Editors Note: This appreciate of the band X was submitted to the site by Morrie Bee, a visitor and newsletter subscriber. Bee sent several links. Above is “Beyond and Back” and below is “Hot House.”
Many forms of music are about protest. Punk is loud, aggressive protest – it fights. Fighting against what feels to me like a lack of hope, control and loss. (Although I will agree some is just no-talent, fast bs.)
So why do I still listen to 1980s punk like X or DK really loud? To feel the rage, and the fight against that lack of hope, loss and control.
I follow the saying “Don’t worry about what you have no control.” Faced with a parent with Alzheimer’s, I say “We can’t fix it, but we can have fun today.”
But there’s no control over Alzheimer’s, it won’t get better. I want to aggressively rage, fight and protest – so my punk gets turned up loud.
Punk — no other genre fits when you need to fight back.
Wikipedia reports that X was formed Los Angeles in 1977. It released seven albums from 1880 to 1993. The band broke up for a while and reunited in the early 2000s. It still is together and touring. The band has had remarkably consistent consistent personnel over the years. Essentially, X is four people: Exene Cervenka, John Doe, Billy Zoon and D.J. Bonebreak. Somebody not familiar with punk music may be surprised — perhaps pleasantly — to learn that the band was influenced by country music.
The profile says the band influenced punk and folk rock. Two of its albums – Los Angeles and Wild Gift – were ranked by Rolling Stone as among the top 500 albums of all time. Wild gift was ranked 91 on Pitchforks top 100 albums of the 1980s. It was even recognized by the city.
Here is the band’s website. X is in the middle of an arudous tour. Not bad for a band that has been around for 40 years.
(Homepage photo: Laura Alice Watt)
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