rock music

I finished reading Body Piercing Saved My Life: Inside the Phenomenon of Christian Rock by Andrew Beaujon a few weeks back, yet I haven’t had a chance to write down just a smidgen of my ponderings. The man has some good points about how mediocrity is accepted in the Christian music industry, still he does point out that is has come a long way from its beginnings. In the midst of writing about the countless awful bands he saw and listened too, a few good bands he came across, and numerous interviews he had with bands, labels, and other big wigs, Beaujon opened my eyes to quite a bit. For instance a few years back I read a short note from the editor of CCM in which he was responding to readers questions on why Swtichfoot had not been placed on the cover yet for their new CD. He wrote that the band (or its manager, either way) had kindly asked not to be put on the cover; he then went on to state that he understood and respected their decision not to be put on the cover of a Christian magazine. Me, I didn’t get it, and at the time I remember losing a lot of respect for the band, viewing their decision as one made because they were too greedy or good for the front of a Christian magazine. After reading the book I now can look back and kick myself for being so narrow-minded. Switchfoot, as I am sure you all know, is played on mainstream and Christian markets. The band has great music and lyrics, if they would have agreed to have their picture on the front of the magazine sales on the mainstream market could plummet. People would view the band as a Christian Band solely playing music in order convert its audience, instead of viewing the group as Christians in a band. So what’s the problem? The band isn’t denouncing God and writing songs about pimps and hoes or cussing and hating, they are simply getting their “positive” lyrics and rock music to a larger audience. If you still don’t get it, I can talk to ya later; however, you are entitled to your own opinion.
Maybe to others it will seem that the book only made me more critical and opinionated towards Christian music, and more open to bands that ruffle feathers for not following a norm, but even if that is the case what is the problem? If the band is good, give them a chance. Don’t knock ‘em down for playing on certain venues or not doing something the way so many mediocre bands do, they probably are making a bigger impact on society rocking the way they do.