• printer friendly
• mail this article
• iPod format
• digg

As the ’90s drew to a close, the homogenization of rock grew ever more pronounced and a series of bands in New York began playing in a style that was touted as a return to “real” rock ’n’ roll, a style steeped in the garage aesthetics of punk and of the psychedelic movement. Bands like The Strokes and The White Stripes had arrived: the saviors of rock.

The problem is the music. Its strongest act, The Strokes, produces energetic, creative rock of consistently high-quality. But along with the other bands that comprise the so-called garage revival, The Strokes is an ultimately derivative exercise in ’60s nostalgia. And if Jack White is the savior of “real” rock, we’re better off sticking to fiction.

There is a long-standing, proud tradition of fictional rock bands in American culture. Perhaps the most prominent are the scores of cartoon bands that kids have grown to love such as Josie and the Pussycats. Since those weird jug bands in early Disney cartoons, kids have spent over 70 years being introduced to popular music through animated media.

Of course it is only logical that anything with so much camp appeal would eventually thrive in the hipster crowd. Although the Archies scored with the hit “Sugar Sugar,”Gorillaz seems to be the first purely animated group to gain widespread critical acclaim and get into heavy rotation in the nation’s cooler dance spots. Created by a collaborative group including rapper Del Tha Funkee Homosapien, producer Dan the Automator and Damon Albarn of Blur, the group’s live shows consist of a series of animated projections, the live players performing backstage.

But fictional bands made of real people have possibly had a greater presence in our culture, often blurring the line between truth and fiction and developing genuine fan bases. The first band on this list became so popular that many people are unaware that it was simply the product of a television show and initially didn’t play any of its own instruments. That’s right, the Monkees, the band that brought us two of the greatest pop songs of all time with “Daydream Believer” and “I’m a Believer,” (no thanks to Smash Mouth) started as nothing more than a group of actors trying to capitalize on the British Invasion.

Of course many of the greatest bands in American music history have also been fictional. Who is the greatest heavy metal band of all time? Clearly the answer is Spinal Tap. But did you know that Spinal Tap is nothing but a fictional group that was created for Christopher Guest and Rob Reiner’s movie of the same name? It’s true, even if their amps do go to 11.

In the ’60s, the United States was taken by storm by that loveable group from Erie, Pa., The Wonders (The Oneders on early recordings) and its infectious single, “That Thing You Do.” But unbeknown to many of their biggest fans, the group was actually not even formed until the mid-’90s for Tom Hanks’ film, and could not initially play instruments. I kid you not.

So if you’re getting tired of the same old stuff coming through your radio, pop in an old movie or turn to the Cartoon Network. You’re sure to come across cherished musical artifacts from your past. They may not be “real,” but they sure beat the hell out of The White Stripes.