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Danko Jones: Role Model For The Plastic Hero Generation

The blood-sucking, adrenaline-drenched, rock 'n' roll Mango Kid. (Featuring exclusive live photos)
01 juni 2002, Ekko, Utrecht (NL)

Tekst: Xander van Aart

Beeld: Sander Lameijer

Publicatiedatum: 11 juni 2002

"Whatever happened to my rock 'n' roll"

What, indeed. It's 10:30 p.m. now and the stage is empty. The blood-sucking, adrenaline-drenched, rock 'n' roll Mango Kid has left the stage. All that is left is a cheering crowd chanting drunk anthems, a sizzling electricity celebrating happiness, and adrenaline hanging in the air. A magical vibe only Danko Jones could've created. The hour indicates that there is something greatly wrong with today's rock 'n' roll. The singer for the support act Sahara Hotnights is sick and couldn't perform, and that major problem caused Danko Jones to start very early in the evening. And that is the reason why I missed the first half of their concert. While getting to Utrecht's Ekko venue, I was forced to struggle with the people of the law. The men in suits. As I walked down the street carrying a beer, not noticing anybody or anything, a policeman told me it was forbidden to drink on the streets just outside the train station, near the stairs where all the homeless hustlers hang out, drinking cheap beers and smoking joints. The policeman gave me a 40 Euro fine for something ignorant people call "drinking in public." Right after that I was forced to sign a whole bunch of papers by a fat woman wearing a purple dress, in order to get a discount on my railway ticket, which took an awful lot of time, too.

But to hell with all that. Danko Jones, the self-named Rock God with an ego bigger than Axl Rose's bank account, gave a stunning show tonight. He acted like the ultimate performer gone crazy, and he was quiet successful doing it. But of course it was all irrelevant, spiced-up, rock 'n' roll cliché, yet not ignoring the charisma issue. Danko Jones is a true entertainer, who lives up to being a rock 'n' roll star. But entertainment wasn't even considered right when rock 'n' roll was still pure, with the likes of MC5, the Ramones, and the Stooges still kicking heartless thugs into weird corners they would never believe they were thrown.

Nowadays, Danko Jones has his signature in red ink on a big, official contract which has the word "commercialism" written above it. The danger in rock 'n' roll has gone, according to today's show. It has made a place for a plastic mask of what decent people call "entertainment." Danko Jones is rock 'n' roll to the max, but much of his show is too easy. And it certainly doesn't match his "roots" attitude. Danko Jones is a player. An actor in exactly the right role. Like Dennis Hopper in Easy Rider. A role model for a generation that encourages plastic heroes. As "real" as he might seem, he is still an actor. He represents rock 'n' roll made commercial, lacking the "danger" aspect in it. Although Danko represented himself as an ancient god and as the savior of rock 'n' roll, I found it utterly useless to just focus on the outside, which is pure entertainment. So expect a rock 'n' roll show in its meanest way. Don't expect the essence of rock 'n' roll when you see them.

On my way back home the train was harassed by freaks and foreigners who could barely speak my language, making the 30 minute ride towards the town of Den Bosch a very painful experience. Next to me sat an older guy with a green arm ring featuring a devil symbol, and he told me he didn't have a ticket.

"I rely on faith", he told me. "Because I believe true experience is about taking risks," he said. Then he smiled. "Taking no risks is useless. I like to take risks and BE dangerous, not just act like it." I thought about the Danko Jones show and suddenly it made sense. I forgot all about my rock 'n' roll and took another sip of my beer, while the train rolled into the town of my birth.

http://www.kindamuzik.net/live/danko-jones/danko-jones-role-model-for-the-plastic-hero-generation/1614/
Meer Danko Jones op KindaMuzik: http://www.kindamuzik.net/artiest/danko-jones