OVERTHINKING STEEL PANTHER

“Welcome to Overthinking It, where we subject the popular culture to a level of scrutiny it probably doesn’t deserve.” So reads the site disclaimer at the top of OverthinkingIt.com, which does exactly what it claims to do. Much like MetalSucks, OverthinkingIt.com attempts to take an intellectual approach to art that may or may not warrant it. Their latest topic is the [semi]-ironic cock rock of Steel Panther, a band this author loves but many just don’t seem to get.

What’s great about OverthinkingIt’s Steel Panther piece is that it delves deeply (very deeply) into every facet of the band’s approach — their lyrics, their look, their stage-show, their historical influences and relevance, their musicianship, their general existence as a parallel to Starship Troopers (zuh? read the article) — and concludes that Steel Panther are, indeed, the shit.

Here’s a band that most people probably take at face value for their silly look and ridiculous lyrics, but when you look beneath the surface there’s a whole lot more going on there. And that is precisely why I like Steel Panther’s Feel the Steel so much. It’s smart and well thought out in every imaginable facet. It’s big, stupid rock for smart and dumb people alike.

-VN

[Thanks: Nicholas Nutter]