We are conflicted. Against Me!‘s newest video seems to almost be an apology for the song it’s a video for. The song “I Was a Teenage Anarchist” is a declaration of growth and reflection, a realization that the simplistic politics of the anarcho-punk scene are unsustainable. It continues to uphold one of the things we like best about the band, Tom Gabel’s honest lyrics about how his world and world view are changing as the band becomes more successful and as he becomes older. Whereas so many punk lyricists pander to this idea of what “punk” is from a 15 year old’s viewpoint, even after they themselves are 40 year olds with kids of their own, Gabel never did that.
The video “I Was a Teenage Anarchist” however seems to back up the anarcho-punk viewpoint that every cop is a nightstick happy masochist who will beat you unmercifully and that all authority is corrupt and to be not trusted. There is also an undeniable “violence as voyeuristic joy” element to the video. The slow motion beating combined with what appears to be a smile on Gabel’s face at the end of the video. This also concerns/confounds us.
We don’t know how to feel about it all. Watch the video below and let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
Against Me! are currently on a world tour. Check their dates here.
