| Better than Good |
7 April 2003
|
Good Charlotte Saves Saturday Night
The musical guests of "Saturday Night Live" is largely a hit-and-miss affair, much like the guest hosts, and unlike the mainly miss calibre of the cast. This week, the band was Good Charlotte, and the host, Bernie Mac. The only thing missing was a decent supporting crowd.
Time was, appearing on "SNL" meant a band has finally cracked it. Thanks to MTV, MTV2, BET, Much Music, etc., to say nothing of the internet, showing up at Rockefeller Center isn't that big a deal. However, these neo-punks deserved their applause. They played their current hit "Anthem" with the appropriate energy and anger, and although the vocals carrying the "Retarded Valley Boy" accent that makes a mockery of mockery itself, the sound coming from the TV was what it should have been.
The rhythms section, in particular, stands out in this band. Guitar heroics and strange front men aside, rock in its heavier incarnations rides on a violent and unrelenting bass and drum combination -- if one cannot recall that part of Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, the Sex Pistols, the Clash, Motorhead, Bush or Nirvana, go back and review it. After all, Aerosmith has a new career based on their rhythms as a backing band to every hip hop act on the planet -- or so it seems.
Rock is not well these days; country is still the most popular form in the US, and R&B and hip hop are getting the attention of more white kids than was every the case before. Yet the talent of Good Charlotte, and the other new acts of its ilk will keep it alive a bit longer. Good thing, too, imagine someone actually playing an instrument on stage live. What a concept.