# Rock is back? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 4, 2002, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-is-back/101745 "2002-04-04T10:48:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Leamas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e495f1/32.png) [@Leamas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leamas)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2002, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-is-back/101745/1 "2002-04-04T10:48:18Z")
Heard a radio D.J. suggest just that. There are some possibly very good bands coming up, The Strokes for one, but is it really back, do any of you care, personally I hope so, me buzz is wrecked with dance, electronic… whatever" to coin a Dublin dance trance oh please stop! phrase. ---
**Author:** ![black\_rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f19dbf/32.png) [@black\_rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/black_rabbit)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2002, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-is-back/101745/2 "2002-04-04T20:13:19Z")
It never went away. And the Strokes suck. ---
**Author:** ![Phlip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Phlip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlip)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2002, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-is-back/101745/3 "2002-04-05T02:41:00Z")
I must agree strongly with black on this one. The Strokes are a sorry ass band. Poor production values and ultra simple, non catchy guitar does not automatically give a band the “grass-roots” bonus value. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Lowry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Sam\_Lowry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Lowry)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2002, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-is-back/101745/4 "2002-04-05T03:21:07Z")
Well, I like The Strokes, but there are some other either rising rock bands or rock bands that are finally getting the attention they deserve now. The Hives, The White Stripes, Andrew WK, Phantom Planet, And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, and others I’m sure I’m forgetting have been getting some attention lately. Obviously not the attention that was lavished on pop music a few years ago at the peak of its recent popularity, but I don’t care for radio much and just watch MTV2 occasionally, so that doesn’t bother me too much. [sub]Please excuse any incoherence in this post because of massive sleep deprivation. Thank you, and have a nice day. [/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Green\_Fool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df788c/32.png) [@Mr.Green\_Fool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Green_Fool)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2002, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-is-back/101745/5 "2002-04-05T04:02:26Z")
…I read the subject as Rock is Black… I was prepared to explain that, "Yes, the WWF’s Rock is part black. His dad was Rocky Johnson and his mother is a Pacific Islander. Yeah… I know. Rock is back! ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2002, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-is-back/101745/6 "2002-04-05T04:07:48Z")
Julieta Venegas could sure as hell restore the faith of many a fan of rock, and I do believe she is still cutting tracks and hasn’t gotten stale yet. ---
**Author:** ![kuroashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e9a140/32.png) [@kuroashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kuroashi)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2002, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-is-back/101745/7 "2002-04-05T06:18:23Z")
Isn’t that Andrew WK album the one with the bloody-nosed kid on the cover? I saw one of their videos and turned off the volume it was so bad, then watching the video, I turned the channel he was so lame. I hope he’s not what constitutes Rock’s “return.” Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, verrr nahz. I like. But seriously, who ever came up with the idea it was ever gone? The cacophony of pop grew out of rock culture, but the rock remains. BTW, check out the John Spencer Blues Explosion’s new album Plastic Fang. Lotsa fun (a little kitschy, but loud). ---
**Author:** ![black\_rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f19dbf/32.png) [@black\_rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/black_rabbit)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2002, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-is-back/101745/8 "2002-04-05T07:04:53Z")
Perhaps I should rephrase: The White Stripes suck, too. Sorry, but the Strokes and the White Stripes are the top two on my “Not Worth The Hype” list. I’ve seen the 'Stripes more times that I can count. If you want something similar, but with REAL soul, check out Geraldine outta Athens, Ohio, on Orange Recordings. I can’t say anything about the Strokes that hasn’t been said better by my fellow embittered record collecting geeks, so I won’t. –black455, who is going to both enjoy the Chargers Street Gang (Worth The Hype) and heckle Mooney Suzuki (Not Worth The Hype) this Saturday. ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2002, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-is-back/101745/9 "2002-04-05T08:43:17Z")
My guess is that “rock” is not exactly “coming back”; they’re just going to officially stop calling it “alternative”. Look at Pearl Jam, for instance. If they came out today, they’d be thought of as part of “rock’s comeback”, since they’re a rock band by any reasonable definition of the term. But since they came from Seattle in the early 90’s, they will forever be classed as “alternative”. The standard bearer for the genre was Nirvana, who were no more (and, in fact, probably less) “alternative” than The White Stripes. (FTR, I like The White Stripes a lot. I like the Strokes’ album OK, but when I want to hear the Velvet Underground, I’ll put in the Velvet Underground.) Dr. J ---
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2002, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-is-back/101745/10 "2002-04-05T11:36:08Z")
Rock is not dead. It was just caught under a hard place. The Strokes are absolutely crap. I’m sorry, but last year when NME started to hype them, I lost interest. nothings changed, except the mainstream. ---
