Evolution Control Committee
It's hard to believe there was a time when something could go viral without there being Twitter or Facebook or Reddit but back in 1998, Evolution Control Committee did just that with a little ditty called "Rocked By Rape."
This song was notable in that it took a bunch of Dan Rather nightly newscast edits and then strung them together to make it sound like he was rapping over a sample of AC/DC's "Back in Black."
CBS helped this song tremendously by sending a cease and desist which garnered tons of sympathetic press and hopefully sales. CBS never followed through on its suit, but I don't see how they could have won and come off as looking like the good guy there, anyway.
To me this was a song was a biting satire that points out the media mantra of "if it bleeds it leads." Never any good news on the air, unless you count the last thirty seconds of the broadcast when they drum up some ho-hum human interest story.
I saw Evolution Control Committee in a tiny room at CMU. The room might have actually been where lectures happened, I don't know. I also saw Smog there.
What blew me away about ECC was their show was so insanely conceptual, that everything the guy did was just layer upon layer of social commentary. I remember at one point he wondered aloud whether we've been noticing all the people out there dressed in big pants. And then he disappeared behind a curtain and emerged wearing a giant pair of pants.
What I mean is, he was wearing a giant pair of pants, covering his face, so his head was wear the crotch would be. And then he put on some rap song (I have no idea by who) and started lip (?) syncing to it. Full disclosure, I was stone cold sober when I saw this, even if it sounds otherwise.
I remember hopping online and somehow finding his mailing address in Ohio and sent him a letter saying how blown away I was by the show. He sent me a response and while the details are lost to the ages, I do recall it came with some strange playing cards in it, and one of them said "Say something nice about policemen."
I have no idea if he created these cards or if they were part of an actual game, but what I do know is, that was one of the more memorable concerts I've seen. How many artists create memories that stay with you for twenty years?
By the way I've got a novel coming out next month. Normally, I'd be discussing it, the way I did A-Sides & B-Sides. But this one's a little different.
Stay tuned.