The neo-grunge movement is alive, but abit moss grown. The lead singer of Pearl Jam was interviewed on the news today about their latest release. Are these guys still grandfathering off their august days?
The interview was essentially a screed against what the artist called 'big business.' Apparently not only do they rage against Bush, but their own restricted, if not self-ironic, view of globalization. The gritty sound of their own instruments cannot overcome their distinctly instrumental use of anti-Bush, globally marketed rants. If this is all they have to say, they are simply a period piece — who is really going to remember Bush in 25 years? I can't wait until "Fahrenheit 911" replaces "A Christmas Story" as a holiday tradition.
Pearl Jam decry big business but what the hell are they up to their asses in? The embittered tantrum veiled as grunge (or is that redundant?) purports to say something important when all it is really doing is riding the very profitable wave of anti-everything rhetoric. Promoting the same old reified categories to understand the world while safe, mischaracterizes today's issues.
The first task is to unpack what is meant by 'big business.' Are we talking in terms of size, scale, influence, power, etc? What we need is responsible, and accountable big business not its absence.
