My partner, Jeff Sexton, saw last week’s video of people responding to Cake’s Short Skirt, Long Jacket and sent me a note about Cake and our theory of Society’s Pendulum. Jeff contends Cake was a 1995 Alpha Voice of the worldview that was soon to emerge. I agree.

Roy,

I graduated from Annapolis in the late spring of 1995 and my roommate for that summer was a huge fan of Cake, having bought their first album, Motorcade of Generosity, a few months after it came out.  And in that first album was what I consider to be the best song they’ve made to date: “Rock’n’Roll Lifestyle”  Here’s the video. (There’s a silent countdown of several seconds before the video begins. Be patient.)

Cake was an Alpha Voice that slammed pretension and posing, taking aim at the Boomer version of “rebellion.”  Here’s what Wikipedia has to say about the song:

“The song sarcastically pokes fun at details in the life of a rock fan who tries to show how cool he is by living a life of drinking, drugs, and music. It’s all about the style of being a rock fan more than having any true passion for music.”

The lyrics point out that “excess ain’t rebellion,” that the person is just “drinking what they’re sellin’.” Basically, buying the whole lifestyle image of rebellion when it’s really nothing but excess without reason.

Jeff Sexton

Here are the lyrics:

Well, Your CD Collection Looks Shiny And Costly.
How Much Did You Pay For Your Bad Moto Guzi?
And How Much Did You Spend On Your Black Leather Jacket?
Is It You Or Your Parents In This Income Tax Bracket?

Now Tickets To Concerts And Drinking At Clubs,
Sometimes For Music That You Haven’t Even Heard Of.
And How Much Did You Pay For Your Rock’n’roll T-Shirt
That Proves You Were There,
That You Heard Of Them First?

How Do You Afford Your Rock’n’roll Lifestyle?

Ah, Tell Me.

How Much Did You Pay For The Chunk Of His Guitar,
The One He Ruthlessly Smashed At The End Of The Show?
And How Much Will He Pay For A Brand New Guitar,
One Which He’ll Ruthlessly Smash At The End Of Another Show?
And How Long Will The Workers Keep Building Him New Ones?
As Long As Their Soda Cans Are Red, White, And Blue Ones.

Aging Black Leather And Hospital Bills,
Tattoo Removal And Dozens Of Pills.
Your Liver Pays Dearly Now For Youthful Magic Moments,
But Rock On Completely With Some Brand New Components.

Excess Ain’t Rebellion.
You’re Drinking What They’re Sellin’.
Your Self-Destruction Doesn’t Hurt Them.
Your Chaos Won’t Convert Them.
They’re So Happy To Rebuild It.
You’ll Never Really Kill It.
Yeah, Excess Ain’t Rebellion.
You’re Drinking What They’re Sellin’.