The Null Device

A Newsweek article looking at the bizarre parallel universe of Christian pop music and pop culture, where things look just like the outside world, only with subtle yet pervasive threads of Bush-voting, Bible-belt values, and a curious absence of the usual rock'n'roll larrikinism:
Yet there's something about the ethos of alternative rock--staying true to your beliefs, never bowing to mainstream pressure--that is oddly simpatico with conservative Christian culture. "I think rebellion and Christianity go together," says Mark Stuart, 33, lead singer of Audio Adrenaline... "Singing about sex and drugs is the easiest thing to do. ItÂ’s old by now. So pretty much the most rebellious rock-and-roll person you can be is a Christian-rock frontman because you get people from every side trying to shut you down"
Moms are to Con Dios what strippers are to a Kid Rock show. While secular-minded teens would rather sit at home and do their math homework than attend a show with Mom and Dad, here whole families sit on blankets in the main-stage area under a local sponsor's banner
When being passed overhead by the crowd, these teens just can't relax. They sit straight up, stiff as a church lady in a pew, bobbing and listing until they topple sideways into the crowd. But in the mosh pit, spiky-haired boys do a fine job of knocking the bejesus out of one another, stopping midslam only to let a bunny-hopping conga line slip through. Then it's over. Newsboys leave their Con Dios brethren with a prayer, the lights come up and the kids begin picking up trash--voluntarily--before boarding their buses for home.

(Which reminds me of Harmon Leon's account of a Christian Hardcore Punk concert, which he recounted at the Comedy Festival)

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