As the Saints of Los Angeles Mötley Crüe warrants a documentary however for now The Dirt their biopic on Netflix is Straight Outta Compton for White People. (I haven’t see Bohemian Rhapsody…haven’t been on airplane for a bit…maybe when it’s on Netflix?)
The Dirt (while a deeply flawed movie…it’s not even good in parts) is a disheartening symbol of how sanitized and sterilized our pop culture has become. And is becoming! Remember when rock n roll (and comedy!!) were dangerous? Those were good times. Sigh.
We lived through Disco Demolition Night, Disco Sucks, “Kids In Satan’s Service,” The 1995 Source awards, East Coast-West Coast beef, Ruthless Records, Tipper Gore’s Parental Advisory label, 2 Live Crew and far more.
Hell we spun records backwards for “Amazing Stories.”
This wasn’t just pop culture these were our greatest weapons: we could openly declare war against vampiric teachers determined to leach out our individuality. 8:30 to 3:30 Monday to Friday was The Slow Death: the state approved euthanasia program for all children.
There had to be a better life than fearing The Permanent Record; there had to be joy and fun and creativity.
Oh and how we found it: MTV made more sense that any teacher ever could. It offered a far more compelling vision.
Rock ‘n’ Roll instantly mugged math robbing it of any value; while rap easily eclipsed the tattered books peddled in English.
It no longer made sense…nor was it responsible to follow the slow status quo escalator to the designated retirement and death. The stairs were gonna be work but so damn worth it…you know many flights it takes to get to the top? I’d much rather do that work than do your work.
Even if I don’t make it…it’s still a better life than anything school ever had to offer. My heart is my guidance counsellor.
Freedom is more fun than fundamentalism.
As flawed as it is…may The Dirt be inspiration for the kids trapped in school who (for now!) hafta tolerate the cheap kitsch morality of Twitter: a pious pissing contest where everybody loses out…most especially Our Pop Culture. Status Quo Status is still status I suppose. Eh…good for you. For the rest of us…the few of us…the brave and the bold:
“It begins with us, not with politicians, the experts or the teachers but with us. With you and with me.” And that’s the real dirt.
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Sammy Younan is the affable host of My Summer Lair podcast: think NPR’s Fresh Air meets Kevin Smith: interviews & impressions on Pop Culture.
