Rolling Stone considers Shania Twain
Rolling Stone considers Shania Twain and Christina Aguilera the epitome of rock and roll. So it can’t come as much of a surprise that Ann Arbor made its list of “Campus Scenes That Rock.”
More unexpected is the wary, almost suspicious tone with which normally uncritical city booster Talk About Town takes this news. “We can’t help wondering if the placement is truly warranted. A regular complaint on the ‘campus scene,’ in Rolling Stone’s phrase, is a lack of local support for local bands - in terms of audience, appropriate venues and radio backing,” they ruminate. “After all, the occasional John Hiatt or Taj Mahal show notwithstanding, including middle-aged acoustic haven The Ark among the reasons we ‘rock’ seems a bit puzzling.” Wow, TAT. That almost sounded like snark (assuming the part about “the occasional John Hiatt show” being “notwithstanding” was sarcastic.) Ann Arbor Sucks didn’t know you had it in you.
Perhaps a more appropriate barometer of A2’s rock scene coolness would be Luna’s show at the Blind Pig last night. After drunkenly heckling all the way through the opening act’s uninspiring but workmanlike set, the crowd, young and middle-aged alike, proceeded to make the experience as miserable as possible by waving pitchers of beer in the air and screaming various inappropriate but nonetheless unamusing remarks, starting with the equipment setup.
“What’s that guy’s name? Dennis? Derek.”
“HEY DEREK! ROADIE! YOU’RE THE SHIT, MAN!”
A far cry from the detached-cool audience Luna usually attracts. But to Rolling Stone’s ex-Maxim editor, this is no doubt just the sort of thing that makes Ann Arbor “rock” so hard.