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Home Front: Culture Wars
The Killers 'offended' by Green Day
2006-10-25
Brandon Flowers doesn't want to be an 'American Idiot'
Brandon Flowers has criticised Green Day for what he sees as their calculated anti-Americanism.

In particular, Flowers singled out the track 'American Idiot' and the fact they filmed their DVD 'Bullet In A Bible', which features the song, in the UK.

"You have Green Day and 'American Idiot'. Where do they film their DVD? In England," The Killers' frontman told The Word. "A bunch of kids screaming 'I don't want to be an American idiot' I saw it as a very negative thing towards Americans. It really lit a fire in me."

Explaining he was offended by the set-up, Flowers added: "You have the right to say what you want to say and what you want to write about, and I'm sure they meant it in the same way that Bruce Springsteen meant 'Born In The USA' and it was taken wrongly, but I was really offended when I saw them do that."

The singer added he felt the DVD was a bit of a a stunt.

"I just thought it was really cheap," he explained. "To go to a place like England or Germany and sing that song - those kids aren't taking it the same way that he meant it. And he [Billie Joe Armstrong] knew it."

The Killers' frontman said he believed that his band's new album 'Sam's Town' is a much better representation of America.

"People need to see that, really, there are the nicest people in the world here!" he declared. "I don't know if our album makes you realise that. But I hope it's from a more positive place."
I have no idea who The Killers are or who Brandon Flowers is, sad but true, but I'll find out. And if I can stomach it, I'll buy something, lol.
Posted by:.com

#15  Just thought you might appreciate an artist whose playlist is as eclectic as yours.

Mine is all over the map, from JS Bach, Jimi, Johnny Winter, Junior Brown, John Petrucci, King Crimson, Dave Brubeck, Jean Pierre Rampal, Bonzo Dog Doodah Band, Spike Jones, Frank Zappa, Larry Coryell. Strunz & Farah, Olantunji, Jorgen Ingman, you name it. I also write a lot of material myself.
Posted by: Zenster   2006-10-25 23:49  

#14  Eclectic is the right word. I have, maybe, 20 playlists - and all of them are as bizarre as this, lol.

I do not pretend to be a discographer or authority. Just as with literature, art, and food, I simply like what I like. Something inside vibrates sympathetically and into the mix it goes, lol.

I'm not sure what you think I'm gonna do with the info you took so much time and put such effort into - from what you've written, it doesn't sound like it's easily acquired - and I still don't know if it would hit my sweet spot. Something occurred while I was "away" and I don't enjoy the financial freedom I once did.

I apologize for not being able to converse with you on your level - and sounding ungrateful. The former is just the luck of interest, what grabs you and sucks you in. The latter is purely financial.
Posted by: .com   2006-10-25 23:31  

#13  I'll give you points for eclectic, .com. "What a Wonderful World" is simply one of the finest tunes ever recorded and Satchmo's version is the only one that measures up. It appears on all of my jazz vocals mix-downs. Please don't even get me started about modern drivel by artists like "Green Day".

"Nights in White Satin" is a sentimental favorite if only because my bands usually play it to let me strut my stuff on the flute solo.

Procul Harem's version of "Whiter Shade of Pale" still gets my vote. It's main line remains a classic to this day. Plus, how many songs these days contain references to classical British literature and ancient mythology?

Perhaps you recall the instrumental titled "Angie", off of Simon & Garfunkle's first album. It's actually by an obscure artist whose name is Davey Graham who essentially began the world music genre decades before Paul Simon made it famous. This self-taught guitarist traveled all through MENA (Middle East - North Africa) and all the way to India working out his self-described Turko-Arabic stylings. Even today, this man's finger picking ability blows most artists clean out of the water. Sadly, he's switched to classical nylon stringed guitar now. His earlier steel stringed work was nothing short of astonishing.

They have recently released one of his best albums, "Hat" on CD. A stunning melange of Art Blakey, Willie Dixon, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Henry Purcell plus Simon & Garfunkle, it is a musical tour de force. Blakey's "Buhaina Chant" is a 64th note mind-bender just as "Bulgarian Dance" is a nearly atonal wonder that fluidly phases in and out of harmony. Most astonishing of all is how Graham's renditions often outdo even the original artists' versions.

Something tells me you might appreciate this long under-rated artist. He, along with Segovia, John Renbourn, Bert Jansch (see right-hand links at "Hat" page) and Pentangle all served as guitar heros for me in my early years.

Enjoy.

Posted by: Zenster   2006-10-25 23:17  

#12  Here's what's playing on my PC now, lol...
Bill Withers - Ain't No Sunshine
Aaron Neville - Tell It Like It Is
Walker Brothers - The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore
The Alan Parsons Project - Time
Amazing Rhythm Aces - Third Rate Romance
Annie Lennox - A Whiter Shade Of Pale
Bangles - Hazy Shade of Winter.mp3
Blue Man Group - Exhibit 13.mp3
Dido - All You Want.mp3
Dusty Springfield - The Look Of Love.mp3
Dusty Springfield - You don't have to say you love me.mp3
Enya - Only One Time(long).mp3
Gary Jules - Mad World (full version).mp3
Gilbert O'Sullivan - Alone Again (Naturally).mp3
Jonathan King - Everyone's Gone to the Moon.mp3
LeAnn Rimes - How Do I Live.mp3
LeAnn Rimes - I Need You.mp3
Lenny Welch - Since I Fell For You (1963).mp3
Louis Armstrong - What A Wonderful World.mp3
Mariah Carey - Vision Of Love.mp3
Marmalade - Reflections of My Life (single).mp3
Mel Carter - Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me.mp3
Moody Blues - Nights In White Satin.mp3
Moody Blues - Tuesday Afternoon.mp3
Neil Diamond - Solitary Man (1966).mp3
Nilsson - Without You.mp3
Peter & Gordon - A world without love.mp3
Ray Stevens - Everything Is Beautiful.mp3
Rolling Stones - Play With Fire.mp3
Shirley Bassey - Goldfinger.mp3
Simon & Garfunkel - The Dangling Conversation.mp3
Spirit - Nature's Way.mp3
Stephen Bishop - It Might Be You.mp3

