Is that Red State Rock, man? Well, turn it up, man!

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From the NYTimes article threaded a few spots below this one

"The format in the last couple of years has gone through an identity crisis," said Kevin Weatherly, program director of KROQ, a closely watched alternative powerhouse in Los Angeles. "You have stations that are too cool, that move too quickly and are only playing the coolest music, which doesn't at the end of the day attract enough of the audience. Or you have the other extreme, dumb rock, red-state rock that the cool kids just flat out aren't into."

I find the statement "red-state rock" to be a VERY stupid and lazy way to describe something...like saying fuck for every adjective. This guy is an unintelligent liberal.

But for the sake of the argument, lets say "red-state rock" means two things - one, you're a rock band and two, you're from a red state.

What is your favorite red-state rock band? I would go with The Allman Brothers, from Macon, Georgia.

― Big Loud Mountain Ape (Big Loud Mountain Ape), Thursday, 28 April 2005 13:14 (twenty years ago)

Those darn liberals. Yet another example of how the mainstream elite media is biased against Nickelback and Fuel.

― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Thursday, 28 April 2005 13:17 (twenty years ago)

Clarification - I am not bashing the liberal aspect of the man's statement...just the fact that he, like a lot of other "liberals" make thier points by simply pointing and saying "You REPUBLICAN!" like its a dirty word or something.

Make your points intelligently, and your points will be understood.

― Big Loud Mountain Liberal (Big Loud Mountain Ape), Thursday, 28 April 2005 13:20 (twenty years ago)

he's clearly talking about george thorogood.

my favorite red state rock band, at least in the sense i'd guess he meant, is black oak arkansas.

― el sabor de gene (yournullfame), Thursday, 28 April 2005 13:21 (twenty years ago)

I don't really know what "red-state rock" means, but the guy who said it is program director of KROQ, so it must refer to an identifiable marketing category.

― Hurting (Hurting), Thursday, 28 April 2005 13:22 (twenty years ago)

It's KEVIN WEATHERLEY from KROQ. ARRRRRRRRRGH.

Carry on.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 28 April 2005 13:25 (twenty years ago)

nickelback are from canada and fuel are from pennsylvania so they're blue state rock. this guy's talking about lil jon, trick daddy, stuff like that. red state rock.

― j blount (papa la bas), Thursday, 28 April 2005 15:17 (twenty years ago)

what would be an example of red-state rock, out of curiosity?

― The Good Dr. Bill (The Good Dr. Bill), Thursday, 28 April 2005 15:18 (twenty years ago)

ZZ Top are red-state rock, I guess. So are Molly Hatchet and Lynyrd Skynyrd and Grand Funk Railroad (even though they're from Michigan), all of whom I've listened to in the last 24 hours. So fuck this guy.

― pdf (Phil Freeman), Thursday, 28 April 2005 15:22 (twenty years ago)

Is Illinois a red or blue state?

― Huk-L, Thursday, 28 April 2005 15:24 (twenty years ago)

Magnolia Electric Co is definitely the best red state rock ever.

― Mickey (modestmickey), Thursday, 28 April 2005 15:25 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, I got that, but what are modern day examples? Ones that the kids aren't diggin'?

Los Lonely Boys? Bowling for Soup? Puddle of Mudd?

― The Good Dr. Bill (The Good Dr. Bill), Thursday, 28 April 2005 15:26 (twenty years ago)

-- Big Loud Mountain Liberal (bigheadyet...), April 28th, 2005.

Like how the Bush campaign said that Edwards and Kerry were the most liberal democrats, like liberal was a bad word?

― __--, Thursday, 28 April 2005 15:26 (twenty years ago)

illinous is a blue state, so kanye's more blue state rock, hence less bass. lil jon, neptunes, timba - red state rock. puffy, kanye, dre - blue state rock.

― j blount (papa la bas), Thursday, 28 April 2005 15:29 (twenty years ago)

What about Arizona?

― Huk-L, Thursday, 28 April 2005 15:31 (twenty years ago)

I find the statement "red-state rock" to be a VERY stupid and lazy way to describe something...like saying fuck for every adjective. This guy is an unintelligent liberal.

