I couldn't agree more!
Rob Long:
"Even for me, an ultra-loyal Republican, the two creepiest words in the English language are 'Christian rock.'
"I've listened to my fair share of it, too—long drive across the country; busted iPod—and there's something so weird about it. It sounds like regular bad music when you first tune in. The lyrics always seem like regular bad music lyrics, too—'I feel your body next to mine/ And that makes my whole life shine'—but after a second or two you realize that they're singing about Jesus, not some girl named Mandy, and the whole thing just seems, well, creepy. Because rock music—and most other forms of entertainment, when you really think about it—is fundamentally about carnal desire. And Jesus, when you really think about it, is fundamentally not."
My sentiments exactly!
My cousin - who is about the nicest guy on the planet - was in a Christian rock band and they were very good, but I couldn't get into the lyrics. They were fantastic, too. Eventually, they broke up, went to college and sold all the equipment my uncle had bought. Maybe they figured out that rock music is by it's nature, vulgar and primal, and either they had to give in to it or walk away completely (I've never talked to my cousin about it, admittedly.)
Rock's power is derived not from musical virtuosity but from hormonally-fueled angst. The best rock is usually basic and straightforward - the early Who, the Ramones, Jet, etc. That's why music like Yes and ELP is as much of a joke as the Rolling Stones continuing to tour at their advanced age. Rock is greasy, grimy kid's stuff.
My idea of Christian music is, as you might expect, more akin to classical music. The power and majesty of God cannot be expressed by two chords. Pachelbel's canon and any Johann Sebastian is emeniently preferable. Gregorian Chant is a given, because its solemn in its tranquility, and magnificent in its harmony.
The article cited talks about the GOP using pseudo-celebs at the convention. Just as I wish the Masses I attend would be free of acoustic guitars and selections from the Glory and Praise Songbook (shudder...), I want my GOP bereft of the vulgarity of celebrity. It's called the high road.
