Punk and 80's Alternative

Written by my brother and promoted from the MJ bulletin board to the blog...

Those of us who are at least 25 years old probably remember when punk was on the outside and alternative was truly alternative.

I remember calling into my local radio station on a saturday night request program and asking them to play this new band. They had just released their second LP, "reckoning".

The DJ told me that they didn't play REM because their listeners weren't interested in hearing them. I asked him how he knew this since they never played them, and he said that they didn't "fit the style" of the music their audience liked.

Now, REM is a staple of the same station's playlist.

That's when alternative was alternative. There were so many amazing bands that no radio station would touch. REM, The Replacements, Love and Rockets, the Minutemen, the Meat Puppets--I could go on for days.

Alternative was alternative and punk was dangerous.

I knew this was about to change in the early 90's. Subaru launched an ad with a kinda gothic looking teenager comparing the Impreza to punk (anyone remember that?). When Nevermind came out and hit the top of the pop charts, I knew things would never be the same.

The problem is, punk and alternative have become a format. The music hasn't gotten it's due, it's been churned up and regurgitated in an easily digestable form by the corporate Music Industry. It's become a form of manufactured rebellion. It's hollow.

I think this is why web radio (like MJ) is such a godsend for folks who want real, honest music.

I don't look for musical justice in the form of sales and popularity for the bands that are really doing great things. The justice comes in the form of a fierce devotion of their fans and the longevity of the music.