Poetry of Rock Team Blog |
|
|
|
Thursday, April 08, 2004
Where Sister (confessional) Three years born behind and I never waited for you Different goals established as we grew older Mine education and self-completion Yours a chuckle and acknowledgement from others Our mother never there, our father not with her It was easy to be naïve yet hard to live up to I saw you as a hindrance, little sister, A corset to my lungs A shears to my wings For no good reason I dreaded you With every affectionate word you said With every flattering assimilation I’m not sure why I took this vow To keep us both from really having a friend Someone to keep until our ends And even now I do not call I do not send my wishes when you are ill Having parties and taking spills If you ever needed me I was not there I am not here I realize you suffered I realize I suffered We both have suffered A loss Yet I am but a phone call away Mom says the funny things you say Your good humor and grin See laughter within Everyone. Am I jealous that you two can be gay I busy studying the away the day She knows you as you are She knows me as my transcript I see how my hatred has disappointed her But the disgust or whatever I feel seems forever Why have you not made more of yourself? I never knew why your prize seemed aloof Running after affection from drug-slums and nobodies Why did you think some trailer-park man Could replace mom, your number one fan, You sold your fate to eternity with anybody As long as they pay you attention That’s all you would mention Is how they talk to you They say they need you You are mistaken But where am I? Now I See (confessional) I am content but hadn’t been I was a nasty wretch and could not budge From the jealousy that filled my heart with pain I cried and cried until finally one day My crying was in hope to seek help Yelp! Yelp! The source of pain The cure from pain Each the same You were there from the beginning But did not see me change. We were blind to my hurt The dementia had arranged. How I saw myself as nothing Then looked in the mirror again Why did it take so long? 9 years in fact For me to see my soul As strong as kelp With no outside help I broke myself down Longing to feel normal Needing to feel normal The pills didn’t work The shink didn’t work Your company didn’t work How did I get here, To where I can bear my soul In a healthy manner to all I had thrown away friends forever Needing them not I fell into slumber A numb sort of nothingness Six months have erased No longer in my memory I am glad In an instant, well 2 years, I have snapped back to reality My life is ahead of me My friends are all I see My world is eternity Monday, March 08, 2004
We are all being destroyed The man has come to take us down Peaceful gathering is not a crime We are not here to cause a fuss We are here to make you understand us Rubber bullets fly We all take our stand Next thing you know blood is shed Our eyes are watering We will not be faultering Our reunion has been overrun We will have to do it again Come up against the man Make them understand It's something I cannot stand They push us to the side Don't understand us at all Although they never tried We're gonna make them try Or we will make them die Gonna change the way they think Make them believe in the youth We will rise above When we rule this country We will make this county less country Thursday, February 19, 2004
Tuesday, February 10, 2004
Personally I'd like to talk about the alternative rock of the early to mid '90s. Bands including Dishwalla, Better Than Ezra and the like. Not too soft, not too hard, but just about right... -Aaron E. Monday, February 09, 2004
OK--here is what I would prefer to talk about in the Peer Teaching Project: punk music. And none of that so-called punk that, instead, sounds like 'bubble-gummy pop music' like Ms. Avril Lavigne or Blink 182 or Good Charlotte or-- you get the picture. Anyone else interested? I sure hope so, I'd like to think that people in Fargo (ya!) listen to decent music. Later. IMPORTANT: later in the semester, groups of 4-6 students will each do an hour-long presentation in which they will "teach" certain topics and issues to the rest of the class. I would like you all, as much as possible, to form these groups yourselves. That is, you should think about what topic you'd like to do, and then hook up with several classmates with similar interests. (This will prevent me from having to force certain topics on you.) To get started and to find yourself a group, you should all begin posting some of your topic interests here, to help you find classmates of like minds. For tips on selecting topics, see our Peer Teaching Project assignment. Aaron Lael The Rolling Stones’ History of Society The Rolling Stones lyrics give us a window into an era that most of us never got the chance to experience first hand. A myriad of booze, drugs, and such a casual stance on promiscuity that occurred in the lifestyle that the “Stones” portray in their music is far from out-of-the-ordinary today, but in their time, it was revolutionary. They were one of the first rock bands to really have a definitive sound that wasn’t euphoric in any way, it was harsh, it was real. The first part of the lifestyle that the “Stones” lyrics gave evidence of is drug use and abuse. Their song “Mother’s Little Helper” is about coping with the stresses of a hectic life with casual drug use that grows into such an addiction that one can become numb to the effects of what once got him or her so far away from their problems. The