Line #59 Music/AgainstMe


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/againstme_1403195391.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:The current line-up. From left to right: James Bowman, Laura Jane Grace, Inge Johansson, and Atom Willard.]]
3
4	->''All dressed up and nowhere to go\
5	Walking the streets all alone\
6	Another night to wish that you could forget\
7	Making yourself up as you go along''
8	-->--'''"True Trans Soul Rebel"'''
9
10	Against Me! is a PunkRock band from Gainesville, Florida. Started as a solo acoustic/folk punk project by seventeen-year-old Laura Jane Grace, Against Me! has been a full group since 2001. The lineup has changed over time, with Laura Jane Grace and lead guitarist James Bowman as the only consistent members. The band has released seven studio albums, most recently, ''Shape Shift With Me'' in September 2016. They've also released several [=EPs=], two live albums, several demo tapes, and in 2004 a movie of their tour. Grace also released a solo album called ''Heart Burns'' and has written a book, ''Tranny'', which was released in November of 2016.
11
12	!! Discography:
13	* ''Against Me!'' (1999, EP)
14	* ''Crime'' (2001, EP)
15	* ''Against Me!'' aka ''The Acoustic EP'' (2001, EP)
16	* ''Against Me! Is Reinventing Axl Rose'' (2002)
17	* ''As the Eternal Cowboy'' (2003)
18	* ''We're Never Going Home'' (2004, DVD)
19	* ''Searching for a Former Clarity'' (2005)
20	* ''Americans Abroad!!! Against Me!!! Live in London!!!'' (2006, Live album)
21	* ''New Wave'' (2007)
22	* ''White Crosses'' (2010)
23	* ''Transgender Dysphoria Blues'' (2014)
24	* ''23 Live Sex Acts'' (2015, EP)
25	* ''Shape Shift with Me'' (2016)
26
27	!! This band provides examples of:
28	* AudienceParticipationSong: "We Laugh at Danger (and Break All the Rules)"
29	* ConceptAlbum: Played with ''Transgender Dysphoria Blues''. Laura has described the album about being of a transgender prostitute. However, once she came out as a transgender woman, it became clear it was about ''her'' and her struggles of growing up with gender dysphoria, the struggles of transitioning and the divorce of her now ex-wife and the death of her friend Pope.
30	* CountryMatters: In "Transgender Dysphoria Blues":
31	-->You've got no cunt in your strut
32	-->You've got no hips to shake.
33	-->And you know it's obvious,
34	-->But we can't choose how we're made.
35	* CoverVersion: Several - Music/TheClash's "Janie Jones", the folk song "Wagon Wheel", Cocksparrer's "Because You're Young", the Music/DeadKennedys' "Moon Over Marin", and Music/TheReplacements' "Bastards of Young". The band also covered The Replacements' "Androgynous" alongside Music/JoanJett.
36	* DownerEnding:
37	** ''Transgender Dysphoria Blues'' - the last four tracks are some of their most depressing, lyrically.
38	** The song "Searching for a Former Clarity" is a second-person narration of a person dying of AIDS.
39	* DrunkenSong: "We Laugh at Danger...", per the album liner notes.
40	* EmbarrassingTattoo: While trying to cover up some of Laura Jane's old tats, the tattoo artist apparently goofed. One thing led to another, and she decided to just black out the entire arm.
41	* EpicRocking: The live version of "The Ocean" clocks in at 8:36, thanks to audience participation.
42	* EverythingIsAnInstrument: Pickle barrels can be drums, apparently.
43	* InCaseYouForgotWhoWroteIt: "Against Me! is Reinventing Axl Rose", Against Me! "As the Eternal Cowboy", and "Crime" as Forgiven by Against Me! There are also two self-titled [=EPs=].
44	* IndecipherableLyrics: Not so much anymore, but try to tell what the lyrics are from the self-titled EP. We'll wait.
45	* [[SirSwearsALot Lady Swears A Lot]]: Laura, natch.
46	* LargeHam: Laura Jane Grace loves to shout on the top of her lungs, and the step towards AlternativeRock certainly made her even hammier.
