At 35, "Rock" is Just a Noun

I like the Opie and Anthony show. I try to keep my blog pretty clean, their radio show is not. But it is funny if you enjoy a "no-hold-barred" type of humor where you never say "you can't joke about that". If you are, to pick a random example, my parents, you might be convinced that the un-censored half is one of the signs that the decline of Western civilization is complete.

A while back, Gregg "Opie" Hughes mentioned the Night Ranger song "(You Can Still) Rock In America," questioning exactly what the hell that means. Were we ever in danger of not being able to Rock? Were there other countries where Rock had been outlawed, but it was still legal in America? Were they just pointing out that after 30-odd years (at the time) that Rock was still available? Nobody knows. Perhaps if you knew more of the lyrics than:

You can still rock in America!

Ah yeah, s'alright"

it would shed some light on it, but probably not. That was the 1980's for you though, the lyrics just weren't that deep. Ten years later the grunge movement would be in full swing and more intellectual lyrics like

A mulatto,

An albino,

A mosquito,

My libido,

Yea!

would cause the music in the 1990s to seem more thoughtful and well-read.

In 1984 Twisted Sister released the "Stay Hungry" album, which scared a lot of parents, probably mine included, but the truth is that they were far from the scariest thing out there. I have a hunch I might have been a pain in the ass if I never heard a Twisted Sister album. Anyway, the album contained the song "I Wanna Rock". Not a song about one's longing for granite countertops, "Rock" is a verb once again:

I wanna rock! (Rock)

I wanna rock! (Rock)

I want to rock (Rock)

I wanna rock! (Rock)

The subtle use of the word "to" in the third line disambiguates the whole thing and proves Rock is in fact used as a verb. In 1984, this made sense to me. In 2006, it pretty much goes on the same shelf with a hippie talking about the oil companies keeping a genius from releasing an engine that gets 200mpg. I still like the song, but I'm not sure whether or not I have time to rock right now. And if I do have time, I'm not sure what the hell it means. I'm pretty sure people who prefer jazz enjoy their music just as much. I'm not sure if they're rocking, or jazzing, or they just don't address it.

Later on in the week, I'm going to a concert. A rock concert. Perhaps I'll rock, I'm not really sure. Could be I'll rock and won't even know it. But one thing is for sure - I'll bitch about paying for parking.