line “So go running for the shelter of a mother's little helper,” is just stating that if you have a problem, you no longer need to deal with it. You can just take a pill or maybe four and they will combat your problems for you. The number of pills at the end of each of the main stanzas increases as the level of addiction increases in the song. Also, the doctor visit asking for more pills is very significant to the casual attitude towards drugs that the 1960’s held. If this was attempted in modern society doctors would realize that said patient was abusing the medication and not give them more or possibly make them seek counseling. Not in the 60’s though, no one truly understood the nature of narcotics, they just wanted the fun and freedom that they got from that first hit to last forever and forget everything else. Drugs didn’t care if you wore a suit or tie, if you were ugly, or whatever; they were just there for you. The booze is more evident in the Rolling stones themselves than it is in their lyrics. One can easily lose count when tallying the number of times hearing about some kind of drunken mayhem at a rock concert by musician or fan. I also remember reading an article about Keith Richards having to go through some form of rehab for a drinking problem. The issue of sexual promiscuity is easily found in “Let’s Spend the Night Together” and “Backstreet Girl.” Both of these songs deal with some of the “evils” of sex. Like the pressuring of someone to have sex that perhaps doesn’t want to or maybe it’s just that special someone that you have on the side that your wife or husband doesn’t know about. In the song “Backstreet Girl,” a few lines stick out: “Please don't be part of my life, Please keep yourself to yourself, Please don't you bother my wife, That way you won't get no help.” The “Stones” were not famous historians or even infamous historians for that point. They were more historical than anything else, and now they just represent a time period that none of us can re-visit but we all seemingly want to. A life of casual sex, drug use, and alcoholism viewed in a semi positive light. Definitely a better time. Thursday, February 05, 2004
Nice work here, everyone. We'll talk about your collaborative essays next Tues., but what you've got here looks quite good. Have a great weekend. The Rolling Stoners: We know it’s rock and roll but we like it. The Rolling Stones took a proactive approach to bringing the voice of a “backstreet” sub-culture to the mainstream. They spawned a change traditional values and thinking. They served as a bridge from the advent of pop culture in the 50s to a more rebellious, drug infest, new wave in the 60s. It’s kind of like a recipe. Rolling Stones served over fish and chips First: Simmer the 1950s music culture on a low heat for 10 years. Turn the heat up to Chuck Berry and drain Fats Domino. Preheat the Oven to the 1960’s. Next: In a separate bowl, prepare: the Civil Rights Movement, the Kennedy Assassination, and the Vietnam War. Then: Stir up America’s traditional attitudes and values with topics such as: Sympathy for the Devil – (Where the devil is personified and made to seem more dominate on our society). Mother’s Little Helper – (Bringing to life the apparent break down of the nuclear family and the popularization of drug use). Sitting on a Fence – (The resistance of stereotypical paths that people are brought up to follow). Backstreet Girl – (The advent of the of purely sexual relationship). Ruby Tuesday –(Women are allowed to be dreamers and can do their own thing, without the need for a man). Paint it Black – (A dive into other emotional themes, away form “bubble gum” pop). Satisfaction – (Damn the Man! If it feels good do it). Then: Let sit in crock-pot. Sprinkle a little Vietnam War in the mixture, with Gimme Shelter (a song that describes the frailty of piece and the destruction of war). Finally: Let it sit. Chop it up into a fine powder. Serve with a spoon, lighter, syringe, and a side of hash brownies for desert. Jason Picka Alisa Priebe Lee Strand Dan Benson Team “Nose Candy” Formerly known as “Team Thunder” Emily Ergen John Fetzer Tina Fricke Katie Hixson Janine Schneibel The Rolling Stones: A Collapse of Norms The Rolling Stones’ lyrics represented the challenging of traditional values – values that were difficult to face but even more difficult to ignore. The most prominent social changes the Rolling Stones address in these songs deal with gender roles and family relationships, moral standards, and the faith in government. The Rolling Stones challenged gender roles in the songs “Mother’s Little Helper” and “Backstreet Girl.” In “Mother’s Little Helper,” the song questions the happiness of women in the home. The lyrics state that “Mother needs something today to calm her down /And though she's not really ill / There's a little yellow pill,” suggesting that drugs provided an escape from reality, perhaps the only escape. "’Men just aren't the same today’ / I hear ev'ry mother say / They just don't appreciate that you get tired / They're so hard to satisfy” reveals the lack of satisfaction within a marriage. Furthermore, in the song “Backstreet Girl,” the lyrics describe a man unsatisfied with his marriage, thus he seeks out a women purely for sex. This proves that both genders were dissatisfied with their roles in society. The upheaval within marriages displayed the societal acceptance of changing moral standards. This is seen in “Backstreet Girl,” where an extramarital affair takes place: “Please don’t be part