Interesting FB blog about the SPIN cover

[Johnny Meltone]

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The Magazine Stand

 

It's the end of July, 2009 and magazine stands in America have become, predictably, ersatz shrines to the late “King of pop”/pedophile-junkie, Michael Jackson. But there are two other magazines, magazine covers really, that have got my attention.

The first one is abundantly obvious to anyone who knows me and my unhealthy obsession with the quintessential American rock band Wilco. The August issue of SPIN magazine has on it's cover Wilco's leader, Jeff Tweedy. The second cover, the catalyst for theses words really, is the September issue of AARP magazine which has on it's cover American rock-n-roll icon Bruce Springsteen. That's right, AARP, as in American Association of Retired Persons.

Now the SPIN/Tweedy cover is not surprising on any level. Wilco is a band of vast, if not indie-credibility, certainly non-mainstream appeal. Exactly the type of artist SPIN puts on it's cover issue after issue, with the possible exception of Tweedy's age, 42(2 years younger than I) – which is older by some years than the SPIN target demographic. If there is anything surprising about this SPIN cover it's the deranged grin on the Nudie-clad, usually dour Tweedy. The Wilco cover story inside is your typical rock press fluff piece complete with article-specific photo compositions by some fancy schmancy photog.

“The Boss Turns 60” proclaims the AARP cover along with a stock photo of Springsteen in a stock rocker pose. (also “Service Rocks! 13 cool ways you can make a difference”) The accompanying article is an embarrassing schlock about getting all weepy during a recent performance of Badlands, and recognizing new era meanings in old Springsteen songs. Come to think of it, not a bad piece for, well, AARP.

Now Jeff Tweedy and Bruce Springsteen have monumental significance in my own personal rock-n-roll mythology/iconography. Springsteen was introduced to me on a mixed tape my older brother Mick made for me in 1978. Listening to Candy's Room & She's The One over & over for six months changed forever my understanding of rock music and liberated me from what I finally understood were the shackles of Top 40 A.M. radio. I continue to be a fan (and apologist) of Springsteen and it's impossible for me to imagine his music losing it's appeal. Wilco's discovery came about twenty years later when my friend Dave gave me a cassette tape of their 2nd album Being There. Listening to Misunderstood & Monday and the whole thing really, over & over for six months changed forever my understanding of emotion and fun in rock music, and liberated me from feeling that it needed to be pseudo-angry or rote or pretentious or formulaic.

And here they are on SPIN and AARP. One magazine trying to seem older. One magazine trying to seem younger. Two giant personal icons that redefined my understanding of artistic integrity and honesty having their coolness cache being played up to facilitate demographics and market-appeal and unit-shifting. SPIN I picked up at a book store. AARP I picked up on my elderly mother's coffee table. I have seen both artists perform live and was acutely aware of my relative age each time; younger than average at Springsteen, older than average at Wilco. It's difficult to be sure why these covers, these juxtapositions have me questioning the essence of cool and rock-n-roll. It's entirely possible, and quite likely that I never knew. Maybe that's just it.