"There is even a new word for black fans of indie rock: `blipster'"

BLACK PEOPLE CAN ROCK!

Yes. In its latest study of gobsmacked irrelevance, The New York Times has uncovered evidence that "people of color" actually listen to music played by white people on electric guitar. The article, an expertly paced piece of hysterics, makes errors early and glaringly with an enthusiasm that's almost contagious. The histrionic opening:

WHEN Douglas Martin first saw the video for Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” as a teenager in High Point, N.C., “it blew my mind,” he said. Like many young people who soothe their angst with the balm of alternative rock, Mr. Martin was happy to discover music he enjoyed and a subculture where he belonged.

Except, as it turned out, he didn’t really belong, because he is black.

The generalizations:

But 40 years after black musicians laid down the foundations of rock, then largely left the genre to white artists and fans, some blacks are again looking to reconnect with the rock music scene.

The un-parseable:

The next few decades saw several successful and influential black musicians who crossed genres or were distinctly rock, such as Prince, Living Colour and Lenny Kravitz, and rock melodies and lyrics have been liberally sampled by hip-hop artists.

Restricting its evidence to the contemporaneous and obvious:

At the same time, the hip-hop industry’s demand for new samples has increased the number of rock songs appearing on hip-hop tracks: Jay-Z’s latest album features contributions from Chris Martin of Coldplay and R & B artist Rihanna’s current single samples the New Wave band Soft Cell.

Finally, the omissions. How the fuck can you write this kind of thing and not mention James Brown? Otis Redding? The Temptations? Bad Brains? What about ska and two-tone bands like The English Beat and Specials? If I linger too long over Jessica Pressler's silence on Parliament-Funkadelic, I might get very upset (you'd think that the totemic Talking Heads' use of Bernie Worrell would warrant a mention).

Besides, it's obvious that it's white audiences who've traditionally had a problem with blacks encroaching on their domain (of which this article is but the latest example). Recall the treatment Prince got when he opened for the Stones in 1981 (he was booed, spit on, and had to dodge bottles; you think Keith and Ronnie offered Kleenex?), or the colonialist subtext to the coverage of (the utterly dull) Living Colour; they were given a pass by the likes of Rolling Stone because they essayed "issues" like cults of personality and their leader Vernon Reid was an eloquent provocateur before he started a rock band. Speaking of critics, where are Armond White? Cary Darling?

At most times I scoff at the notion of a liberal media elite; but parochialism, as this article demonstrates, knows no political allegiance.