The intersection between indie music Twitter and politics is often the site of some of the most bewildering and spicy hot takes on the platform, and over the weekend, Twitter was treated to a nuclear take from Riot Grrl founder and Bikini Kill member Tobi Vail, who asked, "Can someone explain to my why people who play guitar have decided to revive shoegaze/dream pop and embrace dumb retro shit like Weezer in an era filled with violence, economic inequality, and abortion bans? The guitar pedal industrial complex is not the sound of the revolution."
Can someone explain to my why people who play guitar have decided to revive shoegaze/dream pop and embrace dumb retro shit like Weezer in an era filled with violence, economic inequality, and abortion bans? The guitar pedal industrial complex is not the sound of the revolution.
— Tobi Vail (@mstobivail) November 20, 2021
The implication of Vail's tweet is that in today's political climate, new acts should be making politically charged punk rock music as opposed to the more introspective, love-lorn music that defines music like Weezer and shoegaze/dreampop. She expounded to that effect in further tweets.
What I've learned today: a bunch of assholes really like the music I dislike and misunderstand the question I'm asking: why are people who play guitar focused on performative introversion, abstract soundscapes, and banal formalism while there are literal fascists on the streets?
— Tobi Vail (@mstobivail) November 20, 2021
In the late 90s we decided this type of music was called "light shining through a stained glass window" and while I get the appeal of it to a certain degree, it isn't something I understand being devotional about or reviving
— Tobi Vail (@mstobivail) November 20, 2021
This is not an altogether too surprising take to come from one of the most influential figures in punk rock history, but many Twitter users took to dunking on it for its holier-than-thou stance.
Society if weezer sung about abortion https://t.co/PBMs8OzwkA pic.twitter.com/IAvaGpiDeO
— jarvis cocker roach (@CockaroachLord) November 21, 2021
“Yo I’m thinking about starting a band that sounds like Weezer”
“Why would you do that? Don’t you know there are fascists in the streets?” https://t.co/61Pekk95EW— Mike (@ProgPro) November 21, 2021
"Dumb retro shit like Weezer" as if times of violence and economic inequality didn't fucking exist in the 90s how dense can you be https://t.co/vYdbux20Lc
— A Sh a de Christmas Miracle (@thisdopenose) November 21, 2021
We could have solved world hunger if ONLY 👏🏽WE 👏🏽HADNT 👏🏽USED 👏🏽REVERB 👏🏽PEDALS https://t.co/Jx28Oy3ELN
— Looks Like Broadcity V2 electric boogaloo (@tefitime) November 21, 2021
Society if Rivers Cuomo sang about the working class needing to rise up instead of singing about D&D: https://t.co/vYdbux20Lc pic.twitter.com/QJp2wYED72
— A Sh a de Christmas Miracle (@thisdopenose) November 21, 2021
While there is certainly room for debate on whether or not the world needs more politically charged music in the mainstream, one thing most everyone can agree on is that the "Revolution" will not be brought on by bad tweets.
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