**Author:** ![mouthbreather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a698b9/32.png) [@mouthbreather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mouthbreather)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2002, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-is-back/101745/11 "2002-04-05T13:07:28Z")
Don’t care much for the Strokes, But I really liked that White Stripes album from last year. Is that going to be the new “idea”, that ROCK IS BACK? I hope so, because that way I can stop reading about bands that are going to “save rock”. That irritates the pee out of me. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Red\_Menace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/82dd89/32.png) [@The\_Red\_Menace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Red_Menace)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2002, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-is-back/101745/12 "2002-04-05T17:49:38Z")
Rock is dead? I must have missed that at the sold out Weezer, Tool and Radiohead shows I attended this past year. Silly me. ---
**Author:** ![horhay\_achoa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ccd318/32.png) [@horhay\_achoa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/horhay_achoa)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2002, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-is-back/101745/13 "2002-04-05T20:40:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by The Red Menace \* > \*\*Rock is dead? I must have missed that at the sold out Weezer, Tool and Radiohead shows I attended this past year. Silly me. \*\* I wouldn’t consider any of those rock music. I hate The Strokes ---
**Author:** ![chorizo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@chorizo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorizo)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2002, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-is-back/101745/14 "2002-04-05T20:59:29Z")
> [@](#): > > Isn’t that Andrew WK album the one with the bloody-nosed kid on the cover? I saw one of their videos and turned off the volume it was so bad, then watching the video, I turned the channel he was so lame. I hope he’s not what constitutes Rock’s “return.” This guy has been freaking me out - the ink must have just dried on his Deal With Satan. I’ve run into SO many references to this guy lately - Rolling Stone, Newsweek, MTV, and a bunch of other places. And he sucks, oh my god he sucks so terribly hard. It’s like Poison or Slaughter or some other horrible cheesy pop metal band with a little Nine Inch Nails on top. I seriously thought it had to be a joke, that no person could ever put out a song like “Party Hard” and not be joking. But according to his [web site](http://www.islandrecords.com/awkworld), he’s serious: > [@](#): > > “And I try to reflect that strength, and purity, truth and passion for > what we are doing in everything you see and hear. How its not a fucking > joke and that what we mean is very serious to us.” I seriously hopt that this guy is totally forgotten about soon and vanishes completely. Or else its an elaborate hoax. I like the Strokes - if the hype is the only reason you don’t like a band, that’s kind of sad and pretentious, but I can understand. I like the White Stripes too - I got into a serious “New-York-In-The-Seventies” kick about a year ago (lots of Ramones, Television, Velvet Underground, Talking Heads) and these two bands aren’t too far removed. Then again, I don’t live somewhere that I run into a lot of music hype. Modest Mouse and Built to Spill are another two bands I’m digging a lot lately. It all depends on your defintion of “rock”. ---
**Author:** ![Gundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Gundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gundy)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2002, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-is-back/101745/15 "2002-04-05T21:54:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by chorizo \* > \*\* Modest Mouse and Built to Spill are another two bands I’m digging a lot lately. It all depends on your defintion of “rock”. \*\* Good to see another Built to Spill fan…I hope someday they tour someplace other than Idaho and Germany, for the love of Mike. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Red\_Menace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/82dd89/32.png) [@The\_Red\_Menace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Red_Menace)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2002, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-is-back/101745/16 "2002-04-05T22:20:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by horhay\_achoa \* > \*\* > > I wouldn’t consider any of those rock music. \*\* Weezer isn’t rock? What kind of definition of rock music are you working with? ---
**Author:** ![red\_dragon60](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ce73a5/32.png) [@red\_dragon60](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/red_dragon60)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2002, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-is-back/101745/17 "2002-04-06T00:02:43Z")
The Hives, baby, The Hives. ---
**Author:** ![JDeMobray](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/85e7bf/32.png) [@JDeMobray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JDeMobray)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2002, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-is-back/101745/18 "2002-04-06T00:14:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by The Red Menace \* > \*\*Weezer isn’t rock? What kind of definition of rock music are you working with? \*\* True Rock Musicians are grim, have bad haircuts and reek of cigarrette smoke. Anyone who even for a moment appears to be enjoying themselves or having a good time playing music cannot be a True Rock Musician by popular definition. I’ve never understood it either. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![White\_Lightning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@White\_Lightning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/White_Lightning)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2002, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-is-back/101745/19 "2002-04-06T05:19:21Z")
Rock wasn’t dead, it just got overrun by Mook. ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2002, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-is-back/101745/20 "2002-04-06T07:33:23Z")
**chorizo** : I think you will be unpleasantly suprised to hear that Andrew WK’s album made _New Musical Express_’s top ten albums of the year for 2001. Cripes, that’s like nominating _Battlefield Earth_ for Best Picture Oscar. Who cares about rock though? Power pop still rules.