Is it 1988 all over again?
Posted on 10.14.08 by hardrockchick @ 9:08 pm

1988: NKOTB releases Hangin’ Tough

2008: NKOTB releases The Block. Seriously.

1988: AC/DC releases Blow Up Your Radio

2008: AC/DC releases Black Ice

1988: Metallica releases …And Justice For All

2008: Metallica releases Death Magnetic

1988: Guns ‘n Roses releases Lies

2008: Gun ‘n Roses releases Chinese Democracy

Yes, just like Black Ice will be a Walmart exclusive, Chinese Democracy is ‘almost real enough it’s not a rumor’ scheduled to be released on November 25th exclusively at Best Buy. Welcome to the new marketing scheme aimed towards bands popular before the digital age- store exclusives. Whoop-di-do.

I’m not going to hold my breath, but it just might be real this time. Especially with the Rock Band exclusive, and that blogger who got arrested, I guess I should get ready for my first Dr. Pepper in 10 years.

dp


Filed under: Rock Hypotheticals
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Is rock music losing its cool?
Posted on 08.31.08 by hardrockchick @ 2:02 pm

Hannah Montana leads a double life- where she is a ‘rock star’ in one of them. Millions of preteen girls declare their desire to be rock stars while listening to Hannah Montana’s incredibly poppy tunes.

The Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame 2008 inductees include Madonna to keep company with the likes of Van Halen, The Doors and Jimi Hendrix. Several dead rock stars roll over in their graves.

Mosh pits form at every concert from Slayer (real) to Justice (kind of uncalled for). Let’s not even talk about throwing devil horns at Jack Johnson.

And Rolling Stone frequently puts people like Britney on their covers. Ugh.

Is rock music losing its cool? Yeah, it is. Rock has been bastardized to the generic levels of Kleenex, Rollerblades, and Ziploc bags. This is why I have to be the Hard Rock Chick instead of just a rock chick.

And the most unexpected thing might save the term- videogames. Rock Band and Guitar Hero, whose track lists include mostly real rock music, have entered the homes of millions of uneducated individuals, teaching them what rock is with every button push.

Long live headbanging.


Filed under: Rock Hypotheticals
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What if you can’t remember the best show you ever went to?
Posted on 08.18.08 by hardrockchick @ 7:58 pm

I was a not so sweet 16 years old. It was summer in Texas, and somehow, my parents agreed to let me go see White Zombie and Pantera. Hell, they even bought me general admission tickets since I didn’t have a credit card. I honestly don’t know how I finagled this, as my attempts to see NIN and Manson were thwarted at around the same time. Perhaps it’s because Pantera was from Dallas, and Rob Zombie wears a cowboy hat.

My best friend and I went on a random weekday evening, with some of the ‘hottest’ guys from our small town in tow. We drove an hour plus to San Antonio, to a dingy venue called Freeman Coliseum.

I remember that the opening band was called Eye Hate God. Then I’m pretty sure it went White Zombie, then Pantera. I’m pretty sure I was standing in the middle of the floor, getting jostled around by the mosh pit while my crazy girlfriend kept getting in the thick of it. I’m pretty sure they played ‘Thunder Kiss ‘65′. I’m pretty sure I fell in lust with the guitarist, and I know I got my first guitar pick out of it (it is pink). I’m pretty sure that I thought Sean was the coolest chick in the world. I’m pretty sure my guy friends were crowd surfing and kept having to walk around to where I was when they were pulled over the barrier. I’m pretty sure that Pantera was awesome, but I think the only song I remember was ‘Planet Caravan‘, and that’s not good. I definitely don’t remember Dimebag, and that makes me sad.

How can one of the most important shows I ever saw also be one I barely remember? The one that set the tone for my constant quest for the next best show…the one that made me realize that perhaps I didn’t want to be in the band, but rather with the band…the one that whet my appetite for collecting concert memorabilia?

Ludicrous.

I’d blame it on age, but this still happens to me. Seeing Trent Reznor at Bridge School or Manson at The Warfield are blurs of bliss that I somehow managed to write about. But to really remember what it was like, I cannot. Perhaps one really goes into a zone, on another plane in the brain that becomes inaccessible once the event is over. Or maybe I drank too much.

The point is, I maybe not remember every detail, but I’ll never forget that I was there.


Filed under: Rock Hypotheticals
Comments: None

Hi, I'm Jamie and I write HardRockChick.com. I attend over 50 shows a year, covering all things that rock hard in San Francisco, the Bay Area and beyond.
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