In the Name of Love, Sort of

U2 isn't relevant anymore, except, I suppose, to the kind of people who still impulse buy CDs at the gas station. Bono and the boys are, however, a big part of our terrible Classic Rock perma-culture, where Zeppelin, Aerosmith, and BTO are officially the only things that ever happened in one decade, and U2 and The Police are the sole representatives of another.

Besides thinking about the defence budget-sized royalties they must be bringing in every time you hear "Where the Streets Have No Name," it's fun to ponder the fact U2 was a Joy Division-inspired post-punk outfit in its earliest days. As such, it was a band bent on taking a big, insolent dump on the old guard (as was the fashion of the time). By some weird confluence of fate, the elements, and the right exposure in America, U2 became the old guard. Same as it ever was, just without all the blues progressions.

In the process, U2 also influenced a generation of musicians, most of whom I'm guessing would want to keep their teenage infatuation with The Joshua Tree under wraps. On the other hand, those very Pitchfork-approved indie rockers The Walkmen posted a sort of loving tribute to the tax-dodging, union-busting Dubliners on their website last week.

Actually, the influence was always pretty clear (you've heard "The Rat," right?), but please do enjoy this much stoopider, "Stars On 45" gone wrong medley of "Pride (In the Name of Love)," "With or Without You," and the ever ridiculous "Sunday Bloody Sunday." The band says they piled through this nonsense during a particularly frustrating episode in the recording of their upcoming album. "It's our way of blowing off steam," they write. "Please forgive us."

If only for the hilarious way that Hamilton Leithauser earnestly "duh-na-nas" his way through half-forgotten lyrics -- Walkmen, you are forgiven.