Sunday, July 24, 2016

MDC "millions of dead cops/more dead cops"

I've been a little hesitant posting my memoir about this album for obvious reasons, but those same reasons make it pertinent to talk about it. There have been three events recently that have brought this album into my attention again recently.  First, I recent watched the N.W.A. biography "straight outta compton".  I thought about the song "fuck Tha police" and sentiment behind it and realised I wasn't shocked by it because this album predates that release by 6 years (though I had only been listening to it for a couple of years before N.W.A. "shocked" america). Second, the song "John Wayne was a nazi" and it's prominent inclusion in the Grand Theft Auto 5 video game. It's one of my favorite hardcore punk songs of all time and it amplifys the mood of the game whenever it cues up.  Third, all the distrust of police and how it is in a vicious cycle of escalation right now. People fearful of police and the police fearful of people. It's such a dangerous and heavy time. I really don't want my thoughts on this album to appear as the condoning of more violence.  I do not. I am simply speaking about empathy.  It's strange to me that I am reluctant to talk about the politics of a political hardcore band.  It shows how important this kind of art is. The topics need to be brought up no matter how uncomfortable if we are every going to dialogue ourselves into enacting change.
#MDC album "millions of dead cops" was first introduced to me in 1987 by the future drummer in my first punk band.  I painted the iconic "cop/klan" logo on the shoulder of his leather jacket. This cd is a compilation of that album and the "more dead cops" album.  Those titles make them seem singular in theme but the discs cover a variety of injustices: corporate greed, religious absurdity, vegetarianism, gay rights, etc.  Subsequent albums alter the meanings to the band's moniker (Multi Death Corporation, Millions of Dead Christians, etc...) but there's no mistaking the anti-police sentiment.  The lyrical similarities with "fuck tha police" are uncanny and illustrate to me that police brutality has reared it's head not only based on race but also social economics.  Poor people fear the police.

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