as an actual artistic vehicle, rock is over and has been for a long time.

but, we can still have a beer and watch a silly band, and they can never take that away.

no, no, listen....

i would still rather listen to spinal tap than kanye west. it's not like negating it's seriousness negates it's enjoyment, or somehow makes those other clowns less clownish, themselves.

but, this is all that's left, and it's best to come to terms with it.

it's the ending point of the genre.

all jazz is fusion.

and, all rock is spinal tap.

i have to admit that i didn't initially take this seriously, between the sitars and the twee j-pop vocals. but, after subsequent listens, the camp actually became a selling point.

it's certainly still hard to take seriously, but i've always had a soft spot for music that you can't take seriously, and it's kind of eating away at that spot.

so, what's the point of writing this review, if you can't take it seriously, anyways? it's the kind of thing that you don't want to analyze, because you'll ruin it - like a waveform collapsing. and, see, i don't like that interpretation of the theory anyways, but i know i'm not accomplishing anything in picking this apart.

i mentioned a few years ago that we'll know rock is truly dead when it enters the novelty phase, but what's maybe depressing about it actually happening is the realization that it really is still more interesting.

so, if the history books end up written by harry shearer, in the end, there's a place for something like this in them.

https://kikagakumoyoggb.bandcamp.com/album/masana-temples

what would i actually do if i were at a show and the band started praying?

i wouldn't react immediately. i mean, i'd have to get over the shock of it, first. it would be a weird thing to experience, and i'd have to actually process it, first.

but, you can be pretty sure that i'd either get up and leave or at least go out for a smoke, until the set is done. it would clear me out of the room, without question, and there's not much chance i'd come back to finish the set.

i don't have any clear memories of this ever happening, mostly because this is probably something i'd catch well ahead of time, but i have walked out on bands and djs (the latter more often) for being openly misogynist.

again: i'm not interested in banning things. i'm a free speech advocate, up to the point of calling for actual violence (unless you're talking about killing nazis or other nazi-like extremists, such as islamic fundamentalists, in which case calling for violence is a necessary form of self-defense, and i'd not only not ban it but advocate it). but, i have a strong ideological opposition to any kind of public prayer at all, and i couldn't remotely support somebody doing it in front of me - i would vote with my feet and clear right out.

i don't know what the show was like tonight, but i hope it was secular and i hope people had fun.