Dave Grohl and California Chrome: Haters Gonna Hate

           

    I’ve never actually quoted a Taylor Swift song before, and I may go to Hell for it – or at least whatever serves as Hell for active or former rock critics. Which in fact may be a place where you are forced to listen to Taylor Swift songs for all eternity.  But here goes.

             

                Haters gonna hate.  As a gold star member of the rock critic’s club, I realize that we are a snooty bunch. Particularly those of us who began our careers in punk rock and slid into the grunge era partly by virtue of just not dying.

Back in the day the biggest insult that could be thrown was to call a band “careerist.” Remember when Kurt Cobain called Eddie Vedder that? It bruised ole’ Eddie to the core.  (Of course that was when Kurt was still breathing and not an avatar in Guitar Hero. Yes, that spinning sound you hear is Kurt in his grave. He honestly was tormented by success.)

                Seriously, this was thing. I wrote a multitude of articles about bands that sold out their art in a variety of ways that ranged from participating in sponsored tours (History note: When Coors subsidized its first rock tour it was greeted with howls . The bands that participated were roasted and pilloried for being associated with something so crass.), to commercials.  People still deconstruct every advertisement that uses a Dylan song, wondering what Dylan means by it. I suspect it means he needs to pay alimony.

                Clearly we’ve come a long way. This may or may not be a positive thing. On the one hand, sponsorships and licensing to commercials can be a financial lifeline for bands who aren’t making much money since people rarely buy music anymore. It was certainly wince-inducing when the Sid Vicious’ version of “My Way” showed up in an Acura ad last summer.

                It was also stupid product placement. I seriously doubt anybody who loved the Sex Pistols was happy about their memories being co-opted to sell luxury cars or rushed out to buy one. But Sid would have loved it.

               One of the on-going conversations in rock criticdom, is about what constitutes cool. This has come up a lot recently regarding one of my favorite people and bands: Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters. On the surface this would seem to be a non-argument.  I mean Dave was a member of Nirvana. Doesn’t that automatically make him a life member of cool? 

             

           Apparently not. After all he wasn’t the one who died young and left a beautiful corpse. (Though technically, neither did Kurt.) Dave the nice, agreeable, occasionally brilliant guy who believes -rightly so - that he should be able to earn a decent living from his music. Which is also nice, agreeable and occasionally brilliant.

          Grohl also seems completely tickled by his fame and often uses it for good rather than evil as opposed to, say, anything involving Ted Nugent. Grohl’s “Sound City” and the HBO series “Sonic Highways” are absolute love letters to the music and musicians he adores. Still he gets grief for it.

             

           No matter what you think of “Sonic Highways,” you have to admit he’s introduced a lot of people to artists and styles that they may never before have considered.  People, that’s a good thing.

           Sometimes, as with the latest Foo Fighters album, also titled “Sonic Highways” the music isn’t earth-shatteringly innovative which is a bummer . But it’s always listenable and infinitely preferable to almost everything on radio today. 

         

I’ve been hearing a lot of haters rant in another part of my life as well: horse racing.  People have just been stepping over themselves to rag on California Chrome. Chrome, as you might recall, is the California-bred horse that won the first two legs of the Triple Crown.

            Chrome has the misfortune of being co-owned by someone who is the poster boy for Hoof in Mouth Syndrome, Steve Coburn.  Coburn doesn’t know how to keep his trap shut. Additionally, he isn’t a good loser.  In fact, he is kind of an ass.

            That said, there are vast numbers of people who adore Chrome. For one thing, the horse oozes personality. Also, the owners and trainers have been beyond gracious to fans. They allow almost anyone who asks, to meet the horse and take pictures with him.  Believe me, that isn’t typical, and it has brightened many people’s lives. The connections have also donated Chrome items to auctions to benefit numerous horse charities. In short, the horse has made a lot of people really, really happy.

            Whether he should win Horse of the Year is not my call, and I can make the argument both for and against. But the amount of hate that is being thrown at him, and his devoted fanbase, who call themselves Chromies, is over-the-top and unnecessary. The bottom line is this: if the backlash was just in response to his owner’s asinine statements, it would have it would have blown over by now.

            It hasn’t. I believe that’s because, like the criticism about Dave Grohl and the Foos, Chrome is accessible. A lot of people prefer heroes, be they musical or equine, to be a little distant and remote. It gives them an aura, and makes them seem sacred.

            I for one, say screw that. Give me a nice horse that tries its damnedest, and a bandleader that does the same. That’s not to say that California Chrome is my favorite horse of all time. Nor are the Foos my regular choice for music. But I’m glad that they both exist.

            Now pardon me while I “Shake It Off.”