Submitted by Bruce Triggs, Jul 7, 2007 15:51

Well Rich (above comment), Not being a polka fan-boy I will say that polka can rock. And rock music can suck. Ska is polka, Norteno/Texano is (mostly) polka. On our Accordion Noir radio show (really) in Vancouver, BC, we joke about doing a fund-raiser playing only polkas, so I gather them from all over the world and they don't all suck. Look, if some crap society band with bubbles did "White Light, White Heat," it would be unlistenable (also amazing). Schmaltzy rock would (and does) suck just like crappy polka. Sadly, fifties pop polka bands and their older audiences resisted rock and roll and really became accurate steryotypes for a while. And wait a minute, people moving? Like people don't dance to polkas? That's why it was such a scandal to start with! Not as bad as the waltz, but couples touching, come on! Dissing the polka when it's down after all this time is just admitting that you're haven't gotten beyond the Lawrence Welk in your head, wonderful wonderful for you. (Sorry, harsh.) I don't listen to polka much, really, I suspect it's more of a dance/party music than a listening thing even for it's fans. So leave them be and get on with liking the music you like, rather than saying yours is somehow better than those other un-cool people, when polka becomes hip, what will you disrespect? I like the rest of this article, the accordion's a cool instrument, kinda hard to mic in a loud electric band, but experiments are progressing in various groups. We look forward to it's return to being just another instrument. peace b

Note: Comments are screened, and in some cases edited, before posting. We reserve the right to reject anything we find objectionable.