Skynard, as a southerner, has always been the nadir of "classic rock" to me (along with KISS and maybe Boston). To actually attack Neil Young for saying southerners should try to be less racist is absolutely stupid; are they suggesting the south doesn't have a history of racism? That racism, especially in the 70's, didn't exist? "Southern man don't need him around anyhow." Fuck you, you stupid fucks.

It's this sort of right-wing sloganerring that irks me-"Watergate does not bother me; does your concious bother you, tell me true." What the fuck? Watergate didn't bother them?

A shitty band that I wish people would let go. CRAP.



And Free Bird blows.

months ago, i had the peculiar realization that one of my songs revolved around a riff identical to the verse-riff from "gimme back my bullets." to be honest, it filled me with something short of pride, but not that short.

my song = probably crap
skynyrd's music = not crap
skynyrd's posture/"politics"/fan culture = crap

I'm going to cross the line of good taste that everyone here seems to be toeing.

The only thing I hold against this band is that more of them weren't on the plane when it went down. And that the cargo hold of said plane was not packed with extremely flammable materials. And that the plane did not crash 10 years sooner, before these functionally illiterate, homonculous retards could take the giant dump that they took on our national psyche.

Fuck this band and fuck the people who they represented. Last time I checked, being an ass-backwards, devolved, uneducated, reactionary moron was not something of which to be proud. There's nothing wrong with the Confederate flag waving, "proud to be a redneck" southern crowd that couldn't be fixed by sudden death.

When the Skynyrd folks died in that crash, the coroner should have listed the cause of death as "god fixing his mistake".

steve wrote:I think Artemis Pile is an awesome name, and in the Behind the Music episode he seemed like a beautiful guy who had to carry a serious sadness. I wish I knew him somehow.

A few years ago, I had to fact-check an article about Lynyrd Skynyrd. Of all the people I was able to reach, Artemis Pyle was easily the nicest, kind of sad and a little lonely-sounding, but very together. As I recall, he found the present-day "Lynyrd Skynyrd" to be pretty ridiculous. I wound up using him to confirm a lot the information in the article. At the end of the last conversation we had he asked me when I was going to "come down to Florida to visit" him, which was a little weird, but whatever.

I agree with Tim that it would be nice to be able to hear "Freebird" (and everything else) without all the irritating baggage, but still and all, I think they were a great band. Spot-on rhythm section, three guitars that all actually have something to do, and I think Ronnie Van Zant could be a really sharp lyricist. "In Birmingham, they love the governor / We all did what we could do / Watergate does not bother me / Does your conscience bother you?" (I'm quoting from memory, so I could have it a bit wrong.) That's a nice little snapshot of American history, and in terms of complex layers of irony and "we mean it," it's practically Lydon-esque.

gin and tacos wrote:Fuck this band and fuck the people who they represented. Last time I checked, being an ass-backwards, devolved, uneducated, reactionary moron was not something of which to be proud.

see, this is what i thought too, and i thought this was universally known, but apparently its not. i live and work in a relatively rich upper middle class suburb just west of atlanta, and this shit is alive and well today, trust me. these...cunts (it really frustrates me that theres not a more derogative term i can think of..i would even go so far as to use (gasp) the n-word if it wasnt so inaccurate. thats how much i hate these fuckers) take pride in being the most ignorant people on the face of the planet. they have no right to be rednecks, their parents make a solid 6 digits a year, theyre only doin it because they think its cool, and THAT is the sad part.

this is, no joke, what i overheard sitting outside a very busy starbucks one night:
Redneck Fucker #1:"wut thuh fuuck???"
Redneck Fucker #2:"mayun they want two bucks for a peice of bread? fuck this nigger shit blah blah"

later on i saw them at a gas station blaring, you guessed it, lynyrd skynyrd, and sitting on their shitty 70's camaro that had a nascar number painted on the door, oversized back tires, and an unnecissary CB radio antenna.

this is just the most recent example of this shit. even being a born and raised southerner, lynyrd skynyrd is the antithesis of my very being. the bane of all that is decent in right in the world. one of very few bands that are actually worse than BOTH the Eagles AND the black crowes. fuck em.

p.s. the only reason i'd put the black crowes over them is even living in their home town, i dont hear them as much. [/b]

This has been a very enjoyable thread. Salut, the everyone!


I can remember the first time I ever heard the opening bars to “Sweet Home Alabama.â€

southern rock hierarchy

(i dont consider zz top southern rock, but if i did, zz tops first is better than all southern rock artists combined)

1. lynyrd skynyrd - best, most consistant lps with lots of good tunes
2. allman brothers - they have got a few tunes i like more than any other skynard tune but they got more filler/turds. whipping post is painfully dull.
3. marshall tucker band - some good tunes
4. outlaws - green grass and high tides forever is the best southern rock anthem, much better than freebird.
5. molly hatchet - fall of the peacemakers is their freebird (10 minutes long with dueling guitar solos) and i think it's a good cheezy tune.

everything else (.38 special, rossington collins band, charlie daniels, etc)

not crap.

the worst thing about them is their following, then and now. the who picked them to open for them during both band's peaks.

they wrote and played clever chuck berry type stuff real well, albeit with that southern heritage thing a little too much for my taste. though i like it when the drive by truckers do it.

no wait, the worst thing about them is how they are still performing and they had that terrible america song out a few years ago.

meh.