Pure Punk Picks
Ex-Lion Tamer – Wire
Wire is an early, English art/punk band that made some notoriety when releasing their first album in 1977, “Pink Flag”, because it contained twenty-one songs on a thirty-five minute album. (And make note, this was several years before the term “hardcore” was associated with anything but x-rated movies).
Their only other claim to fame, beside having an influence on a lot of more popular bands including, Boston’s own Mission Of Burma, was when the popular British band, Elastica, was sued and lost for incorporating the lick from a Wire song, “Three Girl Rhumba,” another excellent song they wrote.
But having that many songs on a vinyl record seemed to set a record of sorts, at the time. People were just adjusting to albums by early punk bands like The Ramones, whose first album had fourteen songs on it, when this came across. Before punk, for a rock band to release an album with eight songs on it was quite common.
Wire had very obscure, oblique, un-poetic lyrics, generally- it seemed to me like they took lines out of scientific journals to form their songs. It certainly was a kind of anti-art statement, I felt, and Dada art was very influential with early punk. (Look it up, if that’s new to you!)
And though, they would soon go on to create albums that suggested to me as if early Pink Floyd made a punk album, (not a bad notion to me). On “Pink Flag” they still sounded like a rough, raw, angry, energy fueled punk band, which they were.
That was not uncommon in England at the time. But what was unusual was their arty feeling within in the music, even if the lyrics were anything but.
I think Wire were one of the best early punk bands. Andy Bang believe this, too. Please don’t disqualify them because of their, justifiably, mistrusted enthusiasts.
“Three Girl Rhumba” (Yes, they spelt it that way), would’ve been an excellent choice, but this song I feel, is also.
The rhythm guitar that introduces this song comes blaring and raging in with distorted, overblown sound levels and frantic energy, then a funky beat with a call and response vocals leaps in. “There’s no danger (danger). For the loneliest ranger in town. No silver bullets (bullets). Tonto’s split the scene.” Unless, you’re as ancient as me, you might not know this refers to an old, TV show called “The Lone Ranger” which featured a cowboy who rescued people from harm with his Indian sidekick, Tonto.
“No cloak of justice, (justice). Robin’s split the scene.” Obviously, alluding to Batman’s young, homosexual lover. And, for all I know, Tonto and The Lone Ranger had the same kind of relationship. (Mike Pence, who reads TNB, please take note.)
The beat switches to a straight ahead, hard rock beat in the chorus and the lyrics seem to admonish people viewing life instead of living it, in this case, watching TV instead of being engaged in life.
If this song was written today, I’m sure it would be directed towards cell phones and social media. But it’s still a great point. Why are you filming your life instead of living it? I notice, sometimes, that people at shows want a record of it instead of simply enjoying it. Unless, you work for a media outlet and it’s your job to record, I feel you should be doing the later.
“Stay glued to your TV sets,” stay glued to the images and ideas that society and the powers that be, are spewing out towards you for their own advantages.
Stay glued to the information they want to control you with, so you don’t need to think with your own mind- Fox, CNN will brainwash you if you’re willing to spend countless hours listening to them.
I got breaking news for you- you are “The News.” The way regular people think, the way they feel which causes, the way they live- is how they decide and shape the life they experience.
The government has little say in this.
You will decide about your lives, more than the politicians will. You are the ones who will change our culture. You will decide if minorites are accepted equally, if the LGBT group deserves equal rights, if women deserve to be treated fairly and equally, if climate change is a concern, it wealth distribution is unfair and unproductive.
The old folks in charge now, have no say, eventually, in the life and the world that you will live in. (Provided they don’t destroy it first!)
So take your TV and smash it to bits! Take your smart phone and hurl it, straight into the wall! Take your laptop and run your car’s back tires over it, several times!
No, you really shouldn’t have to do anything of which I just stated. (Please notify Andy Bang, if any of you did this, for reimbursements).
But you should realize the power you have, the power you have in your future. It’s in your hands, it’s in your grasp.
So you don’t have to tune into your local station for the just “breaking news”.
You can and will guide us to where you want us to be, where we should be. And, if what you see is not what you planned on-
Just change the channel. No, not on your remote but on our lives.
(Slimedog)
