Benji. You have a mohawk (HA well you did for 2 seconds). Your eyeliner is dripping. You have a Rancid T-shirt. And that makes you punk. Has Benji, or even the rest of Good Charlotte, ever discussed political issues in public or in their lyrics? Ever address social concerns? The problems with consumerism? Hate in America through racism, homophobia, etc.? Wait, they are musicians, they don't have to, they just have to make music. But Anti-Flag does these things, they address these issues. I thought they were punk rock. But Justin Sane wears jeans sometimes and not bondage pants. Ohh I guess I was wrong thinking punk was based on what you say/believe in. Punk is based on image!
Now that is an assumption I would make solely based on what most gc fans are telling me. To these people, MTV is life, AND Good Charlotte rocks hardcore! Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with liking a mainstream band, I don't agree with your musical choice, but I won't hate you or ignore you because of it. But I think there is something wrong when people think GC defines punk, all because Benji has libery spikes, which he quickly got rid of once he got on TRL. I don't think it's cool when the kids who listen to them think they know what punk is all about. I'm not saying I'm an expert, but what they think is obviously very far from the truth.
I think if you want to consider yourself punk, you don't just sit there and rock out to the new, and super synthesized, good charlotte cd. You go out there are protest, because a lot of stupid shit is going on in this country. We were involved in a ridiculous war, and who knows how much more crap will come with President Shrub in office. Homosexuals can't even live their lives without being judged. African-Americans are enduring racist comments. Women are getting denied promotions and raises because they don't have a penis. And so many people are falling victim to drug abuse, while society chooses to ignore them, and rather, spit in their face and tell them they're worthless. Mentally ill people who can't get treatment, thanks to our awful legal system, are being forced to live homeless on the street, and then ridiculed when they ask for spare change, and usually by someone who has enough money to spare, considering they own a 2 story house, 2 cars, and eat out at least three times a week. If you are punk, you wear whatever you feel like wearing, not whatever Hot Topic has on sale. You write your own punk rock music, and not just dream about dating Joel while you listen to one of their slow tunes. Most of all, you don't hate on people, tell people they are "preps" or "posers" and therefore, tell them they don't deserve your respect. If you are punk, you treat everyone equally, and demand that our society starts giving respect to the ideals of female, racial, and sexual equality! HAHA You don't threaten to beat me up or kill me on my guestbook, hey violence doesn't solve anything! Since GC doesn't write music on any of these issues i;ve discussed, and doesn't address these issues otherwise, I do not think they are a punk band. A punk band does not charge 30 dollars or more for tickets to their stadium concert, only to lay in their luxurious bus afterwards or hop on a private jet to squeeze in TRL appearances. Again, I have to say, GC is living the lives of over-indulgent rockstars, not true hardcore punk rockers.
I think Good Charlotte is concerned with making money, which they have thanks to their new sucky album, and dedication to mtv. Honestly, they are talented, so they do deserve all the fame and recognition. But It has made me lose a lot of respect for them, because I think bands should care more about the message their music conveys, not how much money they can get off their music. Their first single, which disses the rich and famous, baffle me. I mean Good Charlotte are "the rich and famous". So they are telling me the rich and famous suck, well alright good charlotte, you guys suck! It's quite ironic that "lifestyles of the rich and famous" just happened to make them MORE rich and famous. They have become the thing they supposedly condemned in their song.
So why did I ever like them? To be honest, I was 15/16, a totally immature teenybopper. Good Charlotte's boyish good looks and catchy pop songs aren't THAT hard for a mindless teen girl to absorb and love. But I do think some of their first album, and older unrealeased songs, did have a punk attitude. Like Little Things, which is about the woes of being a loser, but getting over it, and or East Coast Anthem, which is about unity and different people getting together. Maybe there were way too many love songs on the self-titled, but they had some good guitar riffs and a rocking rhythm from the bass and drums. Some of those songs about love seemed very emo, a type of music I think is rad.
The new song itself best classifies how fake their image is. So the songs about being poor losers worked for them the last album. MUST they continue that, especially when things have significantly changed? You were on welfare 10 years ago, you were struggling artists 5 years ago, and you weren't getting any sex the whole time you were poor and struggling. Well that's over now. Good Charlotte has money, fame, and Benji is/was dating a bisexual asian nudie model. Stop hyprocritically telling me how the rich and famous suck, because you ARE rich and famous. And please stop telling me how you are so heartbroken and lonley(only emo artist can pull off those 'i'm depressed' lyrics).
Like they always have, GC still wears their black clothes, menacing punk hairdos, and sport their hardcore tattoos. They are the anti-nsync or whatever other male popstar is out there. They have in the past been so against the pop scene. So why were they so desperate to get on TRL, the show that defines pop and never ever shows a rock video, let alone a genuine punk video. TRL is for the tools of America who let the MTV executives make millions off their sick pop obsessions. And Good Charlotte has no problem what-so-ever supporting that establishment?! Of course not! They'll even host the mtv show, All Things Rock. Anything for more exposure and money! Sell the souls of the youth of America, cause Benji needs some new bondage pants and Joel ran out of hair gel, yet again.
Speaking of All Things Rock, that show sucks! I mean the music is AWFUL. It's soo not rock music at all! In the beginning, I noticed Benji and Joel being rather sarcastic about the videos and musicians, subtley letting it known that they hate them. Well that must have all been part of their "i'm punk/i'm hardcore dude" act. I watched the other night, and they couldn't stop enthusiastically saying "I love this video, this band rocks, this is the best video, i love these guys.", in a VERY convincing, genuine manner. I guess now that their new video has become a major TRL success, they can stop acting like they are cool punks. They don't need the underground fans to think they are cool anymore, they have TRL teenyboppers to idolize them now! Since they are now, finally, successful MTV tools, they can support their fellow MTV tools, and praise the sucky bands they actually love like POD, Default, and Linkin Park for as long as their little poser hearts desire.
In the credits after All Things Rock, 'wardrobe provided by Hot Topic'. Hot Topic is THE PUNK STORE! I mean, they have spikey jewelry and plaid shirts with skulls on them! Well Hot Topic is owned by the Bananna Republic, the same company that owns the Gap. That means that little children in Malaysia or Nicaragua are bleeding profusely because they poke themselves while putting safety pins on bondage pants like the ones Benji wears. And on a sidenote, I was in that store once. There is so much pointless crap and toys, which I like, but they have nothing to do with anything. Plus it's OVER-PRICED pointless crap. Oh but you say you LOVE carebears?! But all that stuff is FAKE carebears stuff. Genuine carebear merchandise is 15 yrs old. I mean carebears should be cherish as an 80s legend- they shouldnt be commericialized cus someone says it's trendy. And the lack of rancid, and anti-flag shirts, and the surplus of eminem and blink182 shirts, makes me sick! Plus I could do without the endless MADE merchandise, which is basically a cheap black shirt or hat, with a lame logo printed it on it, and then the price jumps by 15 dollars. Makes no sense to me!
Aright I'm done, yea I know, too much writing, I tend to ramble a lot.