Me Against My Brother
There's a proverb in many countries in this part of the world- Somalia, Iraq, Afghanistan, and others- that runs something like this:
“Me and my clan against the world, Me and my family against my clan, Me and my brother against my family, Me against my brother.”
Though there are many variants (sometimes is nation or state instead of world) the message is clear. Some people- both individuals and larger aggregates- have a divisive and contentious disposition. A recent article on Switched.com suggests that a somewhat similar state of mind is not unknown to punks or the people who blog about them:
Richard Reinhardt, or, as he's more commonly known, Richie Ramone, is suing just about every company under the sun that offers digital music downloads, including Apple, Real Networks, and Wal-Mart. The former drummer of the seminal 1970s-1980s punk band The Ramones is even going after the estate of Johnny Ramone, the band's late lead guitarist.What's Reinhardt's beef? According to reports, the suit claims that was no agreement for the digital distribution of the six songs Reinhardt wrote as a member of the Ramones. The songs in question are "Smash You," Human Kind," "I'm Not Jesus," "I Know Better Now," "Somebody Put Something In My Drink," and "(You) Can't Say Something Nice."
Over the four years and three albums, none of the six songs Reinhardt wrote were singles, and yet the guy is demanding $900,000 in back royalties and an injunction against future distribution of his work. Is he out of line? Given the rising stock of Apple and its ilk, we say good for Reinhardt!
Whatever merit punk may have, it is at its non-conformist best when its counter-cultural, when it can't or won't "say something nice" and against the state, when its out to "smash" outworn previaling norms, and even against the free-enterprise system when it's not free enough. But if that is true, then punk is its god-awful worst when its using the legal system, the powers of the state, against its brothers, especially dead ones. On that point I suspect even Afghan, Somali, and Iraqi clansmen "know better now."