Well now, let's not drive the meat wagon over the cliff just yet. He may not be as liberal as you think. I listen to KROQ once a day or so and it's a case of the pot calling the kettle black when the man characterizes other radio stations as playing "dumb rock." KROQ sounds like it's always playing "dumb rock."

In fact, most of their pitch is aimed at a dumb audience. The DJs sound dumb and those who perhaps aren't take on a thin veneer of dumbness so as to placate their audience. The young people who call in certainly sound dumb, and there is a general KROQ glorification and pandering to a kind of dumb twentysomething party boy and girl crowd, of all very white people who probably relish being power drunks on three day weekends in southern California.

A good argument can be made that KROQ is the bread and butter of young and dumb. I doubt it's very much different than the man's concept of "red state rock."

― George Smith, Thursday, 28 April 2005 15:31 (twenty years ago)

How can the Allmans, Black Oak, ZZ Top etc., be considered "red state rock" when, at the time they were thriving they came from Blue States. It's not retroactive is it?

Let's not forget that country/south/working class didn't always mean Republican, quite the opposite (and that's the way it should be).

― Garibaldianne (Garibaldianne), Thursday, 28 April 2005 15:33 (twenty years ago)

if it's that bad why do you listen "once a day or so"
genuinely curious here

(i don't listen to radio in general because i feel the same way about pretty much all radio DJs)

― rentboy (rentboy), Thursday, 28 April 2005 15:36 (twenty years ago)

Let's not forget that country/south/working class didn't always mean Republican, quite the opposite (and that's the way it should be).

The "solid south" was only "Democratic" until the Democrats declined to support segregation and Presidents starting forcefully instituting civil rights. So in the sense that old white southern "Democrats" -- like the Dixiecrats -- were the equiv of red state racists, you could call the south "blue." But that wouldn't be quite right.

So ZZ Top has always been from a red state. And I doubt anyone in Black Oak Arkansas was a blue-suiter. But I like them both, particularly ZZ, and I live California.

― George Smith, Thursday, 28 April 2005 15:40 (twenty years ago)

if it's that bad why do you listen "once a day or so"
genuinely curious here

No you're not. You have to work on being less transparent.

― George Smith, Thursday, 28 April 2005 15:41 (twenty years ago)

So can Red State Rock be Blue State Rock as long as you listen ironically?

― Adam Bruneau (oliver8bit), Thursday, 28 April 2005 15:45 (twenty years ago)

No you're not. You have to work on being less transparent.

Um, ok.

I'm still left wondering why. Do you work in broadcasting or advertising or something?

― rentboy (rentboy), Thursday, 28 April 2005 15:47 (twenty years ago)

In Atlanta there are an overwhelming amount of Kerry/Edwards stickers and signs everywhere, and the Bush ones are in the definite minority. It's funny whenever you look at an electroal map of Georgia it's almost all red except for this little spot of blue. It's like an oasis in a desert of sapphire.

― Adam Bruneau (oliver8bit), Thursday, 28 April 2005 15:47 (twenty years ago)

If you look at an electoral map from 1968 the south is yellow (for George Wallace, nice), 1972 it's red (for Nixon) and 1976 it's blue (for Carter) so it's pretty much a toss up.

Maybe if we just treat "Red State" as a state of mind, rather than a geographical are, it makes more sense. As Adam says above, there are plenty of blues in red states and (reds in blue states), so it's more of a do-your-cities-outweigh-your-countries type of deal.

Also, the older bands we are arguing about probably weren't red or blue, more like "huh?".

― Garibaldianne (Garibaldianne), Thursday, 28 April 2005 15:57 (twenty years ago)

did you mean an oasis of sapphire in a desert?

xpost

― AaronK (AaronK), Thursday, 28 April 2005 15:57 (twenty years ago)

does red state rock have anything to do with active rock?

― AaronK (AaronK), Thursday, 28 April 2005 15:57 (twenty years ago)

Most of these classic bands were big between 1972 and 1976 when EVERY state was red, save for Massachussetts.

