Dick Twang: Not Too Pretty Bad - 2009

There is no doubt that the Dick Twang Band gets better and more polished with every release. Thus, I love their latest, "Not too pretty bad" musically. Let me say this again; They're fan-fuckin-talented! The first 3 songs on this album prove my point. It could have been a greatest hits collection. 7/24, Pakistani Trucker and LA Indian. All just awesome songs and very original.

That said, Can I recommend this release to you, the listener? Well, let's examine it and ask a question. Here it goes. Why in the 21st century are they still fucking with the race based angle? They seem to be way to talented to make these lyrics the glue that holds the band together. You're saying, "Yeah right. This coming from the guy who owns Brocket 99. Well, okay. But I release Brocket 99 more as a parody of radio and social commentary. And anyway, I didn't record Brocket 99 and I don't have a butt cookie's worth of talent compared to these guys. But Dick doesn't need to go down the prejudicial parkway. I think had he released not too pretty bad with a different feel, it honestly would have received some legitimate airplay. I think it has the possibility of making some decent money and some of the major record chains would have carried it. But what do I know? Maybe the Dick Twang Band isn't interested in that.

So why would Dickie take the time to enlist Lenny Rednuts (another Abor-basher) who I happen to know and am friends with, and the long retired Ernie Scar? That's right ladies and gents. THE one and only, real Ernie Scar of Brocket 99 fame is featured on "Not too Pretty Bad" and they even got him in da fuckin' studio to record his lines too. And let me say, it was good to hear Ernie on this CD! But his part seemed a bit rushed and not too well thought out. Still, it's FUCKIN' ERNIE SCAR MAN! Dick Twang got him. That's like getting the Dalai Lama. The band must have known that this was indeed their best work yet. They had to have understood that this record blew away all of the previously awesome work that they've put out. Why man why? Well, after being sent some credible emails that pointed to some of the members online blogs, I soon realized that Dick Twang is making a political statement. Just like Lenny Rednuts and North End Connections. They're saying, we're tired of Natives saying "the world owes us a living" just because whitey took their land, poisoned their food supplies, raped their women and fucked their entire culture. Dick Twang is saying; "Hey, fuck off. That wasn't me and that was years ago. So I don't owe you shit. In fact, I'm going to go a step further with my rights and stomp on you a little harder." And then the Natives fight back and push and we all wind up no better off. And frankly there is no real answer to solve this dilema because as I've stated before, we are all individuals and have our own way of looking at things. Read on.

To be honest I don't like Dick's message. It sucks. His little conservative, immature hate based opinion fucks with my liberal feng shui. And I add him to a long list of people that I don't agree with from Nilesh Patel and Professor Martin Whittles to the aforementioned Lenny Rednuts. But I bet that Dick will answer my challenge to come on my radio show and debate this issue, unlike Patel or Whittles. Because with Dick comes balls. And that's why he says what he does. He may be wrong in my mind, but he sees things differently.

And this is where the listener comes in to all of this. Can they buy Not Too Pretty Bad and not be turned into a hate monger, but just listen, laugh and realize that this is nothing more than a few peoples opinion of First Nations or other Aboriginals or Pakistanis for that matter? Yeah they can. Then there are those who will listen, laugh and hate. That's their understanding of it. Right or wrong. And so what this all boils down to is that the listener is in charge. Dick Twang can sing whatever they want to. They can get their message out there and you or I can take it for face value or misinterpret it in any way we see fit and there's nothing that the Dick Twang Band can do about it. That's beauty! And that's why despite all of my personal objections to the messages I hear on this album, I can still recommend Not Too Pretty Bad by the Dick Twang Band to you. And there's nothing anyone can do about that either. Add that too your manywounds, Elvis!

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Michael Anthony