47	* LyricalDissonance: Very common in many of their songs. examples include, "Thrash Unreal", "Pints of Guinness Make You Strong", "Transgender Dysphoria Blues", "Unconditional Love", "Crash", "Haunting Haunted Haunts".
48	* MaleBandFemaleSinger: Ever since Laura came out.
49	* MeaningfulName: The band's name reflected Grace's feeling about her life up to that point: "The whole world is against me!"
50	* NWordPrivileges:
51	** Again, "Transgender Dysphoria Blues":
52	--->You want them to notice\
53	The ragged ends of your summer dress\
54	You want them to see you\
55	Like they see every other girl\
56	They just see a faggot\
57	They'll hold their breath not to catch the sick
58	*** Grace actually came out to the rest of the band spontaneously, after being asked by them whether she should be singing these lyrics.
59	** Also, "Drinking with the Jocks":
60	--->I'm drinking with the jocks\
61	I'm laughing at the faggots\
62	Just like one of the boys\
63	Swinging my dick in my hand
64	** The title of Grace's memoir, ''Tranny''.
65	* OncePerEpisode: In addition to long titles, every album has some reference to or song about gender dysphoria.
66	* OdeToSobriety: ''How Low'' describes the narrator wants to stop drinking and doing drugs every night, and can't, and how terrible that is.
67	* ProtestSong: "White People for Peace". "Anna Is a Stool Pigeon" off of Grace's ''Heart Burns''.
68	** "White People for Peace" is a funny case, as it's more of an anti-protest song protest. It's a criticism of bands who do anti-war protest songs trying to stop conflict instead of taking direct action (since direct action is an important part of most forms of anarchism).
69	** [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin "I Was a Teenage Anarchist"]] reminisces about Laura's real-life teenage years as a punky rebel, and elaborates on why it's so easy to become disillusioned with the whole thing.
70	--->''Do you remember when we were young and we wanted to set the world on fire?''
71	* RevolvingDoorBand: Laura is the band's only original member. James Bowman has been a member since ''Reinventing Axl Rose'' and is their longest-serving non-original member. A timeline of membership:
72	** Laura Jane Grace (vocals/guitar) 1997-present
73	** Kevin Mahon (drums) 1998-2001
74	** Dustin Fridkin (bass/vocals) 1998; 2001-02
75	** James Bowman (guitar/vocals) 2001-present
76	** Warren Oakes (drums) 2001-09
77	** Andrew Seward (bass/vocals) 2002-13, 2018-present
78	** George Rebelo (drums) 2009-10
79	** Jay Weinberg (drums) 2010-12
80	** Atom Willard (drums) 2012-present
81	** Inge Johansson (bass/vocals) 2013-2018
82	* SelfTitledAlbum: Three, although the first is a mostly forgotten demo and the third is typically referred to as the Acoustic EP.
83	* SiameseTwinSongs: Sort of. ''Searching for a Former Clarity'' has a song end with a drum beat that leads into the next song.
84	* SingingVoiceDissonance: Laura's speaking voice in interviews is noticeably deeper than her usual singing voice in most songs.
85	* SomethingBlues: The song and album "Transgender Dysphoria Blues"
86	* SopranoAndGravel: "Borne on the FM Waves of the Heart", with [[Music/TeganAndSara Tegan Quin]].
87	* StreetMusician: Back when it was a solo project.
88	* StopAndGo: "We Laugh at Danger (and Break All the Rules)", "Don't Lose Touch".
89	* TheUnreveal: "The Ocean" was Grace outing herself as transgender, but nobody realized it was literal. Grace also claimed to the band and producers that she was high when writing the lyrics, so that they wouldn't take it literally.
90	* UnpluggedVersion: Pretty common, but Black Crosses especially. And the Acoustic EP, natch.
91	* VocalEvolution: The singing style changed from release to release from up through "As the Eternal Cowboy". Also a {{subverted}} trope with Grace's transition - she's stated that she likes her singing the way it is and doesn't intend to change it.
92	%%* WordSaladLyrics
93	* WorthIt: The subject of "Thrash Unreal" is an aging ex-junkie, stuck working a minimum wage job, desperately trying to still get guys half her age to sleep with her, and has a daughter who is very likely going to be a carbon copy of her. The closing lines of the song?

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