interesting bloc party interview

[Paul Hotflush]

Did you miss this quote from the singer? "Rock music has predominantly been the terrain of ... There's so much masculine-white-boy energy around it, it makes white males feel good about stuff".

Not sure why he's making a race issue of it. I wonder what his views on "gangsta rap" are? The reality is that it's possible to have balls while retaining a message. Bloc Party do neither of these.

Given Bloc Party's singer is gay your "no balls" criticism is a bit iffy IMO.

I didn't think this was a given. He's not "out" is he?

 

[3underscore]

I didn't think this was a given. He's not "out" is he?

No - and I thought that interview made it pretty clear that they refused to discuss sexuality, which in turn has promoted the speculation about that very topic. A poor man's effort to stir up some interest in a pretty banal band.

The irony of the wannabe journalist in a band appearing - through his answers - that he should be a journalist is quite fantastic. As an aside, I was really surprised when I found out "two more years" was Bloc Party. I had been studying with the radio on, and it was one of the (few) tunes that stuck in my mind for a while. I was surprised it was them as I thought they had a less AOR sound from what I had heard about them.

 

[mms]

Did you miss this quote from the singer? "Rock music has predominantly been the terrain of ... There's so much masculine-white-boy energy around it, it makes white males feel good about stuff".

Given Bloc Party's singer is gay your "no balls" criticism is a bit iffy IMO. Are you really saying that all "rock" music must be "ballsy" (whether played by men, women, gay, straight, whoever)?? No room for introspection, contradiction, doubt? plenty of great rock has had that stuff in bucketfuls, just as plenty of great rock is "about" nothing but joy, the moment, excess.

Re Bloc Party, I agree with what Simon R is saying, which goes for the new artrockers in general; where much postpunk was a genuine and often thrilling amalgam of avant and popular black and white music, the current crop (futureheads, bloc party, franz etc) are at best producing a skilled fascisimile of postpunks best moves rather than a new synthesis. but what would the new synthesis be? can it really be said that "black" music remains almost exclusively "black" or have we moved on? was there more of a need for a synthesis in the late 70s/early 80s (I'm talking mainly about Britain here I spose), whereas now much music is more organically multicultural anyhow? I work for the Love Music Hate Racism campaign, so these are real live issues for us, particularly when you look back at the effect our predecessor Rock Against Racism had in the late 70s, with RAR's success (or reflection of what was going on anyway?) in putting punk and reggae acts and fans together, arguably helping pave the way for two-tone etc. ( see e.g. http://www.lmhr.org.uk/news/archives/000349.html and http://www.lmhr.org.uk/news/archives/000354.html, and review at http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/swine/swine_music019.htm )

But unless you'd seen bloc partys faces, you'd think that they were another white boy indie rock band, i mean you can't identify any contemporary definition of blackness in their music.
it's not a question of whether black music remains exclusivley black as white people have always adapted and used music that originates from black roots . It's the reverse that's probably more interesting.