Punk Rock Academy Fight Song – We were all just money making

Lately I’ve been struck by a crisis of faith. It usually happens around 745 am when I make it in to work. I hustle up to the walk way to the glass doors of my school and I catch my reflection-who is that guy in the shirt and tie (well at least Monday through Thursday it’s a shirt and tie, Fridays I can wear a hoodie with the school logo or a flannel) and what’s he doing here. I have an office, a desk and I’m some what of an authority figure. These are three things i never really foresaw back and the day and they lead me to my gnawing question. Did I, Have I Could I have ...sold out.

Ah yes the dreaded S-word okay its actually two words but that’s besides the point. Grammar aside the sellout question has been the bane of every punks existence since the dawn of time. Did Galileo sellout when he recanted his statement that the earth revolves around the sun-yeah you piss off the pope your punk, how about Elvis when he started making movies, the clash when they played Shea stadium, how about The Who by getting old and not dying? And on and on where do you draw the line. Is it really about being successful? Is it really about being comfortable and making a decent amount of money and having a nice house in a nice neighborhood. But isn’t that really the American dream regardless of your taste in music isn’t that what are all striving for, just to be a bit better off than our parents. to maybe be able to afford the cool things we couldn’t  have as kids. Then why the hell do we get ourselves in such a lather about this demon we call selling out. I think its because we’ve been conditioned to equate material comfort and a change of clothes with corporate greed and a loss of ethics and integrity. Its the reason why hipster indie kids like to drink Pabst when they could easily afford Guinness-they’re shooting for street cred instead of enjoying something that actually tastes good. Believe me I’ve inhaled my share of PBR but that’s mainly cause it was close to closing time, I was already drunk and was damn near broke. Apologies to the fine makers of PBR and those who enjoy it but it really does taste kinda crappy unless it’s freezing cold. Any way most of us seem to forget that most of the early Punk bands were on major labels to begin with and they weren’t selling out they were taking the money and running. Some big corporation is gonna throw money at me to have fun and bash out three chords with my friends-damn right Im taking their cash. And what about the case of your favorite band “making it” and all of a sudden all the members buying nice houses in the suburbs. Like anyone of us would do any different. You cant live in that crappy apartment or rental with four of your buddies forever. But anytime anybody gets some modicum of success the knives come out. Sometimes those knives are our own and we start to question ourselves. The reality is that it all comes down to not what you wind up buying or where you live or what you wear but what you really believe in and what you stand for and it also comes down to Metallica. I’ve never been a fan of the band -I like their Misfits covers and the Garage Days Album but that’s about it. But there’s a scene in their behind the music special where Jason Newsted says “Yeah we sell out...every single show”. I do own one of their albums -the one wear they cut their hair and wore suits and everyone called’em sellouts.
So yeah I wear a shirt and tie to work but I also have a neck tattoo and at the end of the day the shirt and tie come off but the tattoo is still there and I can sleep comfortably with my wife and myself.
 

-Daniel N-

 
Read more from Punk Rock Academy Fight Song HERE

 

 

Send your comments to the editor HERE