Please explain this to me
So Friday night I went to the Allstate Arena in Rosemont to see Avenged Sevenfold, a SoCal metal band with Iron Maiden's guitar chops and GN'R's swagger. Unfortunately, they shared the bill with Buckcherry, a disgusting L.A. throwback that's like an even trashier version of Motley Crue. Their big hit is a lovely little ditty called "Crazy B****," whose chorus says it's OK if the woman in question is crazy because she's so good in bed. The second verse is particularly awful: "Take it off, the paper is your game / You jump in bed with fame / Another one night paid in full, uh / You're so fine, it won't be a loss"
Guess who went the craziest for "Crazy B****" Friday night? The young females in attendance.
Can someone explain to me ... why? Why, ladies, are you screaming for a song whose lyrics order you to perform oral sex on this guy? Why are you going nuts for a band whose stage show included video footage of topless anime girls wearing dog collars and getting raped?
I felt especially bad for the surprising number of families in attendance. I'm guessing those kids (and their parents) were there to see Avenged Sevenfold, who drape their conservative values in horror-movie imagery. Were they the epitome of class Friday night? Certainly not -- their ludicrously named guitarist, Synyster Gates, told the audience that the rest of the band was backstage having sex with groupies while he played his guitar solo. But A7X looked like Hanson next to Buckcherry.
Am I just getting old, or is this genuinely mystifying to you, too?
There was nothing wrong with it. I expressed in detail and with emotional resonance the very same question that you have; the universal truth that nice guys finish last, and that kindness and respect do not inspire sexual urges in teenaged women. Nice guys like us do better with the Coug's, who've had their fill of tattoos and big penises that can do it for hours, and are looking for someone to share a life with.
It expressed the fact that rock and roll is all about us vs. them. about the teen vs. the parents, and how a parents desires for purity lead to the teen's desires to be defiled. It's difficult, yes? yes. "how can he go so bad, he had such a good home." You know the stereotype about preacher's daughters, don't you?
anyway, this post is nowhere near as good as the other one. I'm surprised your artistic sensibilities were offended, and that you didn't see the angle I was playing.
Your fan,
dAngle.
...he had a bit about women who like rap songs that degrade women. What did he say their answer always is? "They ain't rapping about ME."
"I'm not calling for Buckcherry to be banned."
I'll start the motion then. A Motley Crue respray with lyrics which are even more insipid? I am the metal inquisition ... and I sentence them to death.
You are in fact just getting old. Although i wouldnt think of taking my kids to this concert i rather like the crazy song, to me its humorous and heck in my younger days i had a fe relationships based solely on the sex with women that were less than sane.
As someone who has seen both of these bands perform numerous time and is actually a close friend to the members of Avenged Sevenfold, I would like to comment on a couple of things in your article. I realize you are a journalist and doing your job. Pretty biased article though wouldn't we say? Sure Buckcherry's set displays some explicit images and their headlining song may be considered "crude" by some people, but in the entertainment world, sex sells and if it works for them then so what. Also, as for Avenged, if you are letting ONE comment, that was actually a JOKE coming from their guitarist, be your judgement of the band, maybe you shouldn't have even gone to the concert in the first place because you clearly have no concept of what their music is all about. They display an amazing amount of talent with their songs and have a unique style and are amazing performers. That, you can tell from the reaction from the audience. As for the families or younger ages in the audience, they're not your children so dont worry about it. If you're not familiar with their music and aren't open to listening to different kinds, styles, etc. of music, then don't waste your time going because if you aren't going to appreciate their music, the bands sure as hell wouldn't want you there. Oh. And comparing Avenged to Hanson? HA! Nice try buddy, way to try to "slam" the band.
And as for Hollzbot's comment, as a girl, I take offense to that "low self-esteem" comment. Who the hell are you to judge people you don't know?
...if I offended you. Isn't judging people you don't know what the internet is all about? : ) I've never heard the song in question, I'm just a regular reader and commenter on Sean's blog and was giving an off-the-cuff hypothesis as to why some of my fellow females would be so enthusiastic about such a song. Obviously, it's possible that the lyrics are tongue-in-cheek, or that people just like the music and don't care about the lyrics. I would be interested to hear your point of view.
