another postpunk post

A few days ago watched the movie "Kill Your Idols," about the whole New York No Wave scene of the early 80s. I came away unimpressed and in fact a little depressed: I mean I certainly like the destructive *idea* of stripping rock and roll down to its essence, but in practice it ends up being a bunch of pretense. What's wrong with Chuck Berry? In the film, all these no-wavers (Lydia Lunch especially) went off about the fact that punk bands were just ripping off early rock and roll, but then again so what? If you actually *listen* to the guitar work of Bob Quine or Lou Reed or John Morton, there's nothing "bluesy" about it. It's scratchy and angular and spare. And yet it rocks too: give me the rock any day. If I want to think about music, I'll read Richard Meltzer. If I want to get away from rock, I'll listen to Ornette.