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Thursday, 28 April 2005 15:59 (twenty years ago)

adam did you see the 'blue island in a red sea' thing in creative loafing a while back. probably the only good 'red state, blue state' thing i've read yet. o and atlanta's a big blue splotch on red. ATHENS is a little blue spot.

― j blount (papa la bas), Thursday, 28 April 2005 16:00 (twenty years ago)

http://www.pushposters.co.uk/new/pics/b/b10501.jpg

― latebloomer: But when the monkey die, people gonna cry. (latebloomer), Thursday, 28 April 2005 16:02 (twenty years ago)

True they may have come from red states then, but weren't they crazy, anti-establishment long-hairs bucking the system, taking "dope" and giving the finger to the man?

― Garibaldianne (Garibaldianne), Thursday, 28 April 2005 16:02 (twenty years ago)

"You have stations that are too cool, that move too quickly and are only playing the coolest music, which doesn't at the end of the day attract enough of the audience. Or you have the other extreme, dumb rock, red-state rock that the cool kids just flat out aren't into."

KROQ plays both sides, putting the Posies in-between a block of Boulevard of Broken Dreams and Linkin Park. Surely the former radio station is indie 103.1, right?

― Cunga (Cunga), Thursday, 28 April 2005 16:04 (twenty years ago)

o man do blue staters think the posies are cool?

― j blount (papa la bas), Thursday, 28 April 2005 16:06 (twenty years ago)

I'm from a blue city in a very blue state (and home of Posies) and I think they suck ass.

― Garibaldianne (Garibaldianne), Thursday, 28 April 2005 16:15 (twenty years ago)

the boogeyman republicans you all are thinking of won't listen to any rock except christian rock. and they buy that for their kids. for themselves they will buy truckloads of andrea bocelli, josh groban, and anybody who records an album of pop standards up to and including rod stewart or queen latifah. because it ties in with their firm belief in how everything was better before the sixties.

― fortunate hazel (f. hazel), Thursday, 28 April 2005 16:22 (twenty years ago)

o man do blue staters think the posies are cool?

It was the closest thing to ever make me ever go "Hey, the _____ are being played. Ha!" on that station.

― Cunga (Cunga), Thursday, 28 April 2005 16:27 (twenty years ago)

country music to thread!

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Thursday, 28 April 2005 16:38 (twenty years ago)

But GUUUUUUUYS,

It's all just Purple state rock, if you really look at the big picture!

AOWA!

― donut debonair (donut), Thursday, 28 April 2005 17:51 (twenty years ago)

DBT!!!

― pattersonhood, Thursday, 28 April 2005 18:17 (twenty years ago)

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/04/images/030430_tednugent.jpg http://www.careertech.org/images/states/Michigan_blue.gif

http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2004/01/13/kucinichwillieap372128ready.jpg http://sprintbare.com/radioactive/images/uploads/texaselection.jpg

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Thursday, 28 April 2005 18:27 (twenty years ago)

http://coverart.last.fm/300x300/36414.jpg

― Hurlothrumbo (hurlothrumbo), Thursday, 28 April 2005 18:28 (twenty years ago)

http://www.fatherdan.com/images/blog/kid%20rock%20american%20flag%20superbowl.jpg
http://archives.cnn.com/2000/US/03/02/school.shooting.01/map.michigan.flint.morris.jpg
http://www.detnews.com/pix/2004/05/05/0feat/fe05-seger-0504n-4.jpg

― Steve Gertz (sgertz), Thursday, 28 April 2005 18:35 (twenty years ago)

I don't think it's necessarily a geographical thing, it's more of an ideological issue. Like the Drive-By Truckers (my favorite band in the world right now) are from the reddest state of them all, Alabama, but one glimpse at their lyrics sheet indicates that they didn't vote for Bush.

By the way, is Patterson Hood really contributing to this thread?

― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Thursday, 28 April 2005 18:51 (twenty years ago)

wait, wait, is SEGER being trumpeted as Red State Rock? how's that?