I can't speak for others, but for myself, yes I agree, the lyrics of their song are vulgar and some may say offensive. It's not one of my favorite songs, but I do enjoy their other music and I guess when people are at a concert, the adrenaline is so high that everyone gets into whatever upbeat song that is played. It may look bad to see younger girls screaming the lyrics of a song like that, but, that's them, not me. If they like it then to each his own. I actually find it quite amusing to see peoples reactions when they play that song. I can understand your wondering as to why people get so enthusiastic about something like that, but, just like you enjoying reading Sean's blog, some people may find joy in music with suggestive lyrics. It's just one of those things where I don't feel people don't need to be judged by what they listen to, say, do, etc.
1. This is a personal blog about pop culture. I am giving my honest opinion about something. In so doing, my biases are coming through. I do not like Buckcherry, so I'm not going to sugarcoat that fact. I was not assigned to cover this concert, I went because I wanted to.
2. I mentioned Synyster's comment out of fairness to Buckcherry, demonstrating that they weren't the only band on the bill using sexual imagery on stage.
3. Avenged Sevenfold is one of my favorite bands. I certainly don't think their music is about hooking up with groupies. Like many metal bands, they are storytellers ("Betrayed"), they write about history and American culture ("Bat Country"), and they are socially conscious ("Gunslinger"). As a longtime fan of GN'R, Iron Maiden and a lot of symphonic European bands, I love how A7X combines all kinds of heavy music into one huge sound.
4. I wasn't comparing A7X to Hanson to slam them. I was attempting to comically exaggerate the difference between A7X's heartfelt -- yet technically flawless -- performance and Buckcherry's audacious crudity.
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Did you think you were going to be seeing Barry Manilow? Rock & roll acts, whether they be good or bad, usually make their bones by pushing boundaries and offending those with conservative tastes. Most of the famous and celebrated ones have even abused drugs, slept with thousands of women, and were generally every parent's worst nightmare. This has been going on for the better part of 50 years.
Not sure why families would be at this show, or why you would even care. A band with song titles like Burn It Down, Unholy Confessions, and Blinded in Chains might be a hint that it's not like a night out at the multiplex. They might even have a "disgusting" tattooed rock band open for the main act. This doesn't exactly sound like a GG Allin show- I'm sure most of the kids in attendance could handle it. You might want to either grow a pair, or stick to Josh Groban concerts.
I am not condemning either band -- nor rock 'n' roll as a whole -- Brent Bozell-style. I personally find Josh from Buckcherry to be a pretty disgusting guy, much like I find the lyrics to "Crazy B****" to be pretty disgusting. But I'm not telling you or anyone else that it is morally objectionable to enjoy their music.
I'm merely asking why so many young girls love a song that so openly and brazenly degrades them. That's all. I'm not calling for Buckcherry to be banned. I'm just asking a question.
As for the family issue, as a longtime concertgoer I know it's not uncommon for older metal fans to take their kids to shows Metal is a cross-generational experience now, and Avenged Sevenfold is playing a brand of music that appeals to GNR fans, Metallica fans and old-school Iron Maiden fans, as well as kids who listen to My Chemical Romance and AFI. Their live shows showcase their musicianship more than anything. I wouldn't mind taking kids to that show.
But if I had a daughter, I wouldn't be happy to hear her cheering while Josh Todd chants, "Crazy b**** / Suck my ****" over and over again.
As for Josh Groban, I can't say I've ever been to one of his shows. I've been too busy going to see Marilyn Manson, Megadeth, Sonata Arctica and Nightwish.
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Trashy girls like to be enthusiastic about that song to show trashy guys how cool they are. Plus, there are a lot girls out there exactly like those described in "Crazy B****," and if they pretend to be aware of it and happy about it, then no one can offend them. It's nothing new! Girls have had low self-esteem forever!