First there was nothing - then Elvis got on tv and shook his hips around.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-_6BUtyWK4

Unfortunately getting the ball rolling was about all he did right in my opinion. Elvis was always a reluctant rebel (how could any admirer of Nixon ever be considered the king of rock and roll?) Fortunately we didn't have to wait long before the Beatles laid the groundwork for all things political in rock, how music can actually make a difference, but most importantly: how politics can be cool.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DFir6ABtGU

More recently though, it seems like apathy is the new black - the prevailing attitude being that activism, and musical activism, is for whiny boring humourless snobs. There have been some reasonable attempts from modern artists to change this, to express the fire that is currently dormant in those who believe in peace…this modern take on an old peace song summarised the mood of a moment for me: the nostalgia for when there was genuine fight, combined with the modern darker feeling of hopelessness and alienation:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpqKA9_ddFk

But when real rebellion happens today, it's usually blown out of proportion - case in point, the next clip was a mild incident which must have seemed like a big deal in a country severely lacking in genuine challenges to authority.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jz8wU9DdbqU

The truth is, there hasn't been a genuine triumphant moment of rebellious spirit in music since Atari Teenage Riot performed during, and in the middle of riots in Berlin in '99 (do watch this one).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ab7Dksqfnw

Can you get any more rock than that? I think not.

But these moments of disruption of the status quo are depressingly fleeting. People feel too powerless today. As if to challenge the mainstream just isn't worth the hassle. And the new generation of youth, well, they just don't care, lest they be thought uncool.

My conclusion is that the left needs to grow some balls, like the good old days.

My theory is that the left is too divided.

Marxism and socialism got their arses kicked by capitalism, and the socialists never got together and officially abandoned the socialist model, in favour of fixing the flaws of capitalism.

Then the free marketeers were allowed to run riot and say what they wanted about how great their system was.
The remnants of McCarthyism had the socialists tarnished pretty badly, and nobody was willing to be friends with them. The left had nothing to hold on to any more, except a few random causes, which plenty of them disagreed on.

I'm most definitely a leftie, though I can acknowledge there is at least a grain of truth to the claim that about all the lefties can seem to agree on, is a dislike of American foreign policy.

Go the Democrats.

Though yeah, I'm pissed there aren't more protest songs. Without the likes of the folkies like John Butler, Xavier Rudd and Ash Grunwald, I think Australian music would be rather screwed.

Plus... it helps having some independent music succeed. It can't be good that a few record companies control all the shots.

We do still have a bit of rebellion, though it's mostly through apathy - illegal music downloads. Take that EMI and Sony!

Viva la selfish revolution!

But that's just it - I'm lamenting the fact that political music is now limited to hairy hippies like John Butler and Xavier Rudd..

Where's todays Sex Pistols equivalent? I wanna see raging against the machine, not...crooning..against..personal hygeine...

Well... on the American scene, you've got the likes of Michael Franti and Spearhead, but even he doesn't seem to be as pissed off as he used to be.

You're right - Australia does need some rock on topics that actually matter. The last thing we need is another emo whinging about how some girl doesn't like him. Or does like him. Or his parents don't understand him, or hell, whatever it is emos like to whinge about.

Maybe Peter Garrett can get back to music and do a little shilling. It'd probably be wise for him to lay off the army bases for a while though...

Rebellion become uncool when the baby boomers decided to commodify it to the hilt. Hip Hop, Punk whatever its all a marketing tool now. The real rebels are branded as losers, elites, crazy, even terrorists sometimes. So whats left? We do as Public Enemy suggested 'Fight the Power' and hope for society to evolve beyond this nightmare.

A few good tunes would help, something that the masses could whistle.
The French Revolution or the Commune in Paris wouldn't have got off the ground if Rock was all they'd had

Since communism proved itself to be a false promise of salvation to the masses. Usually the revolutionary leaders became worse tyrants than the rulers they opposed.

Since the power shifted from the workers to the corporations. Now the workers dont protest they keep their heads down for fear of dismissal.

Personally I'm a country music fan. From the John Denver, good country music era. I dont like Rap or is it Crap music.

The new Industrial Relations laws would have made a good protest song.

sharkfin... you'll have a tough time convincing the youth of today that Country Music is cool. I've yet to be persuaded - though I agree, most rap is crap.

Generally they tend to put together one of those keyboard style beats and just drone to it about 'hos' and 'gettin rich' (Yes, 50 cent I loathe you).

Occasionally you get an artist who puts together a quality piece of music and happens to rap to it - read Cat Empire - though in most cases the influence of these artists are so varied you can't really pin them into a rap category. Somewhere between acid jazz, hip hop and latin I guess.

Though I'm getting sidetracked - the political musical movement. Why is it that it's been castrated?

I don't think politics are on the decline, but apathy is on the rise. That isn't to say a band with talent couldn't get damn popular with political material.

The issue they face, is if they take principled stands, they will alienate a large part of their potential audience.

Their true fans however, will be that much more loyal.

It's a shame Rage Against The Machine broke up. I heard rumours they were getting back together for a concert in the US, though I can't substantiate that.

I still remember the clip of them playing "Sleep Now In The Fire" while on Wall Street and being told to leave by the police.

Classic.

That was one of the clips in my original post..

Um yeah, as for hip hop - if you're only exposed to the mainstream (fiddy cent) of course you'll think it sucks. It's interesting how the 'hos and money' theme is diametrically opposed to the roots of hip hop, from communities so poor they didn't even have musical instruments, hence making do with nothing but your words and cupping your hands over your mouth to make beats.

Anyway. I learned a long time ago to not judge an artist by their genre. There's good stuff (and crap stuff) to be found in every genre, just like movies....

But yeah, sidetracked. Rage Against the Machine - nah, reforming would never capture the original spirit of 'f* you i want do what you tell me'. It needs to be totally new, and catch everyone off guard. Thats how these things really hit home.