emo vs. emo

Over the weekend, everybody's favorite website, Absolutepunk.net, posted this statement from Tim Kinsella (of Joan of Arc and Make Believe, as of late) and his take on all things associated with mall-punk and emo (shudder). In short, he hates it.

Then Max Bemis of Say Anything posted this statement, which pretty much says "Fuck you."

First off, the idea of two genre stalwarts fighting each other over the internet is pretty hilarious. This is probably just as amusing as that whole "The Killers Vs. Fall Out Boy" thing.

It sort of interesting that Kinsella chastises a genre that he pretty much helped pioneer in the mid-nineties, although I'm sure seeing a bunch of children who spend more time on their hair rather than writing songs is probably the last thing he had in mine, or would want to take credit for.

I can see where Kinsella is coming from. I blast contemporary emo pretty much everyday on this thing. I think it's ridiculous when there are bands who lack drive and talent (i.e. Panic at the Disco) get signed before they play a single show. It's dumb. Media (not that conspiracy "the media" shit, but mass media) has given these children the keys to the toy store and now they're running it into the ground.

But I can also hear out Bemis in pointing out Kinsella's hypocracy, as a person who was a pioneer in the genre accusing the current hit bands of being sell outs, yet he writes it in Alternative Press, rather than Punk Planet, Maximum Rock & Roll or Giant Robot.

Here's the thing: music is subjective. Even with all the crap I write about bands, I don't EXPECT anyone to take my opinions as Bible truth but just what they are, opinions. For every Panic, Motion City Soundtrack or From First To Last, there's a new band like Say Anything, that I feel is doing this messy genre any justice.

Do I feel that kids are being marketed to? Of course. I wouldn't write about it extensively if I didn't feel that way, but I don't think that the bands are to blame or be responsible. It's to the point where it's pretty obvious that pop-punk/emo is pretty much a marketing tool and if the kids don't realize that, then it's their own damn fault and they are to blame when they're 45 and they still have a shitty Alkaline Trio tattoo.

Personally, I have written a song or two about this sort of thing, but it's more of a topical nature. I'd like to raise awareness, but it's not my nature to be didatic about it. Even on this forum.

On a side note, what's even funnier than these two going at it is the fact that people will take sides. Pop-punk hipsters vs. regular hipsters. Maybe there's something to this war, after all.