Stylin'

What is up with Avril Lavigne and her "punk" style? I was watching TMZ last night ... or maybe it was Access Hollywood ... regardless, it was one of those shows about celebrities and they were discussing her new clothing line. They called her a "punk princess" or something stupid like that.

I don't understand it. Avril Lavigne is no Siouxie Sioux. I am more punk than she is, even in what I'm wearing today (black top with cat/dog hair liberally applied, dark blue jeans, black sandals and -- gasp! -- a brown belt. I know. I'm such a rebel). I think they just will call anybody "punk" who is even pretending to affect that trend. I understand that maybe when Avril was a fifteen-year-old girl, full of angst, with her wifebeater and men's tie, okay, maybe that was kind of edgy. Kind of edgy. But that was, what? Ten years ago? Almost.

I guess that's what happens when people start considering Sum 41 punk. When I think punk, I think Sex Pistols, I think spikes and mohawks and Repo Man. Not what passes for punk today. Especially not Avril Lavigne.

Anyway ... where was I? Oh, yes. Avril Lavigne has a new clothing line. So she's showing it off -- it's called Abby Dawn or something lame like that -- and she's like, "And here is my Abby Dawn skull," and holds up a black shirt with a silver sparkly glittery skull on it, wow, how risque! "And here is my favorite hoodie, see, it's not all baggy, it's cute!" and she holds up a zebra-print hoodie with some ridiculous cat ears on the hood. No, I am not making this up. And the interviewer is oohing and ahing, oh wow, Avril, you are so cutting edge!

So I says to Damon, I says, "How is she even remotely punk?" He kind of shrugs and says something about her being Canadian punk (like Sum 41) and not American punk. And something about Blink-182. I tell him that in my opinion, Blink-182 only had two decent punk albums in them; the rest was shit. He agrees. Then I say, "You know who they should really be calling the punk princess? Gwen Stefani. She has way more street cred than Avril." I mean, I think maybe Avril Lavigne spit on a photographer once or something. Oooh, how raw! Gwen Stefani is from Long Beach, spent years in a band that definitely qualifies as punk, and she married Gavin Rossdale (not punk, but hard rock -- close enough).

"Not anymore, she's not," D says.

"It doesn't even matter," I tell him. "No matter what Gwen Stefani does in her musical future, she will always be more punk than Avril Lavigne. She could start singing like Celine Dion tomorrow, and she'd still be more punk than Avril Lavigne."

D agrees.

I mean, seriously. "Punk princess?" Did they even listen to that lame-o song Avril put out, "Boyfriend" or "Girlfriend" or something? "Hey, hey, you, you, I don't like your girlfriend!" It was all cheerleady and pepped up, and not even in a rockin' way, like, again, Gwen Stefani's "Holla Back Girl."

Now THAT is punk rock.

(Oh, and here is the plan for the weekend: Two blogs tomorrow, two on Monday, since my home computer still is giving no sign that it will be cooperating at all. Sound good? Good.)