The heyday of rock'n'roll in NYC is, without question, the 1970s. That's when CBGB's opened, when punk rock hit, when bands like Talking Heads, the Ramones, Television, and Blondie exploded the city's rock scene, and when the Police and Elvis Costello made their American debuts. This was when rock became dirty and dangerous, loud and crazy, and 1970s NYC served as the perfect ecosystem for it.
But that ended. Those bands when mainstream, or broke up, and eventually clubs like CBGB's closed.
And yet ...
According to writer Lizzy Goodman, author of a new book called Meet Me in the Bathroom: Rebirth and Rock'n'Roll in New York City 2001-2011, the first decade of the 21st Century was another great time for rock in NYC. That's when bands like The Strokes and Vampire Weekend arose out of the ashes and depression of post-9/11 NYC to create a new era in music. And, like their ancestors, today those once funky bands are mainstream.
I remember going to see some rock shows during that time and, to be honest, it didn't feel like the rock scene was undergoing some great renaissance. But, if Ms. Goodman felt the need to write a book about it, there probably was something cool going on and, typically, I missed it completely.
My memories of music in that time here in NYC was mostly going to shows at Irving Plaza and the Bowery Ballroom. I remember seeing the Drive-By Truckers a few times with a young Jason Isbell captivating audiences. Honestly I can't remember all the bands I saw but I do remember one: a joke rock metal band like Spinal Tap called Satanicide that was easily the funniest show I've ever seen in my life. I'm sure Satanicide does not rate high in Ms. Goodman's favorite bands in NYC 2001-2011 but, for me, they were the best. Here is the their tribute song to Dungeons and Dragons "20 Sided Die":
And here are the Drive-BY Truckers.
I can't wait to read this book and learn more about what was going on all around me and that, as usual, I was too uncool to be a part of. Listen to the author's WTF interview here.
My memories of music in that time here in NYC was mostly going to shows at Irving Plaza and the Bowery Ballroom. I remember seeing the Drive-By Truckers a few times with a young Jason Isbell captivating audiences. Honestly I can't remember all the bands I saw but I do remember one: a joke rock metal band like Spinal Tap called Satanicide that was easily the funniest show I've ever seen in my life. I'm sure Satanicide does not rate high in Ms. Goodman's favorite bands in NYC 2001-2011 but, for me, they were the best. Here is the their tribute song to Dungeons and Dragons "20 Sided Die":
And here are the Drive-BY Truckers.
I can't wait to read this book and learn more about what was going on all around me and that, as usual, I was too uncool to be a part of. Listen to the author's WTF interview here.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please keep it civil, intelligent, and expletive-free. Otherwise, opine away.