"We went into that knowing that we were never going to sell a major record 'cause we didn't sound like these bands, so I just thought this was an opportunity for us to make the kind of records that we wanted and make some money at the same time"
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Buzz Osborne is sketching the unglamorous math behind a lot of “authentic” rock mythology: if you already know you’re not built for mass consumption, you can stop chasing it and start using the system for your own ends. The line lands because it refuses the usual origin-story pose. There’s no wide-eyed belief in the major-label fairy tale, no post-facto “we always knew we were geniuses.” Instead, he frames the move as pragmatic misfit strategy: enter the machine fully aware you won’t become its mascot.
The subtext is a quiet indictment of an industry that rewards resemblance. “We didn’t sound like these bands” isn’t just genre description; it’s an acknowledgment that majors function like sorting algorithms, promoting what fits radio, press narratives, and existing consumer habits. Osborne’s “opportunity” flips that logic. If you’re already disqualified from being a priority, you might get left alone long enough to make what you actually want. Artistic freedom doesn’t arrive as a romantic triumph; it’s negotiated in the margins of corporate indifference.
The most revealing phrase is “and make some money at the same time.” It’s blunt, almost impolite in a scene that often treats commerce like contamination. Osborne doesn’t sanitize the motive because the band’s identity was never about purity tests. It’s about leverage: take the budget, take the distribution, keep the sound. That candor is its own punk ethic, less about rejecting the market than refusing to let the market write the music.
The subtext is a quiet indictment of an industry that rewards resemblance. “We didn’t sound like these bands” isn’t just genre description; it’s an acknowledgment that majors function like sorting algorithms, promoting what fits radio, press narratives, and existing consumer habits. Osborne’s “opportunity” flips that logic. If you’re already disqualified from being a priority, you might get left alone long enough to make what you actually want. Artistic freedom doesn’t arrive as a romantic triumph; it’s negotiated in the margins of corporate indifference.
The most revealing phrase is “and make some money at the same time.” It’s blunt, almost impolite in a scene that often treats commerce like contamination. Osborne doesn’t sanitize the motive because the band’s identity was never about purity tests. It’s about leverage: take the budget, take the distribution, keep the sound. That candor is its own punk ethic, less about rejecting the market than refusing to let the market write the music.
Quote Details
| Topic | Music |
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