press review
My Generation?
Our generation is doomed to be frustrated – this is the tone of many texts published in the “Ha!art” anthology. Similar statements have been pronounced in the discussion on “Generation Zero” (Generacja Nic). Generation Zero, the article which initiated the discussion, was published in “Gazeta Wyborcza” and written by Kuba Wandachowicz, bass guitarist of the punk band Cool Kids of Death. The article, as well as CKOD’s lyrics, depict the frustration of today’s twenty-year-olds. Piotr Szczepański has filmed Cool Kids of Death for a year; the effect is Generacja CKOD (Generation CKOD), awarded with Złoty Lajkonik at the last Cracow festival of shorts. In the holiday “Kino” (7-8/2004) Szczepański talks about the film.
The case of C.K.O.D. illustrates the commercialisation of rebellion: an alternative band is hired by one of the music industry giants, who categorise them as ‘rebels’. Functioning in the system makes opposition impossible. This is visible in the scenes where C.K.O.D. perform official parties, before VIPs. Musicians are of course aware that they are taking part in a marketing game. Fortunately, having been tagged a rebel, one can play with it, acting as a naughty rock star. In one instance the squiffy vocalist manages to save the situation by behaving in a manner which belongs to the ethos of rock musicians, who can - and sometimes should - go beyond the limit of good manners.