Not satisfied with desecrating the memory of Kurt Cobain in Guitar Hero 5, Bon Jovi managed to make Monday’s rained-on Wall celebrations a little soggier with their new song about following or not following. T’was a poor choice by any measure of taste, but there’s no accounting for popular taste (though the song was no hit with Morgenpost readers). The incident proves, if anything, that Jon Bon Jovi is the new David Hasselhoff. New Jersey should be proud.
No, a more fitting tribute would have been by a band with actual connections to East Germany, like the Pudhys, for instance. Or better yet, the punks Sandow from the East German city of Cottbus. They wrote a song in 1988 in response to hearing (about) Bruce Springsteen’s performance in East Berlin, including “Born in the USA,” that same year. Sandow’s song, with guitar like an air-raid siren and lines of pointed sarcasm (the Katarina Witt line is priceless), captures the frustration of being misunderstood and entrapped while staying defiantly proud of who you are and, I detect, some pushback to what might have sounded like brazen nationalism from the most famous New Jerseyan, Mr. Springsteen. Albeit not the first time his song would be misunderstood. But Sandow made a striking statement of engagement and response with their song, part parody, part mission statement. It would have been epic to hear it at Brandenburg Gate on Monday. And the Easties certainly would have appreciated it more than Bon Jovi, I dare say.
Stumble it!
