even consider them a punk band, anymore. And, hey, it doesn’t mean their songs are any less great or mean any less to me.
But I feel they were too good to be considered anything but punk.
One does not have to be a genius at math to calculate this is a one hundred percent a masterpiece.
At least, that’s how I add it up.
(Slimedog)
