The Times Are A Changing: New Protest Music Calls Out Old Heroes
Five Times August calls out rock 'n' roll legends for being out of tune and losing the spirit
There is a storm brewing in the world of hitmakers, hard rock legends and a newer generation of songwriters and protest singers.
After nearly three years of following government mandates and being fearful about pandemics, lockdowns and nuclear war, protest music is ready for a youthful revival.
Maybe the music of the past can help clue us in to the turmoil among the new crew.
In his paean to rock ‘n’ roll, the ancient rocker Neil Young sang the following in the late 1970s:
Hey hey, my my
Rock and roll can never die
There's more to the picture
Than meets the eye
Hey hey, my my
As a twentysomething-year-old at the time, I can attest that we ate rock ‘n’ roll all day long. It energized us. It never entered our minds that this musical elixir might vanish.
But, as the song above says, there is more to the picture than meets the eye. The real problem, today, is that the rockers did not age as well as the rock songs.
Where Have All the Resistant Rockers Gone?
The big record labels cannot guard all the gates of access to customers any longer. There is no more co-dependency on being found by A&R (artists and repertoire) representatives to decide your destiny.
Instead, the digital age offers self-determination.
Five Times August, also known as Brad Skistimas, is an independent singer/songwriter who exemplifies how the brave new world of music operates. As an unsigned artist, Walmart distributed his album nationwide. Yes, that Walmart.
When Covid-19 hit, he released several protest songs and videos aimed at excess regulation and the hypocrisy of lockdowns by tyrannical government agencies. His work soon topped a few music charts and found popularity on YouTube.
With songs like “Silent War,” “Jesus … What Happened to Us,” “Gates Behind The Bars,” and “Sad Little Man,” the latter two about Bill Gates and Anthony Fauci, it was no surprise that these songs were censored and suppressed on social media.
Being a rebel is part of the rock ‘n’ roll ethos. Resistance to the machine is a driving force. But tamping down dissenting voices from the mainstream narrative is ineffective in the smartphone and internet era.
Five Times August gained millions of views and plenty of press in the polarized world of politics. In late November 2022, the artist released a full album that secured a top spot among Taylor Swift and Bruce Springsteen. That’s the disruptive force of real freedom from the musical and publishing overlords.
Music is very hard to contain, especially if it hits a core nerve with a concerned (and buying) public.
Cashing Out to the Establishment
A few months back, Five Times August signed up with a Nashville-based record label (Baste Records). This marks a sort of acceptance and support by the traditional music-makers.
Music companies and labels are not all the same. Some are safe and focus on commercial artists with conventional songs; while, others take risks on outsiders and alternative voices. So music can be as polarizing as politics because demographics set the stage.
Just two weeks ago Five Times August put out his first single for his new label. It took direct aim at old rockers and bands who failed to live up to their rebel reputations during the lockdown years.
The song is called “Ain’t No Rock and Roll”. Let’s dive into the lyrics that call out the cash-outs:
Sample 1 All those bad boy rebels and the attitude What a show, we didn’t know that none of it was true Only self serve anti-establishment We were all so innocent Sample 2 And there ain’t no Joni, no Bob No one stuck around for their protest job All the stars and the big pharma whores Shilling for a check from their corporate chores Sample 3 All the high strung Neil Young wannabes Yea their silence has been deafening All the suits lick the boots of the government What they sang they never meant
Ouch … Ouch … Ouch!!! These are generational heroes (Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Bruce Springsteen, Foo Fighters, Queen) being shot down like traitors to the rebellious cause.
Coda
It’s odd to hear a protest song that attacks some of the stalwarts of the rock and resist genre. These artists represent a strong catalog of anti-establishment and working class songs covering decades.
So what’s the real rub behind the anger against these legendary songwriters?
Let me offer a seasoned and senior citizen perspective to the discussion. Here are my takeaways as a protest song devotee and as one closer in age to those scorned:
Covid-19 scared the shit out of older folks in their seventies and eighties. This was the key target age group for the virus. These old rockers survived sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll, they were not going to take chances on a pandemic.
Old rockers don’t have pension plans for retirement; they have a catalog of great music as a valuable asset. This is their golden parachute.
Youthful rebellion is really a luxury. Artists in their prime are full of life energy and fight for the cause. Decades of living the good life tends to pull you away from the masses who still adore you and expect you to live up to your early works.
The last 50 years saw a lot of issues in the struggle arena: civil rights, Vietnam war, sexual revolution, AIDS, drug laws, immigration laws, poverty alleviation, etc. It’s tough to muster up the creative juices for another round of fighting against the man.
All of this reflects the fact that protests require younger fire-starters. But like Five Times August, I too wanted to hear from my heroes. They got me here.
One problem is that Boomers are far too prevalent still in the decision-making processes. The U.S. government is a geriatric ward. Too many leaders are embedded in the past, and it shows.
The future belongs to younger generations. Let them get angry. Let them mock our mistakes. Let them decide their own path.
And let us get out of the way so they can do it.
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