Last night at the MET’s performance of Tommy, I was thinking about the tribute craze going on in Kansas City. British rock, all of it including the Pretenders who are really American expats who bounced back home after forming in England…sorry America…we may rock but we’re just the consumers…Pink Floyd’s Wall, Stoned Exile, a Beatles tribute for KKFI last night, Who’s next anyway?
Shakespeare Festival...my country for a horse, already...
Hendrix?...sorry America, he had to go to Ing Ga Lund to get his jams on…even Paul Simon expatted his butt for a while to write and get his chops…
Dylan…ain’t rock, right?
What are we doing? What’s this tribute post-Beatles to punk (born at London’s Roundhouse in 1976) homage-paying we’re stuck in? Seems we’re victims of the 1970’s LA music curating machine, ya know? Think about it…California Dreamin' was lame-ass...
Name a big classic American rock band…quick…buzzer…sorry, folks. Neil Young…Canadian, eh? Maybe the Allman Brothers…Duane sessioned with Clapton…sorry to Layla that on ya…
Bill Haley and the Comets? Springsteen?...OK, maybe then…
Just thinkin’ about all this. Not trying to be parochial or nationalistic but let’s face it, we ignored Chuck Berry in his time, Little Richard and in denial we labeled folks based upon their color. Kansas City missed the Soul Music of the 60s or if they didn’t there’s no vestige sounds in the background here…takes the Dap Kings to come from outta town with Sharon Jones to get us to dance…
So, it’s way cool to rock, play rock, pay appropriate tribute to our parents vinyl collections but to me I’m wondering where we’re headed as well. All these tributed groups from England listened to the blues, Chuck, Muddy, and others and bounced it back into our harbours and airports…Van the Man, Spencer Davis groupin’ Winwooded sounds, Animalia, Yardbirdin’ Zepplined stuff started in English pubs, Mate…
Buzzer’s off again…rack your brain America, but they won’t be tributin’ any music made here…maybe we provided the ingredients, though and exported the raw materials…
But, “Baby Please Don’t Go”…Them with Van Morrison…somethin’ Big Joe Williams cooked up in 1935, yo…
Help me...The Anglophiles are everywhere !!!!!
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