I'm Doing Europe (Part Four): Big American Assholes, I

     I'm at the bar attached to my hostel having a pint before suddenly, I get this really uneasy feeling in my stomach. At first I think it may be the fish or the chips or both on my plate, but then I realize it's the fact that Nickelback has just come over the stereo at a really unneccessary volume. After a bit, the song fades out along with the overwhelming desire to attack my own ears with a pick axe. The feeling returned pretty much instantly returns a second later when Puddle of Mud comes on.
     That's when I come upon this realization. Back home, I'm able to ignore these kind of bands easily. Because of my hard drive and my IPod, I never listen to the radio anymore, and for the most part, nobody plays music videos, period. Simply put, the America that listens to Chad Kroger isn't necessarily my America. But today, sitting at Belushi's near London Bridge, I'm coming to realize that this is the America that's presented to the rest of the world.
     No matter how much I'm ignorant of it, it doesn't change the fact that as a country, we're not exporting our Rogue Waves and Built to Spills. We're exporting Staind, people, and this may be the biggest problem with our foriegn policy we've yet to discuss. In the last decade or two, Brittain's sent the world Britpop and Radiohead and garage (which is a good or bad thing depending on who you talk to), but what the hell have we put out? Nu metal? Lamebot alt rock (for the record, that would be alt rock made by robots designed to be lame)? It's no wonder the world thinks we're assholes, people. The dudes rocking out representing the red white and blue are assholes.
     The other night I was at a bar and my pal Dylan was talking to a girl. Once she found out he was American, she told him 3 Doors Down was her favorite band. This is the way the rest of the world sees us.
     Maybe there's hope still. I was at the Underground station (that's English for subway) and the station was plastered with Vampire Weekend posters. I didn't realize it would take England for me to find something good about those Ivy League hipster fucks.

*PS: I'm fully aware how condescending this post sounded, thanks. As my man Kel would say. Real talk.