Released: 2001
Named after a biker gang in Marlon Brando’s The Wild Ones, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club first came to prominence in the wake of The Strokes‘ adrenaline shot to the heart of guitar music in general and dead eyed cool in particular. From San Francisco, the trio included English drummer Nick Jago who’d simply forgotten to go home after his visa expired (Post the release of the band’s debut album B.R.M.C. and 9/11, he was temporarily deported) whilst their recreational habits fell into a decades old tradition.
Wholesome no, but although the ‘Clubbers influences ranged from The Stooges through leather kecks-era Primal Scream and The Jesus And Mary Chain, B.R.M.C. was more jam-based than their hard/trashy exterior promised; searching for a foothold in a dog-eat-dog business, they found themselves welcomed in Europe and largely ignored at home.
This meant that the sonic assault of Whatever Happened to My Rock N’ Roll (Punk Song) was an outlier, but what the hell, it clattered along at the kind of pace and volume that meant it was best experienced in a very hot, sweaty club full of disciples. Whatever happened to you? singer Robert Turner asked, as if he was reading off your toe-tag in a morgue. Rock n’ roll will never die, but maybe he thought that non-believers should be left to go stiff and cold all the same.
The Voice Of Unreason 
It’s a great song!
LikeLiked by 1 person