Underpants and myself do not agree: Who is better-Lynyrd Skynard or KISS

[LynneSin]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x5035377#5038956



vs.

[XemaSab]

1. Neither

:)

[Shell Beau]

2. I agree with underpants 175%!!

They shouldn't even be compared! x(

[Deep13]

3. Whichever is still above ground.

:evilgrin:

[Left Is Write]

4. Depends on what you're looking for.

They each have their purposes.

[ForrestGump]

5. Lynyrd Skynyrd

by a margin of several light years.

Even if "KIss" is easier to spell.

[SoulGlo]

6. Southern rock baby

:beer:

[underpants]

7. America

:yoiks:

[LynneSin]

8. HEY!!! You have to defend your choice

slacker!

[supernova]

10. Muskrat, Muskrat

....

[supernova]

9. Skynrd, baby!

:D

KISS are a bunch of derivative wannabees.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

11. Are you kidding? Even Insane Clown Posse is better than Kiss.

And it's a more apt comparison too.

[SoulGlo]

21. haha

I went to the library a few weeks ago and some guy was bumpin' "the great milenko" in the parking lot.

[Droopy]

12. No contest- Skynyrd all the way

[no name no slogan]

13. The Allman Brothers

at least they had talent. Except for Gregg. He's a putz.

[LynneSin]

14. We know Allman Brothers are much better than both combined

the contest is between Kiss & Lynyrd Skynyrd. Imagine you're in a part of hell where you would be required to listen to one of these groups entire catalog for all of enternity - who would you choose

[no name no slogan]

17. Tough call

I've seen KISS live twice-- including the "Creatures of the Night" tour, which was the last one before they "unmasked". So I guess by default I'd say KISS.

Who were just a bad New York Dolls rip-off, anyway.

[Kerrytravelers]

15. I have heard from a friend who is really ito music that LS are

segregationists. I have no idea whether this is correct or incorrect.

Anyone here know for sure?

[LynneSin]

16. The fact that the picture I used was one of the few without...

...the confederate flag in the background speaks volumes to me!

[Zomby Woof]

18. Your friend is very very wrong

I am "really into music" too, and can tell you with greater authority than your friend that the original band (not the one pictured, which only had 2 members from the original era) were not even close to being "segregationist". Though the current false lineup is misguided, they are not segregationists either, just ignorant.

The real version, led by the late Ronnie Van Zant, an enthusiastic supporter of Jimmy Carter who helped raise money for his 1976 campaign, having long hair in the south in the late 60's/early 70's, questioning the Vietnam war, raising environmental awareness, writing a song against handguns, and poking fun at southern regionalism (as 'Sweet Home Alabama' has its tongue firmly in cheek), among other quite progressive standards (their drummer wore a shirt on their last album in 1977 proclaiming his pride in being a vegetarian), makes your friend's assertion deader than Van Zant will ever be.

As for the flag, it was nothing more than a marketing prop (however one chooses to interpret it, but Klansmen or sympathizers they most certainly were not), and when the original band was forced by MCA records to use it, Van Zant resisted, having finally got his way in 1977, in time for the same tour that took his and 3 others' lives in a plane crash. He always had misgivings, citing that it could be interpreted as a regional pride symbol on one hand, and a symbol of division on the other. MCA felt it would be a good gimmick to market them as a "southern band". It is tragic in more ways than one that he didn't live long enough to vindicate their image.

Make up your own mind: Find a copy of the song "The Ballad of Curtis Loew", from their 1974 album 'Second Helping' and listen carefully. The song is a semi-autobiographical tale of a young Van Zant learning the value of black blues music, and more importantly, the value of a black musician's humanity in the face of his death during the song. This song alone refutes your friend's baseless premise.

[Kerrytravelers]

19. Thanks for the informed response.

I'd always heard of them and of some of their songs, but was never really ito them. No particular reason, just wasn't. My friend made that comment about them one evening when we were all sitting around, listening to music. I had no idea what he was talking about, so I just let it go. (This particular friend has a habit of making a five second answer a five hour dissertation, so I often don't bother asking for more details when I'm not in the mood to listen and take notes!)

If you're citing songs and backing up your beliefs with facts that I could easily trace on a Internet search, I'll take your word for it. Since my friend didn't back up his claim with even one fact, I have no idea where he got his info from. He is old enough to remember when they first came out, and I am not, so I just assumed it was acquired knowledge from the time.

I have seen pics with them and the confederate flag, so I naturally went with my friends assertions. I'm glad you explained why that symbol become intertwined with them. It is a shame that MCA forced this image. Honestly, it has turned me off of them in the past. Maybe that's why I could never get ito them in the past.

Thanks! :hi:

kt

[underpants]

20. DING! the bio in their "Essential" CD shows them to be ...

poor and I mean DIRT poor and they were from that. It's not like they went down the social ladder. Van Zandt especially grew up around blacks, at that level of poverty you don't have time to worry about color.

Skynyrd now is nothing but a money machine for the ones still around.