I don't think we have diddley-squat in common, musically speakin, lol.
Posted by: .com   2006-10-25 21:44  

#11  Rantburg Secret:
Though he can fry anybody's ass in a heartbeat, Franks all squishy on the inside. Lol.
Posted by: .com   2006-10-25 21:35  

#10  I'm sorry - I'll be the one asshole to disagree - Green Day melodys and hooks and live performances are great. That said - I can divorce my musical appreciation from the political message (I'm also a Deadhead 25 yrs plus). If you're still getting your geopolitical beliefs/life messages from popular music, I have advice: grow up. You can appreciate early Harry Belafonte without saluting the asshole he's become, same with Cat Stevens.
Posted by: Frank G   2006-10-25 21:32  

#9  Greenday has always sucked. The first two Rage Against the Machine albums were fantastic though. Sure they were singing "down with whitey", and all that nonsense, but at least they fucking JAMMED.
Posted by: Destro in Panama   2006-10-25 19:23  

#8  I had that same exact t-shirt in 6th grade!

I've heard a couple The Killers tunes - not bad. Kind of reminds me of some stuff off the Trainspotting soundtrack from like 1996. Kind of British sounding pop.

F*ck GD, Billy Jackass Armstrong is one of these "too cool for the room" type of jerkoffs. They have a few good songs though overall they are way overhyped. American Idiot amuses me; there's a line in it about him not wanting to be part of the "Redneck Ajenda." I'd love to get a t-shirt made saying "Part of the Redneck Ajenda" to show my support to all things anti-p.c.
I used to see shirts in south carolina that said "Redneck World Order" on them - pretty funny.
Posted by: Broadhead6   2006-10-25 17:03  

#7  I saw that idiot's speech at the the Kid's Choice Awards.

He told a bunch of kids from age 7 to "question authority."

Idiot doesn't realize he is the authority. And he has kids.

I bet he loves it every time they question his authority, but maybe he doesn't have any.
Posted by: anonymous2u   2006-10-25 12:13  

#6  I don't much care for the Killers. I don't despise them, either; the music just doesn't excite me.

I'm going to work on that.
Posted by: Mike   2006-10-25 11:01  

#5  Oh, well, while I'm at it...

"In a So-Called Civilized World": American Pop Primitivism and The Cramps
Interesting, but most of the songs used for that essay are in fact rockabilly/garage (two other genre I kinda like, btw) covers, so the point is a bit moot.

The Meteors did insist they were apolitical, which is as I said a refreshing change, especially when compared to the HUGELY leftist french music scene. As for the Cramps, I dunno where they stand, and I prefer not to know, though I'm accustomed to dissociate an artist's work from it's political stance. Still, I have a mp3 in which Lux introduce the song by wishing an happy birthday to the USMC. Oh, well, at least they're decadent enough, always a good thing for Rock'n'Roll.

Conservative Punk

Anyway, I take Aloce Cooper over Greenday every day... and there was Johnny too.



Posted by: anonymous5089   2006-10-25 10:46  

#4  "Bikini Girls with Machine Guns!"

As seen on my vids space...
Posted by: anonymous5089   2006-10-25 10:31  

#3  ...True story about GD that will tell you EXACTLY where those lads are coming from. A year or so back, the liittle darlings were doing an interview and wanted to show how 'edgy' they were - so they burned an American flag in front of the interviewer, reminding him all the while how they were doing something illegal and speaking truth to power yadda yadda yadda.

The interviewer quietly pointed out that although it may not be appreciated by many folks, it was most definitely NOT illegal to burn a flag. The response was embarassed silence, lotsa 'Duuuuude's, and quickly changing the subject.
Green Day is exactly what their marketing managers want them to be. The rest of the time they seem to be pretty much stoned and/or completely apathetic to anything else except their next roya;ty check's arrival. Insofar as it goes they are no different from any of the 'next big things' of the last three or four decades. I seriously doubt my grandkids will ever hum a Green Day tune - but I would bet you they will know a Springsteen tune.

Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski   2006-10-25 10:05  

#2  I don't think psychobilly is apolitical; I'd vote for Lux Interior of The Cramps for President.

"Bikini Girls with Machine Guns!"
Posted by: JDB   2006-10-25 10:04  

#1  BFD, Green days is a cheesy punk-pop band for high-schoolers... but then again, isn't all pop music aimed at dumb teens with no clues at all, surfing on phony PC-authorized "rebellion"?

See this book on how the entertainment corps herd the youths markets and milk these kids fdry of mommy & daddy's money.
Also, that great post from yesterday.

Btw, that's why apolitical music like say psychobilly, though it is not the highest mark in Arts history, is a refreshing change of pace from "message" groups like the dreaded Rage against the Machine or the Dead Kennedys.
Posted by: anonymous5089   2006-10-25 09:39  

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