On This Day (9/6): Turquoise Jeep, Neiliyo
09/06/2012; The Mohawk, Austin, TX
I’m gonna talk a little bit here about memes and joke bands. It seems like every couple years a musical meme really captures people’s attention and imagination. In 2006, it was Tay Zonday and “Chocolate Rain.” And for a while, Tay Zonday was making money. He was everywhere. I had all his released songs downloaded. But where he is now? More importantly, what value does his music hold now? In 2006, I probably would have paid to see him live. Now? Definitely not. I also wouldn’t bother listening to a new song from him.
All that is to say, Turquoise Jeep hit it big the same way. Much like Zonday, I had all their recordings, watched all their videos, and for a time it seemed like the joke would never get old. They were so funny and creative. They had so many people in their collective, it really felt like they could keep this up. Each one brought something different and hilarious to the table. But, like any joke, it gets worn out. I don’t listen to their new songs. I don’t listen even to their old songs. I don’t keep up with them anymore. And I certainly won’t pay to see them anymore. Like Zonday, they just passed into old meme status as we, the internet collective, moved on.
But that is sad and shitty in a way. Flynt Flossy, for as goofy as his and his collective’s work is, clearly cares about his craft and puts real effort into what he does. It’s not his fault it was only funny for a time. Now he’s gone from playing the Mohawk in Austin to the North Door. One venue is vastly smaller than the other, for those of you who do not live here. That sucks, and I feel bad for them, yet I’m partially responsible. I am one of those people who obsessed over this one note joke for a bit and then moved on, never to give a shit again.
There is really no point to my rambling on this. I’m not saying it’s a good or bad thing. It’s just the cycle of memes, particularly musical ones. I also wouldn’t pay to see Tenacious D anymore like I would when I was 16, though they’ve obviously done a better job of stretching the gag out than Turquoise Jeep. I’m just ruminating on the nature of these things I guess, because in 2012 I paid for and attended and loved a Turquoise Jeep show, a sentence which would be ridiculous in 2018.
It sucks for those involved, the Tay Zonday’s and Rebecca Black’s of the world, but it is what it is. Even the funniest joke only stays funny for so long. Eventually, the world moves on to musicians making actually thought-provoking art, or at least to the next one-note joke song that takes root in their ears; “Gangnam Style,” for example. Meanwhile, Turquoise Jeep is still out there, still trying to eke out a living, but in the words of Morrissey, “that joke isn’t funny anymore.” What a shame.
