Bandages

Bandages by Hot Hot Heat

When the 'garage rock' revolution or renaissance of 2000 and 2001 took off, it brought rock music back to the forefront, or at least, to the conscious of white, middle America. I've always been surprised that it didn't take off even more so. Yes I guess the White Stripes are pretty much HUGE at this point, and the Strokes will sell out 2,000 seat places and probably sell 100,000 records... but still the pop-punk that Greenday 'started' in the mid 90s seems to have deeper commercial roots. Then again, when I think about this, it's probably because Sum 41 and Good Charlotte write songs that aren't about being 23, which is what the Strokes do. I'm sure I wouldn't love the Strokes if I was 15 when "Last Nite" came out.

Anyway, what was I saying... oh yeah, eventually I was going to point out that the "Garage Rock" of 2000 and 2001 lacked something necessary for mainstream awareness: Fun. The Strokes were conscious of the 21st century existence of being a male in a sea of women and frats. The White Stripes are the White Stripes, they have fun and most of us weren't/aren't/will never be in on the joke, thus they aren't fun. The Hives were a shot in the pan. The Vines sucked. Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs were too arty or at least looked way too Village for America. The Dandy Warhols (I'll include them just to include them) were far too aware and tried to hard. There was no fun.

But then this song came out, and it was fun and everyone loved it, and if the iPod was huge then, I'm sure if would have been used in an iPod commercial (and maybe it was, I don't remember). This song is fun... and that's why I've always thought that the narrator is more writing this song as a fun joke to his girlfriend... they sort of flirty, you're a pain in my ass, type of stuff that couples engage in. Maybe I'm wrong... who knows.

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