It’s a real pain in the ass to figure out what’s going on in the world without a punk band making songs about it. What other options are there? News? Not reading that. They sell advertising, and that means you can’t trust them.
It used to be so much easier! Case in point. You want to learn about the 1980s and Ronald Reagan? Just fire up the Dead Kennedys. That will tell you everything you need to know. Want to know about the Bush years? You could watch clips on YouTube. I’d rather listen to NOFX from The War on Errorism through Wolves in Wolves’ Clothing plus the Rock Against Bush compilations.
But what happens when you need news from around the world in places with shitty scenes? Basically, it means you’re fucked. Like this Brexit thing that everyone’s talking about. If you came here expecting to know how this is going to work, you’re shit out of luck. I have no idea what’s going on over in England. And no one else seems to either.
I know one guy who would have: Joe Strummer.
He would’ve made sense of all this deal, no deal, no confidence, vote, re-vote, hard Brexit, soft Brexit stuff. And what the hell is the Queen doing while all this going on? The Clash would have put out a killer album it would have all made sense.
Just imagine an updated version of “Should I Stay or Should I Go.” Not only super catchy and radio friendly, it would’ve been informative.
After a few listens, I’d be able to explain, “Well, actually Brexit was a flawed referendum that was never expected to pass to begin with, that’s why an exit plan was never crafted and politicians are scrambling now. It was drafted under the guise of dealing with migration and immigration issues while many argue it simply tricked the British working class to vote against their own long-term economic interests.”
But now? I’m totally in the dark. Sadly, Joe Strummer is no longer with us, and therefore, any chance for regular punks to know about Brexit is gone too.