The "Rock 'n' Roll N****r Experience"

Afro Punk (2003)

Director- James Spooner

African Americans are present in the punk scene, though not in large numbers. The question that is asked, and apparently affirmatively answered, is "Can Afro and Punk go together?"

I have some problems with this documentary. First, I cannot take much more of punks (or every other subculture for that matter) thinking that they're incredibly unique in their philosophy of life and music. "This is a fresh and original sound," "we were playing this music/dressing like this before it was cool"... Bullshit. Absolute bullshit. Blues was accepted by rebels when it first appeared. Bluegrass as well. Your music is a cultural trend, just like Rock, Country, Blues, Classical, etc. When you get old, chances are good that you won't like the music of today's youth for one reason or another. And stating you did anything "before it was cool" is essentially nothing more than an attempt at aknowledging that you are "ccol" because you were somehow original. I'm heavily into Rockabilly, but I don't kid myself that it hasn't been done. I just love the sound, whether it's Buddy Holly, Reverend Horton Heat, or the Koffin Kats.

One guy stated in the documentary that he was an anarchist who believed in peace. Peace implies maintained order, which is only attainable through structure. Anarchy politically existing without a government, without state/county/city police departments, without a judicial system. Without a judicial system, there is no mandated form of punishment, giving free reign to violence, whether it be present in a crime, or in the punishment. No peace. Sorry, guy, you're an idiot just trying to sound cool.

My last problem is the percieved racial exclusivity of certain genres of music. Whites stole the blues from blacks. Whites are trying to steal rap and R&B from blacks. Blacks steal rock (or rather rock samples) from whites. A couple musicians implied that Punk music may have had more black origins and was more influenced by black music. True or not, it implies that once again, whites have taken black music. This seems to imply that white people should stick to their European classical music, their pianos and lutes and such. Again, bullshit. On all honesty, Puff Daddy didn't steal the melody from Kashmir any more than Elvis stole blues from Robert Johnson any more than Rockabilly stole country from God-fearing whites any more than Sid Vicious stole fashions from the Furious Five any more than Screamin' Jay Hawkins stole piano from Beethoven. It's music, people. Just get a beat going, play something, and shut the fuck up...unless your the singer, that is.

The documentary did, hoever, bring up the important issue of the role of race/culture in influencing musical interests. Many blacks interviewed aknowledged a certain amount of self-loathing at not being accepted by other blacks for prefering to attach themselves to the punk subculture. It is followed by self-acceptance, fortunately, but bitterness still accompanies. There was also a curiously frequently feeling of jealous covetousness involved when one black punk saw another black punk in the same club.

Rating: 2/5 Bonedaddies.