53 replies to this topic

[Ally Needy]

http://www.rollingst...gender-20120508

[Ben]

I'm annoyed with myself for being 'shocked' by this (as 'shocked' as an indifferent, desensitised, 24-hour-news-consumer can be - so not actually very shocked at all)

All power to him... although I can't shake the niggling feeling that it's actually all an elaborate ruse to expose the prejudices of the 'punk' 'community'...

[Dexter Green]

I'm surprised by it, because as liberal as we all like to think we are the idea of changing one's sex is still quite alien to a lot of us. I wish him/her all the best with it and can't believe people within the punk scene feel they can be negative about his/her decision. Especially as we all know transgender is punk as fuck. Monk Dave has been a driving force in the punk rock transgender scene for years now.

[Ally Needy]

You saw my At The Drive-In afro that I had way before the band had even released their first record - I'm ahead of the trends. Always was, always will be.

[Owain Glyndoom]

All power to his/her elbow and all, but I did feel a bit like Ben did when I first read it.

[Ben]

I'm interested to see how it pans out for the band. Will Laura Jane still perform with the band? Will she keep the same vocal style when fronting the band?

[JayX]

Do people really still care? Either about Against Me or people being transgendered.

[Terry Hipflask]

Fiver says in the next week 'againstnicola!' from solutions comes out as wanting to be a lady

[Ally Needy]

Twentyfive!, on 09 May 2012 - 10:35 AM, said:

Fiver says in the next week 'againstnicola!' from solutions comes out as wanting to be a lady

[Noel]

JayX, on 09 May 2012 - 09:42 AM, said:

Do people really still care? Either about Against Me or people being transgendered.

can't believe something that doesn't affect me and which I never have to think about is an issue to other people

[Noel]

talking about Against Me! here obv

[Kate G]

Aw, good luck to her. She must have been bricking it about coming out with this.

I know nothing about Against Me! - is she the singer?

JayX, on 09 May 2012 - 09:42 AM, said:

Do people really still care? Either about Against Me or people being transgendered.

Yeah, course. For every big liberal city in America, there's a massive backwards Christian right campaigning against gay marriage and abortion, and everything that isn't WASPs eating apple pie. (It weirds me out how disparate the USA is in this respect - completely contrasting attitudes across states and cities.)

Edit: er, wrong pronouns.

Edited by Kate G, 10 May 2012 - 12:43 PM.

[Ally Needy]

Yes, he's the singer. Considering all the shit the band took from the punk scene for fast tracking when it came to labels (DIY > No Idea > Fat Wreck > major label) whilst singing about being "anarchists", this is probably nothing! I personally lost interest soon after the second album (first album is considered their "classic", and "Pints of Guiness Makes You Strong" was on a compilation I put out in 2000 or 2001) however they still cranked out some good songs like "Piss and Vinegar" and most recently "Because of The Shame" (solely because it sounds like "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey, that's pretty impressive in itself).

The "punx" left them behind a long time ago, but I think they did okay, although they purposely tried to break the "big time" with the last album (with George Rebello from Hot Water Music on drums), and got dropped soon after. Tom said in an interview he bought his mum a house with major label money or something like that.

Did you never see them, Kate? Played TJ's twice or three times (once with Black Cougar Shock Unit and Grabass Charlestons), and I put them on in the Oz Bar in Cardiff on their first UK tour in 2002. I'd got No Choice on as tour support, so went on most of the tour too. Nicky's life was never the same after that :-)

[Kate G]

Nah, never saw 'em. What I've heard I've not really liked, but I don't know whether it was the early or later stuff or whatever. That 'Baby, I'm an Anarchist' song makes me cringe. If that's generally representative of their music then I'll leave it, ta.

[Dexter Green]

'Baby, I'm An Anarchist' is supposed to be satirical... I think.

[NUMBER WANG]

Ally Needy, on 09 May 2012 - 11:33 AM, said:

they purposely tried to break the "big time" with the last album (with George Rebello from Hot Water Music on drums), and got dropped soon after. Tom said in an interview he bought his mum a house with major label money or something like that.

Steady on, Mantas.

[Ben]

They're a bit hit and miss tune-wise (and always have been), but they have some absolute bangers ("Pints of", "Thrash Unreal", "Because of the Shame")

The Guardian pointed out today that the 2007 song The Ocean contained some pretty heavy pointers towards his desire to be a woman. I had no idea as it's the last track on "New Wave" and I'd never, ever got that far into that album...

[Ally Needy]

I know, I have had that track / album in my iTunes for years and today is the first time I've ever listened to it. At least he's not just pulling a name out of thin air and already had it locked down at least 5 years ago!

[JayX]

Noel, on 09 May 2012 - 11:09 AM, said:

talking about Against Me! here obv

Kate G, on 09 May 2012 - 11:12 AM, said:

Yeah, course. For every big liberal city in America, there's a massive backwards Christian right campaigning against gay marriage and abortion, and everything that isn't WASPs eating apple pie. (It weirds me out how disparate the USA is in this respect - completely contrasting attitudes across states and cities.)

Oh I know there's plenty of dumb, backwards people out there... I just wanted to take a swipe at Against Me for not being particularly relevant anymore. Unless they are still, who knows. I can't say I ever really cared for them that much.

[Dexter Green]

Ben, on 09 May 2012 - 01:14 PM, said:

They're a bit hit and miss tune-wise (and always have been), but they have some absolute bangers ("Pints of", "Thrash Unreal", "Because of the Shame")

The Guardian pointed out today that the 2007 song The Ocean contained some pretty heavy pointers towards his desire to be a woman. I had no idea as it's the last track on "New Wave" and I'd never, ever got that far into that album...

Yeah, that song first came to my mind when I heard the news. That and the last song on Searching For a Former Clarity which mentions dressing up in women's clothes as a child "compulsions you never knew, the meaning to"