One of my favorite things about rock criticism these days (from the little that I read of it) is how much critics like to point out that new bands pastiche old ones, mostly whenever current acts try anything ambitious/ridiculous. I submit this: rock is/has/always will be ridiculous so stop pretending it can be anything but. Really, in our era of deconstructionism, it's impossible to try something highly conceptual without it looking contrived, but that audacity is what makes rock awesome. You want to try a concept album? Do it. Go on tour with contortionists? Yes. Wear androgynous make-up/get ups? Of course the atrocity of prog rock should always live on.
Anyway, I'd like to draw comparisons between past rock acts and current ones mostly to show that new acts are just awesome, even if nothing about them is really new. I think new bands' efforts should be embraced because, let's be honest, it's always been about trying too hard to be cool. Now time for Part 1.
Weird crap happening whilst in the woods wearing suits. While The Beatles' "Strawberry Fields Forever" has a bizarre harpischord (?) with webs on it and stuff filmed backwards, Panic at the Disco's "That Green Gentleman" has old-timey bicycles and Russian dolls with themselves at different ages contained therein.
Questions to ponder:
1. Which one is creepier?
2. Which one makes more/any sense?
3. On a scale from 'pretty' to 'do they even know what's going on', how high are the Beatles in this video?
3. Has Paul McCartney always looked that feminine?
4. Why does Brandon Urie have a sitar in boat?
5. How awesomely ridiculous are both of these?
First of all, I love that I feel like I'm attending a pop culture lecture when I read this post. In my opinion, the panic video is a more choreographed and planned out version of trippy psychoness whilst the Beatles seems more improvised......and yes, Paul has always looked femmy.
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