Middle School Punks

I took my sister to see her son play in the Depew Middle School Christmas Extravaganza. Now this is the first time I had been to a Middle School Christmas Extravaganza, since I was, well, in middle school. I mean, I think deep down, one of the unspoken reasons I remain childless is because no one really wants to go to a middle school concert. They have to go. Why paint myself into that corner? You know?

Anyway, for the first time in years, I found myself encouraged for the future. Before, you get your hopes up, no...the music was not stunningly good. It sounded like a bunch of 7th graders who fully expected to fuck up. Let's face it, what 7th grader ever wanted to perform for his parents, let alone all his friends' parents? Really, its a losing proposition.

The reason for my encouragement however, is because amongst this group of preteen pop rockers, you couldn't really identify a type. There were long hairs, short hairs, ties and T-shirts. It looked like these kids were being themselves. Now everyone's style, yours truly included, is informed by the style of others. In my case, 1950's rockabillies and greasers. You can see in these kids something hippie, but no hippies (thank Christ), something hip hop, but no Eminems. Nothing stuck out as really punk rock, which in my mind made the whole group pretty damn punk rock. They were making their own style, they weren't just borrowing. And they certainly didn't look like that fucking "High School Musical II".

So, I wanted to put my preteen punk theory to the test. That Saturday as I was driving my nephew to his guitar lesson (God I fucking love this kid.) I purposly put The Ramones on the old ZPod, and yes, his head was bopping. I figure it is only a matter of time before he realizes that he is already good enough a guitar player to play the whole Ramones catalog. Which I hope, in turn teaches him that he is good enough to write his own. Let me tell you, I'm encouraged.

The second reason for my encouragement is that I believe, at least this particular group has some good roll models. While introducing the number "We Three Kings", the music teacher had explained how they chose an interesting composition that she felt portrayed how lonely, and nerve wracking it is to be walking to an unknown destination, virtually alone at night, in the dessert. No shit, I'm not making this up. And all this at a Christmas concert! Now that, my friends, is creative. It's fucking PUNK ROCK!!

Come on in, the water is warm...

As you may have guessed, I moved to somewhere around Buffalo, NY from Boston, MA. It took me 4 months to find a house, and get this stinking internet access. But now, I'm too damn drunk to write. Come back tomorrow, will ya'? I promise, you'll pick up what I'm putting down.

respectfully subitted,
Z

PS - don't piss me off.