Not the Heroes We Looked for, but the Heroes We Needed

I’m pretty much a Smash Mouth agnostic- while their music was okay, I kinda dismissed it as a soundtrack for bros with regrettable hairdos and children who liked ‘Shrek’ movies. I wouldn’t switch the radio station if one of their songs came on, but I didn’t rush out to buy their albums. To me, the cool kids, by which I mean the nerds, were listening to Hedningarna in the 90s.

Earlier this year, though, Smash Mouth proved themselves to be a far cry from the bro-culture... uh... bros I always thought them to be. When a neo-Nazi front group announced that they planned to hold a straight pride March, the members of Smash Mouth put out a public expression of disdain. These bros, who I had dismissed as... uh... bros, had struck a blow for equality- Smash Mouth had... uh... smashed toxic masculinity in the... uh... mouth.

Checking the rest of the band’s twitter feed, I found posts amplifying fundraisers for sick people, extolling the virtues of bookmobiles, and invitations for ill children to attend their concerts as VIPs. It suddenly hit me, these bros are actually all about brotherhood, they are the goofy big brothers who will stand up for their less fortunate siblings. I immediately thought, “Hey, now, they are all stars!”. I’m not the only one who had a Smash Mouth Epiphany.

So why did I post this today? Smash Mouth is playing a free concert in nearby White Plains, NY. I’m not planning on going, because it’s bar trivia night, but I wouldn’t mind if the local DJ plays some Smash Mouth.

And in a coda to this post, I also have to note that another sartorially regrettable bro has proven to be a hero, proving that Flavortown is every bit as caring as Mr Roger’s Neighborhood. There are heroes, herbros if you will, that come, unbidden, in our hours of need, unexpectedly herbroic bros who prove that bros DO let bros bro, bro.