What is emo?
The fake emo commercial that Alan did (that DJ and I did the voiceover for) has gone viral, 34,000 views in a few days. The comments section has devolved into a bunch of kids arguing about “what is emo?”, with a bunch of other kids saying that emo is for pussies.
Some adventurous anthropologist on there decided to look up “emo” in Microsoft Vista Library:
Emo (pronounced /ˈiːmoʊ/) is a style of rock music which describes several independent variations of music with common stylistic roots. As such, use of the term has been the subject of much debate. In the mid-1980s, the term emo described a subgenre of hardcore punk which originated in the Washington, DC music scene.
Old man Dean decided to set ‘em straight on the history. I posted this:
I saw the first emo band, “Rites of Spring” in DC (at “Food for Thought” restaurant) in 1985. It was NOT a wimpy gig, except for the hippie sound guy. He was worried about the slam dancing and split with the speakers mid set. The singer (Guy - now of Fugazi) finished the set yelling, without a mic. A fist fight broke out in the crowd. Nobody cried.
By the way, one of the parties in the fist fight was Ian MacKaye. And the other band that played that night was Grey Matter. I don’t remember a lot about the show because it was so frenetic, and almost over before it started. It was a great night. Oh yeah, Grey Matter played the coolest cover of “I am the Walrus” I’ve ever heard.
Maybe emo is wimpy now, but it wasn’t back when I first heard the term.
–Michael W. Dean
November 20th, 2007 at 12:37 pm
“Old Man Dean”? oh yeah….you’re ancient, haha. Thanks for setting that straight, man!
Happy thanksgiving, btw! Hope you and DJ have some good turkey!
November 20th, 2007 at 8:18 pm
Hey Michael, thanks again for your help with the voice over, I never expected more than three or four thousand hits, this has just been great. And the comments section has been a lot of fun to read through. =)
November 20th, 2007 at 8:21 pm
Alan, you’re very welcome. And the 35 thousand hits….hey….remember, “Gwar” started as a joke side project of a band not many have heard of named “Death Piggy.” And the Red Hot Chili Peppers started as a one-gig joke band of guys in other bands (including Fear).
But if you make everything great, like you do, the one that touches the mass nerve will be propagated virally.
MWD
November 21st, 2007 at 8:11 pm
I remember hearing the term “emo” used to describe a music genre back in the early 90’s. And as you’ve pointed out, “emo” back then meant something entirely different from what it seems to mean today. I think the reason for the shift is due to the fact that artists like Dashboard Confessional have cited those early “emo” bands as influential. Somehow, the kids just starting applying “emo” to these new artists.
November 21st, 2007 at 8:13 pm
Yup.
And I’m old, because I don’t know any of these new bands!
MWD
November 22nd, 2007 at 10:10 am
I remember that show. Main image that stuck with me was the bass player (can’t remember if it was the bass player for Rites of Spring or Gray Matter) using his bass like a spear to jab an audience member. Ouch!
November 22nd, 2007 at 8:04 pm
i ve heard the gray matter version of “i am the walrus” and yes it does fucking kick ass!
everything needs a label. we’ve got our nerds, cool kids, jocks, dikes, hippies, blacks, whites, babys and emos.
so let them cry about it.