The other night I was chillin' around the idiot box. Scanning
the airwaves, I ran across the yo fresh hip hop music vids,
but there is always too much ice and ass in those for me, so
continued on to something else. I hit Viacom’s MTV or VH-1
(didn’t care to notice) and stumbled on the “documentary”
on how the pop weenies O-Town were invented.
I often wondered how these contrived pop “icons” came
to be and this show confirmed what I feared. Some chicken shit
corporate recording executive decides that his media conglomerate
needs to create some cash. They find 20 adolescent dweebs, thin
them down with “talent” and popularity tests to five
dorks that can dance to the steps the choreographers write for
them and whose voices will stay somewhat the same when they
finish puberty. The
finalists make the band and lip synch songs that the corporate
machine writes (of course none of them can actually play a musical
instrument) for them in front of the video camera. The choreographers
make sure they all grind their hips in-sync and their corporate
leech partners, the broadcasting conglomerates ensure their
success by adding these new songs to the other 20 songs they
play each day. It is a contrived hustle that makes me want to
puke.
The music you read about in this mag represents some of what
is still real in the world. While these bands may suck or rock
depending on your taste, they are for the most part quite real.
They pay their dues in the bars and gutters of our fine country;
they play their own songs with their own hands. Our music advertisers
represent what we believe in; the quality of independent musical
creativity. This independence inspires something I refer to
as musical integrity. Neil
Young is the best example I know of someone with musical integrity.
He has produced around an album a year for the last thirty years
or so, and while each one is not necessarily a commercial success,
the music is very listenable and fresh. The message in each
song is significant and in many cases moving. While a recording
label sells each album, it is music that Neil wrote. In the
80’s he proved that telling the execs to go fuck themselves
and being true to himself and his music is far better than sucking
on the teat of corporate America and becoming one of their whores.
This note’s for you, Neil.
Johnny Cash ran an ad after he won country music artist of the
year in 1997 much to the dismay of the Country music system.
This ad sums up how I feel about this whole scene. He spent
20 grand of his own money in Billboard Magazine to tell the
world how much he appreciated the country music industry and
their support. I congratulate Billboard for having the balls
to run it.
As you live your lives skating, snowboarding and enjoying what
is left of our freedom in this flag waving country (how many
of those lemmings owned a flag on September 10th?) support the
real musicians in this country (and the rest of the world) by
showing up at their shows and buying the CD’s if you enjoy
the music..
The other night I was chillin' around the idiot box. Scanning
the airwaves, I ran across the yo fresh hip hop music vids,
but there is always too much ice and ass in those for me, so
continued on to something else. I hit Viacom’s MTV or VH-1
(didn’t care to notice) and stumbled on the “documentary”
on how the pop weenies O-Town were invented.
The
finalists make the band and lip synch songs that the corporate
machine writes (of course none of them can actually play a musical
instrument) for them in front of the video camera. The choreographers
make sure they all grind their hips in-sync and their corporate
leech partners, the broadcasting conglomerates ensure their
success by adding these new songs to the other 20 songs they
play each day. It is a contrived hustle that makes me want to
puke.
Neil
Young is the best example I know of someone with musical integrity.
He has produced around an album a year for the last thirty years
or so, and while each one is not necessarily a commercial success,
the music is very listenable and fresh. The message in each
song is significant and in many cases moving. While a recording
label sells each album, it is music that Neil wrote. In the
80’s he proved that telling the execs to go fuck themselves
and being true to himself and his music is far better than sucking
on the teat of corporate America and becoming one of their whores.