Fellow bloggityblogger and Firewatercircus member, mCr Rollie, recently asked….
Is it better to perform on present day Saturday Night Live or to appear on the cover of present day Rolling Stone? Killing Joke would be the band in question.
Pardon me while I snort incredulously at the mere notion of either actually occurring. For a start, Killing Joke seem to be in "rest mode" at the moment (or so it's been suggested). Jaz Coleman, according to reports, was forced to cancel several tour dates due to some "health issues." Raven, meanwhile, decamped a while back to tour with Ministry and is currently working with a new band called Snow Black. Knowing him, he also has several other irons in the fire. I haven't the slightest clue what drummer Ben Calvert is up to, much less if he is even still in the ranks. I'd heard some rumors about Geordie's doings, but they're just that….rumors. After the somewhat lukewarm reception, botched promotion and purpotred intra-band acrimony stemming from Killing Joke's latest studio album earlier this year, we may be entering a fallow period of band activity. Adding insult to injury, there still hasn't been any further progress or word regarding the release of Gems of Power (a sprawling spoken-word boxed set project by Jaz and Raven) nor the next batch of promised re-mastered editions (specifically Fire Dances, Night Time and Brighter Than A Thousand Suns). Much like the hunt for Bin Laden, sadly the trail has gone cold. Killing Joke alumni Youth and Big Paul, meanwhile, were working together in Transmission, and there was talk of some live dates, but I'm not sure if they've come to any fruition as yet -- and they'll be in the U.K. anyway, which means I'm not going.
All's not entirely lost, however. News came down a couple of weeks back of Inside Extremities, a double-CD featuring a compete live set from the Extremities-era (with Martin Atkins on drums), appended with a second disc of rare mixes and a couple of "new tracks." While it's being pitched as "a fan's dream come true," that might be a bit of an overstatement. Still, I'll heartily welcome any new product bearing the name Killing Joke on it (even if it features an umpteenth live recording of "Wardance"). We'll see. It's something to look forward to, at least
But to answer Rollie's initial question -- which is preferrable (or possibly less cringe-worthy), performing on present-day SNL or gracing the cover of Rolling Stone, I think I'd have to opt for SNL. Sure, the show hasn't mattered in decades (depending on who you ask), but the exposure for the musical guests has remained fairly high profile. I don't make a habit of watching it too often anymore, but the last time I did, the Arctic Monkeys were on, and they kinda kicked a bit of ass, I'd say. Also, not to invoke SNL's once storied legacy, but bands that have played on SNL include: Devo, Gary Numan, FEAR, the Specials, Mink DeVille, the Fixx, Spinal Tap, the Cult, the Replacements, Joe Jackson, the Sugarcubes, the Smithereens, Fishbone, the Rollins Band, Portishead, Queens of the Stone Age, Franz Ferdinand, We Are Scientists, the Shins and TV on the Radio. To my knowledge, none of those respectable artists have ever appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone. I mean, SNL has showcased a healthy share of musical shit as well, but it seems they're more willing to take chances than Rolling Stone will ever be.
I also can't imagine under what circumstances Jann Wenner would ever concede to let the `Joke grace the age-old rag's cover. He's black-balled Kiss from its pages all these years. I can't imagine he'd regard Killing Joke with any greater sympathy.
In any case, hold not thy breath waiting for either. As dysfunctional as they irrefutably are, the gents in Killing Joke have better things to do with their time.
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