American Pie

by

Anti-Heros

Edit

Ox doesn't know what he's talking about. The Anti-Heros are among the finest Oi!/Streetpunk bands of the 90s, with an aggresive hardcore sound, and this is one of their best albums.

Ox's "proof" that the Anti-Heros are racist by their lyrics are baseless. The song "Return to Manzannar" never mentions any race, let alone the Japanese Internment camps. The song is about a young man who grows up in a shallow and corrupted world of greed and hatred. The lyrics Ox posted to the song "Murder One" (people like you don't deserve to live free i think you'd look good hanging from a tree, no remorse, you dealt the spades. i hope you get raped in jail and die of AIDS) is what Mark Noah, the bands lead singer, wants the fate of three punks who brutally murderd a homeless Vietnam War Veteran to be. The song has nothing to do with racism of any kind. It has a lot do to with Justice though. Finally, "Rock N Roll Nigger" is a Patti Smith cover. When Patti did it, the song wasn't racist. Why is it suddenly Racist just because Anti-Heros cover it? At the end of the song, Mark Noah refers to each one of the band members as a "nigger." Yeah, sounds real racist to me. Same goes for "White Riot" which was a Clash song. The Clash were fans of Reggae music and played at numerous Rock Against Racism shows in London. That song is not Racist in the least, and the Anti-Heros cover is just the same. (On that note, if someone is going to condemn a band for naming their song "Rock N Roll Nigger" then the same condemnation should be given to John Lennon and Yoko Ono for their song "Woman is the Nigger of the World." Just try and call them a racist pair...)

The fact is the Anti-Heros are a less then left wing band who are pro-American, anti-Communist, and very proud of their working-class southern roots. The band is among the oldest Oi!/Skinhead bands in the US and have never had anything to do with racism in their lyrics. They're just the greatest Hardcore Streetpunk bands in the American scene. Period.

To be honest, after I had heard several Anti Heroes songs I was pleased. I Figured: "This makes Oi look good", and I bought the cd. Unfortunatly, all the songs I had heard were the ones that didnt show the real Anti Heroes; the racist, homophobic nazi side of them. I about broke my stereo when I heard the lyrics to one of their songs, and i quote: "Scum like you dont deserve to live free I think you look good hanging from a tree No remorse when you delt all the spades Hope you get raped in jail and die of aids" Such lyrics make me sick. the song "Return to Manzanar" is primarily about sending Japanese Americans to concentration camps and the only songs they ever cover are "White Riot" and "Rock and Roll Nigger". If you are a real punk or rudeboy you will avoid this trash. I hope this opens some of your eyes.