of my life…Please don’t bother my wife…just you be my backstreet girl.” Moral standards toward drug use were also changing in songs such as “Mother’s Little Helper,” where rampant drug abuse, even amongst prescribed drugs, was finding its way into middle-class society. Dissatisfaction extended beyond the family into the whole of society, attacking the government and other social institutions. For example, the title “Sympathy for the Devil” reveals discontentment towards religious institutions. The lyrics reveal while people have been blaming the devil for the evils of the world, it in fact was the fault of humans themselves; thus, the song asks for sympathy for the devil and implies that the devil has no control over human actions. Another institution attacked by the Rolling Stones was the government. In “Gimme Shelter,” the lyrics sing about disillusionment with the government. The lyrics “War, children, it’s just a shot away” convey that the U.S. government was always on the brink of war. Also, police effectiveness was challenged in the lines “Rape, murder! / It’s just a shot away.” Another institution attacked was the media in the lyrics of “Satisfaction,” in which the intentions and influence of advertising is questioned. The lines “When I'm watchin' my TV / And that man comes on to tell me / How white my shirts can be” suggests how disenfranchised people had become with advertisements. Many of the Stones’ lyrics questioned the status quo by challenging gender roles and family relationships, moral standards, and the faith in government. While the lyrics reflected the problems of a changing society, they also demonstrate an increased desire for personal happiness and less emphasis on conformity. Robert Hoshaw Aaron Eichenberger Kelly Syrup David Ystebo Cory Wynn Collaborative Stones Essay The Influence of the Rolling Stones in the Raging ‘60s During the 1960s, Western society was undergoing significant cultural revolutions. Many of these cultural changes were alluded to through music, particularly Rock and Roll. The Rolling Stones were one of the earlier rock groups that helped to define this era through their music. The Stone’s lyrics helped paint a picture of changes within the government, social and family structures, and revolutions in social standards which help listeners more fully understand the time period. In “Sympathy for the Devil,” the Stones reveal some of the governmental turbulence of the era. The song has a bitter underlying tone, and it appears that Jagger and Richards are blaming society for electing the officials that brought about this turmoil. In stanza eight, Jagger sings “’Who killed the Kennedys?’ When after all it was you and me.” The song also brings to light the fears of the Cold War. The death of the “czar and his ministers” and the blitzkrieg are mentioned. This was a revolutionary approach, since much of the popular music did not speak so heavily about governmental issues. The Stones also revealed the changes in traditional social structures of families as well as the shifting role of women. “Sitting on a Fence” reveals how many young people were rushing into marriage, buying property, and alarming the older generation. In pursuing the American Dream, the men traditionally went off to work and the women stayed at home to cook and raise the children. Women, however, were getting bored with this stereotypical role, and in “Mother’s Little Helper,” this becomes especially apparent. In stanza eight, Jagger sings how “happiness has become a bore.” The female narrator of this song resorts to taking drugs to escape from her unsatisfying lifestyle. The men, in turn, became bored with their wives, and began leading more promiscuous lifestyles, as can be seen in “Backstreet Girl.” Once again, the Stones revealed through their lyrics a social change that was on the tip of many peoples’ tongues, but few would mention it. Thus, this was one of the biggest influences of rock bands like the Stones. With the advent of new technology soaring to new heights and temporary fads replacing traditional social norms, it is no wonder that the culture of the 1960s were a huge topic for the Stones. In “Satisfaction” Jagger and Richards cynically stab at the commercialization of Western culture. An already despondent narrator feels he isn’t good enough for the shifting norms, and sarcastically mentions he’d listen to the man on TV if he only smoked the same cigarettes. The lyrics reveal the influence of media technology such as the television, as well as what was the fad of the day. In addition, the Stones wrote about provocative subjects in “Gimme Shelter” and “Cocksucker Blues” such as rape, murder, and other sexually explicit topics which many artists of the time avoided. The 1960s were a tumultuous era in which many of the norms of society, family structures, and views of the government were undergoing a change. The Rolling Stones, through their unique style of music and bold lyrics, revealed a culture and a time period. Some members of Western culture recognized the change the Stones sung about and helped bring about, and as a result, embraced them. With the timelessness of music, listeners today receive the same message and feel what the 1960s were like. Wednesday, February 04, 2004
Students of English 226, Poetry of Rock: welcome to our team blog! This will be a site that anyone in class can post to. We'll use it for sharing work, extending class discussions, and anything else we can cook up. It's your blog; feel free to post whenever you like. |
