Lynyrd Skynyrd and Queen

As I've said before, I grew up in Jacksonville and went to high school with Johnny Van Zant's (current lead singer) daughter. I've met the band a couple of times, and seen them live both in larger venues and at the bar-grille they own in Jacksonville Beach. They definitely embrace the concept of "Southern rock," but more as a matter of heritage than hate. Let me elaborate.

Growing up in the southern US, I saw plenty of hate. I also saw heritage at work. There was a savage civil rights beating in Jacksonville almost 50 years ago called "Ax Handle Saturday." A group of black teens sat-in at a department store soda counter, and when they refused to leave, a wave of violence swept the city, and the Klan showed up with baseball bats, lead pipes, and ax handles to administer a vicious beating to literally any black person in sight.

Some years back, there was a ceremony in town to remember the 40th anniversary of the event. Among the 500 or so people who turned out (including myself, "good 'ol boy" that I was) was--you guessed it--Johnny Van Zant. He didn't make a scene of himself, he didn't play any music, nor was he even acknowledged, but he was there to remember that day.

"Southern Rock" has always embraced the Confederate flag. We southerners are a defiant type--if you tell us we can't fly the stars 'n bars, we're liable to hang it twice as high, just to piss you off. I never latched on to the Confederate flag, but some of the people I knew who did spent their weekends working on Habitat for Humanity homes in the run-down, drugged-out "black" parts of town.

I guess where I'm going with this is don't judge a band by its fans. Sure, Skynyrd appeals to rednecks and racists. So do lots of bands that members here hold in high regard--including Queen. Whether you like their music or not is your business, but saying that the plane "couldn't have hit the ground hard enough" is just disrespectful. What would happen if a Skynyrd fan were to come on these boards and say that Freddie "should've taken the rest of the band with him"? You'd all be singing a different tune, I promise you that.

Well said Thunderbolt...I'm a native of Atlanta, and living in Tennessee currently.

I'm in SC, and most everyone here who "embraces the Rebel flag" is a big ole redneck. [img=/images/smiley/msn/wink_smile.gif][/img]

Well, people from SC also have a habit of starting wars too...hehe. [img=/images/smiley/msn/wink_smile.gif][/img]  They're a little more serious about things.
Little historical humour there.

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[b]Thunderbolt wrote:[/b]

Whether you like their music or not is your business, but saying that the plane "couldn't have hit the ground hard enough" is just disrespectful.
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I think that's the idea.  It is indeed 'my business', and since it's a forum I get to say what I think.  It's beautiful! 

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[b]Thunderbolt wrote:[/b]

What would happen if a Skynyrd fan were to come on these boards and say that Freddie "should've taken the rest of the band with him"? You'd all be singing a different tune, I promise you that.
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Nope, not me... I wouldn't give a shit.  And I'm hoping the same can be said of any Skynyrd fan that wanders in here. 
Then again, these forums don't have a strict age limit so that probably isn't the case, but a guy can dream.

.

[QUOTE]redspecialusa wrote:[/QUOTENAME] Well, people from SC also have a habit of starting wars too...hehe.   They're a little more serious about things. Little historical humour there.[/QUOTE] Well, yes that's true.  I think this pretty much sums up the flag debate.

Is Freebird the one that goes errrrwrrrrr, errrwerrrrr, de de do do do do dat do you, werrr werrrrrnnnn, werrr , werrnnnn, doo do do de doo? Or is that another one of their songs?

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[b]Holly2003 wrote: [/b]

Is Freebird the one that goes errrrwrrrrr, errrwerrrrr, de de do do do do dat do you, werrr werrrrrnnnn, werrr , werrnnnn, doo do do de doo? Or is that another one of their songs?[/QUOTE]


That's it.

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[b]PieterMC wrote: [/b]



 



[b]Holly2003 wrote: [/b]



Is Freebird the one that goes errrrwrrrrr, errrwerrrrr, de de do do do do dat do you, werrr werrrrrnnnn, werrr , werrnnnn, doo do do de doo? Or is that another one of their songs?

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That's it.

[/QUOTE] Thanks Pieter. I'm surprised you recognised it though, because I missed a note. It should of course be:

errrrwrrrrr, errrwerrrrr, de de do do do do dat do do, werrr werrrrrnnnn, werrr , werrnnnn, doo do do de doo
 
and not:

errrrwrrrrr, errrwerrrrr, de de do do do do dat do you, werrr werrrrrnnnn, werrr , werrnnnn, doo do do de doo

Writing music is a lot harder than many people think...

^^ That's like when I mouth Brian's solos.  Why did I stop taking guitar lessons!?? :-/

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[b]Sheer Brass Neck wrote: [/b]

The same moral fibre that Queen had while playing Sun City, or getting into bed with The Sun for the WWRY musical?  [/QUOTE]
Yes, indeed. I disagree with those three decisions, too (though only Sun City was a truly major offense). The difference is in proportion: one series of concerts in Sun City vs. a whole carreer of Reb imagery.

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[b]mrbadguy86 wrote: [/b]

Why do people even mention Sun City? It was a good thing that some bands in the west played for both black and white back then, instead of just give a damn! Did they say NO if some black people wanted to go to the concert? NO!
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It was South Africa during apartheid. No black person could a) afford entry b) would've been allowed in. Technically, it was not illegal for black people to go to Sun City, but the government would've found an excuse to refuse them entry. You are either very ignorant or a very bad person for even saying this.

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[b]Thunderbolt wrote: [/b]


"Southern Rock" has always embraced the Confederate flag. We southerners are a defiant type--if you tell us we can't fly the stars 'n bars, we're liable to hang it twice as high, just to piss you off. I never latched on to the Confederate flag, but some of the people I knew who did spent their weekends working on Habitat for Humanity homes in the run-down, drugged-out "black" parts of town.
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Patriotic Germans don't fly a swastika. There is no excuse for flying a Rebel Battle Flag, either.

This thread just shows how clueless people are about Americans and the Culture. Totally, utterly, clueless.