Ongoing History of New Music looks at things from the alt-rock universe to hip hop, from artist profiles to various thematic explorations. It is Canada’s most w...
The 100 Greatest Rock Moments of the Millennium So Far - Part 1: (100-91)
Keeping up to date with the news cycles is exhausting…so much comes at us from so many different directions that it’s impossible to know if we’re in the middle of something important or not…everything seems urgent, threatening, and life-changing…there’s precious little time for careful consideration, study, and analysis.
Keeping up with technology and its effect on society is another big challenge…one moment everyone seems caught up with a particular gadget or app—but a month or even a week later, that’s old news and everyone has moved on.
Remember how the world was supposed to end when the planet’s computers melted down over the Y2K bug?...wasn’t the world supposed to end with the end of the Mayan calendar in 2012?...weren’t we supposed to have run out of oil by now?
When you mix technology with the news cycle, our ever-shortening attention spans, how the world is interconnected 24/7, and how we’re able to individualize everything that we take in, it’s easy to lose track of what the hell is happening…one of my favourite doomsday predictions had to do with the large hadron collider along the French-Swiss border…before it was switched on, people were saying that scientists risked creating an artificial black hole that would suck everyone into oblivion.
And don’t get me started on conspiracy theories…chemtrails…flat earthers…9/11 was an inside job…the U.S. government using a facility in Alaska to control the world’s weather.
This is why it’s important every once in a while, we stop and take stock of things…big picture stuff matters…long-term consequences matter…the knock-on effects of something that was once considered inconsequential and unnoticed matter.
It’s difficult enough to remember what exactly happened...it’s even more difficult to determine what really mattered over the long term...even so, what were merely transient distractions may have turned out to be groundbreaking in the long run…was that thing a fad or was it predictive of something bigger in the future?
And then there’s music…so much has changed in a very short period of time…and now that we’re a quarter of the way through the 21st century, enough time has passed so that we can look back with some clarity.
Welcome to a special “ongoing history of new music” series…these are the 100 most important moments in rock in the 21st century—so far—part one.
Songs in this episode:
The Police - Driven to Tears
Manskin - I Wanna Be Your Slave
Linkin Park - In The End
U2 - Vertigo (live at The Sphere)
Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill (live at Apollo Hammersmith 2014)
Blink 182 - Bored to Death
Silverchair - Tomorrow
Gorillaz - Feel Good Inc.
Pearl Jam - Animal (live in Montreal circa 2000)
Arctic Monkeys - I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor (Demo from MySpace)
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38:32
In Memoriam 2024
A couple of years ago, it became obvious that we were entering an era where music fans were increasingly going to be sad…that’s because our musical heroes are shuffling off this mortal coil.
It really hit hard in 2016—that was a bad year with the deaths of David Bowie and Prince—that really brought home the unfortunate reality that we will continue to lose people who have been making music for us for years, maybe decades.
We didn’t necessarily know any of these people personally…but it was through their music that learned something about ourselves…so when they die, a little bit of us might go with them.
I think it’s important that we remember those musicians who have passed on…that’s why we have this annual look at who died…we need to honour the work of these musicians and music people…and with so many of them going, we at the very least need to remember that they did indeed pass away.
This is the 2024 “In Memoriam” show…grab yourself a box of tissues.
Songs in this episode:
Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill
The MC5 - Kick Out The Jams
Mojo Nixon and Skid Roper - Elvis is Everywhere
World Party - Ship of Fools
The Raspberries - Go All The Way
Nirvana - Heart-Shaped Box
The Selector - On My Radio
Crazy Town - Butterfly
Greg Kihn Band - The Break-Up Song
My Chemical Romance - Welcome to the Black Parade
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32:59
Theories, Thoughts, and Half-Baked Ideas
One of the byproducts of doing a show like this for as long as I’ve been doing it is that it’s really hard to shut off your brain.
I’m always thinking about topic ideas, ways to connect facts and trivia, reading a lot of books, talking to a lot of people, and otherwise trying to come up with a constant stream of topics we can discuss.
The result of all this research and thinking and writing are some ideas and perspectives on music, music history, how music is made, how it’s consumed and distributed, and how seemingly small things have led to big changes…that’s one thing.
Another is the opinions formed by observing the opinions of others…why do people like some things and hate others?... another is a list of ideas that aren’t quite fully formed…it seems like I’ve almost grasped a concept. Still, it doesn’t feel right yet—but I feel there’s a germ of truth somewhere.
I’ve also learned that when you’re unsure about something, source the crowd…you might like the answers, but it’s better than living in your own head.
So, let me bounce a few of these things off you, and you can tell me if I’m onto something, if I’m off base, or if I’ve completely lost the plot…
I call this episode “theories, thoughts, and half-baked ideas”.
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39:40
The Kings of Quirk
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder—or in the case of music, the ear…what’s pleasant to one person is nothing but noise to someone else…
This is where it’s good to have some patience…there are some forms of art whose beauty isn’t obvious at first…you need to stick with it…and after you’ve given it a chance and decided that it’s not for you, fine…
But what about those times when something happens—suddenly or slowly and either on your own or with the prompting of someone else—and you realize that the weird music you’re listening to is actually pretty good?...
This is the payoff…yeah, you really had to work for it—but it was worth it…with me so far?..
“Beauty” doesn’t mean “perfect”—at least in the technical sense…sometimes imperfection makes something more beautiful…or at least more interesting…
This brings me to the topic of singing voices…this is a very subjective area…how many times have you said, “Listen to that guy!... I can’t stand his voice!...how did he ever get a record deal?... I mean, listen to him!”
But then others hear the same thing and go, “wow…that’s really different…really expressive…it’s full of character and emotion…what a bold move giving this dude a chance to real millions of people… I love this guy!”…
These are the kind of singers we’re about to review: guys with some of the most unusual voices in the history of alt-rock.
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33:00
The Queens of Quirk
For a very long time—too long—women were locked in very defined roles when it came to rock’n’roll…girls were expected to look pretty and do little more than sing…okay, maybe shake a tambourine or something…but that was about it…
And when it came to singing, “Just stick with conventional stuff, dear…don’t get any crazy ideas in your head…this is a woman’s role in rock, and you should stick to it…that’s a nice little lady”…
But then along came punk rock in the 1970s…punk did many things for rock—including knocking down a lot of heretofore inviolable gender roles…the central tenet of punk was that anyone should have the right to say anything in any matter they want regardless of who they are…that included women and their right to self-expression…
The result was fantastic. Freed from all the old expectations, women were free to reinvent themselves as musicians in a million different ways leading to a wonderful array of female performers…
Some of my favourites are the ones who decided to spit in the face of virtually every rock’n’roll convention—women who (before punk came along and liberated everyone from the tyranny of “the way things ought to be”) developed styles that were different and unique and utterly unlike anything the world had ever heard before…
Yes, some of them were an acquired taste and took a little getting used to…but once people figured out what they were trying to do and what they were all about, it was inevitable that they would become addicted, enchanted, and inspired…
We’re going to look at ten of these women…I call them “The Queens of Quirk”
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Ongoing History of New Music looks at things from the alt-rock universe to hip hop, from artist profiles to various thematic explorations. It is Canada’s most well known music documentary hosted by the legendary Alan Cross. Whatever the episode, you’re definitely going to learn something that you might not find anywhere else. Trust us on this.
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