― Hurlothrumbo (hurlothrumbo), Thursday, 28 April 2005 19:04 (twenty years ago)

driveby truckers are from georgia!!!!

segar's blue state rock, like kid rock and nugent

― j blount (papa la bas), Thursday, 28 April 2005 19:07 (twenty years ago)

repeat: blue state and red state are states of mind. ergo, drive-by truckers are blue-state rock -- or red-state blue-state rock. or something.

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Thursday, 28 April 2005 19:08 (twenty years ago)

well, figured the Nugent/Kid Rock stuff was making an ironic point, but unless I'm way way off, Seger's politics don't flow like theirs do, right?? please say it ain't so.

― Hurlothrumbo (hurlothrumbo), Thursday, 28 April 2005 19:10 (twenty years ago)

Lost Sounds, Harry Pussy, Phoenecia, The Shins, Jimmy Eat World, Outkast, Geto Boys, Jandek, Crowbar, Olivia Tremor Control, The Mountain Goats..

I mean, DUH, red-state rock!

― donut debonair (donut), Thursday, 28 April 2005 19:11 (twenty years ago)

The Truckers are based in Athens GA, but I believe they're originally from Alabama. Southern Rock Opera is all about growing up in Alabama.

― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Thursday, 28 April 2005 19:12 (twenty years ago)

AND BOTH GEORGIA AND ALABAMA ARE RED!

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Thursday, 28 April 2005 19:14 (twenty years ago)

this thread sucks. which isn't saying that anyone who has posted to it sucks, but the entire idea of red/blue state rock makes me want to vomit blood.

"Or you have the other extreme, dumb rock, red-state rock that the cool kids just flat out aren't into."

this statement makes me think of Kurt Cobain screaming:
"Youre in high school AGAIIIIIN/ NO RECESS"

Does EVERYTHING have to be politics? or do politics have to be little more than school cafeteria posturing?

― JD from CDepot, Thursday, 28 April 2005 19:22 (twenty years ago)

The name Colorado means "reddish color" in olde Spanish. For what it's worth.

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Thursday, 28 April 2005 19:26 (twenty years ago)

http://www.artistdirect.com/Images/Sources/AMGCOVERS/music/cover200/dre400/e463/e46312bha4p.jpg

Coincidence?

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Thursday, 28 April 2005 19:27 (twenty years ago)

the truckers formed in athens, reside in athens, work in athens, play in athens. they're as athens as rem (pete buck grew up in minnesota, 'don't go back to rockville's about maryland sorta - blue states both).

― j blount (papa la bas), Thursday, 28 April 2005 19:30 (twenty years ago)

this thread sucks. which isn't saying that anyone who has posted to it sucks, but the entire idea of red/blue state rock makes me want to vomit blood.

Vomiting blood over what an idiot at KROQ said sounds pretty sad to me.

Well, maybe not so bad as long as Weatherly is the direct target of the vomit.

― donut debonair (donut), Thursday, 28 April 2005 19:31 (twenty years ago)

For reference, here are a few that I was curious about. Results taken from allmusic and random googling, so I don't know how accurate they are.

Staind: Springfield, Massachusetts
Puddle of Mudd: Kansas City, Missouri
Nickelback: Hanna, Alberta
Creed: Tallahassee, Florida
Korn: Bakersfield, California
Limp Bizkit: Jacksonville, Florida
Godsmack: Boston, Massachusetts
Cold: Jacksonville, Florida
Sevendust: Atlanta, Georgia
Fuel: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Saliva: Memphis, Tennessee
3 Doors Down: Escatawpa, Mississippi
Disturbed: Chicago, Illinois

― sleep (sleep), Thursday, 28 April 2005 19:47 (twenty years ago)

Blood is in such a red state.

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Thursday, 28 April 2005 19:51 (twenty years ago)

so you do research to find out where the bands are actually from, but that doesnt really matter. the reality of *sigh* red state rock is in its appearence and its sound. much like our president, it doesnt matter to most people who voted for him that he comes from a long line of New England Bluebloods, what does matter is the texan drawl in his voice and that fact that you could see yourself "having a beer with him". or praying with him. or whatever.

― JD from CDepot, Thursday, 28 April 2005 19:52 (twenty years ago)

will oldham is red state rock.

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Thursday, 28 April 2005 19:55 (twenty years ago)

Sean Hannity has Ted Nugent on now and then he doesn't appear to know squat about the motor city madman's music. He just likes the cut of Ted's jib.

― George Smith, Thursday, 28 April 2005 19:58 (twenty years ago)

wang dang sweet poontang

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Thursday, 28 April 2005 20:04 (twenty years ago)

Regarding my earlier posting of Kid Rock/ Seger photos, this was pretty much a knee-jerk reaction to Pleasant Pains' 'Nuge pic. Admittedly, I should paid more attention to the details of the thread heading. Although Michigan is technically a Blue State, all the gay-bashing, racist hilljacks that are tucked away in sodden hamlets throughout the state seem to love all three of those guys. Allow me to clarify: The Whackmaster & Kid Rock are certainly confirmed republicans and are loved by their brethren for that. Although I am unsure of Seger's exact political stance, I would be surprised it were too far removed from the blue-to-the-bone tradition upheld by millions of unionized auto workers. Now I love me some Seger, and I'm sure you do too, but so do lots of bare-chested, mulleted men now driving pick-up trucks emblazened with pissing Calvins and American flags.

By the way, I grew up in Jackson MI, which is currently home to Wango Tango and his colossal hunting ranch. Along I-94 on the Jackson stretch there is/was a billboard featuring Ted, bow in hand, riding a wild Buffalo. Above it reads "Welcome to Nuge Country."

― Steve Gertz (sgertz), Thursday, 28 April 2005 20:21 (twenty years ago)

so you do research to find out where the bands are actually from, but that doesnt really matter. the reality of *sigh* red state rock is in its appearence and its sound.

Yeah, I know, like I said I was curious though. Someone like Kid Rock typifies the idea of "red state rock" in my mind, regardless of whether he's from Michigan, which is of course technically blue circa nov. 2 2004.

xpost

― sleep (sleep), Thursday, 28 April 2005 20:26 (twenty years ago)

All I know is I have had it up to here with activist radio programmers!

― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Thursday, 28 April 2005 20:31 (twenty years ago)

"American Bad Ass"

― sleep (sleep), Thursday, 28 April 2005 20:33 (twenty years ago)

isn't kid rock actually something of a liberal?

real "red state rock" would probably be less over-the-top and silly about the whole thing. more deadly earnest.

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Thursday, 28 April 2005 20:36 (twenty years ago)

I don't know, he's just what popped to mind upon reading it. Maybe I just slot him into the "dumb rock" set then. Hopefully nobody gets all riled up about that.

― sleep (sleep), Thursday, 28 April 2005 20:42 (twenty years ago)

Because it doesn't mean rock made by and consumed by "dumb" people, although it could be read that way.

― sleep (sleep), Thursday, 28 April 2005 20:44 (twenty years ago)

Toby Keith is a misogynistic, hedonistic, psuedo-macho, uneducated fool, unlike most gangster-rappers who for unknown reasons avoid those same adjectives from the people who hate people like Toby Keith.

Last time I checked most rock n roll pioneers were poor people from the South. This "dumb red-state rock" thing is insanely hypocritical and myopic.

― Cunga (Cunga), Thursday, 28 April 2005 23:50 (twenty years ago)

cunga: so is this dumb "red-state" thing to begin with. FALSE DICHOTOMY.

― brilliant young and angsty (thatguy), Friday, 29 April 2005 00:04 (twenty years ago)

I like blount's description of Canada as a "blue state"

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Friday, 29 April 2005 00:07 (twenty years ago)

Also, swing-state rock SUCKS. E.g., Creed (Florida).

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Friday, 29 April 2005 00:12 (twenty years ago)

Joe Nichols!

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Friday, 29 April 2005 00:36 (twenty years ago)

What's this thing I keep hearing about called a radio station?

― cdwill, Friday, 29 April 2005 01:34 (twenty years ago)

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