My rant on today's pop music

In buisness the corporate world is a filthy beast. I played that game for awhile, I resigned two years ago, recently started drumming... never new life could be so good. Funny to me is that sooo many people think I'm a looser now because I left the big paying job and fancy title.

Once your in that game its hard to leave... I'm thankful my wife, still in said company, is so supportive... but I knew she would be because I chose wisley my son...

Its sad that we, in North America as a whole, care more about how we are perceived then what we stand for. I mean, what will I do if I'm not seen in the coolest of places wearing the latest trend keeping my mind busy with toys and gagets, lol.
 
Yep Ken, and the kind of pop that everyone here knows is crap is just the sound of cash registers.

I really, really hope that the internet dilutes big biz's power as people often suggest, but I don't think it's as profound as they make out. On the other hand, imagine how closed western popular culture would be without it!

I have mixed feelings about government funding for the arts. Seems to me that only those who play the game are deemed worthy because governments are so risk averse. Maybe independent collectives are a better answer?
 
To further the protest-resistence themes in modern pop-rock, I think you have to get out of mainstream.


Within Temptation - Our Solemn Hour (2008)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCxb8FwhzK8


Dead Soul Tribe - Feed, Part II: The Awakening (2004)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jREiKj8WRRs

:Dream Theater - "Prophets of War" (2007)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLZ2PmpUTkA

Queensryche attempted to add some protest theme to 2006's Operation: Mindcrime II with the song "I'm an American" but uh...they really missed the boat.
 
Hey Zeus, how does your wife feel about still being in the machine while you escape?


To further the protest-resistence themes in modern pop-rock, I think you have to get out of mainstream.

That's the issue. For the most part, that means they'll be preaching to the converted rather than throwing the spotlight on issues the general public might have missed while they've been busy with kids, mortgages and working for The Man.

social_work-consume-die-sm.jpg
 
Yep Ken, and the kind of pop that everyone here knows is crap is just the sound of cash registers.

I really, really hope that the internet dilutes big biz's power as people often suggest, but I don't think it's as profound as they make out. On the other hand, imagine how closed western popular culture would be without it!

I have mixed feelings about government funding for the arts. Seems to me that only those who play the game are deemed worthy because governments are so risk averse. Maybe independent collectives are a better answer?

Public funding for the arts is a no brainer. All those opera houses, symphonies orchestras and art museums create revenue for the city by bringing in tourism. When I was young, they used to have jazz concerts for free in the museums and I saw legends like the Heath Brothers, Joe Henderson and Billy Higgins there. The whole NY avant-garde that gave birth to Cage, LaMonte Young, Steve Reich The Velvets, minimalism, Punk, was due to the public funding of artists. You see, it's not only giving money to Symphonies, it's also supporting public festivals, community concerts, experimental music and theater, education of the arts for the young, and for the old timers. It's about the development of culture. And yes we can say that the arts are not profitable. But if anything the huge subsidies of wheat, corn and soybeans in America along with the huge bailouts and subsidies would seem to prove that the arts are not the only business that is not profitable.

I did like that line, "I don't think too many would have predicted that the function of Orwell's thought police would have been privatized!" This is the thing that many here in America don't get. Governmental tyranny is bad; but it is not any better if it is Big Business that rules with an iron fist. Now they are talking about off shore drilling, as if BP's fiasco never happened, new-cular (in Bush's vernacular) still nowhere to put the waste, and drilling for oil in the forests or Canada and the national parks of America. They want to privatize the parks and privatize the oceans by quarantining off fish farms and selling off the grids. This is why those in power have tried to bankrupt the federal government. The internet is supposed to be a place where there is free reign of thought. But now search engines direct you to sponsored websites, and they are controlling the type of information that people access. Today I got this in my youtube recommended listening list.


How Justin Gets a Girl's Attention!
Popstar! asks Justin Bieber to reveal the silliest thing he's ever done to get a g...
SUGGESTED Because you watched Rush - RED BARCHETTA...

Somebody better start writing some resistance music. :)
 
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...and don't forget The Logical Song:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4466537824796013909#

...perhaps that whole rebelliousness is part of the musical marketing (being cynical here), sometimes business does not really care as long as it sells, but I guess there are those that chose what you ("should") listen to.

Atleast we do have some degree of freedom of speech in the western world, but I do think that there are some elements of our governments and corporations that threaten that freedom.
 
That's the issue. For the most part, that means they'll be preaching to the converted rather than throwing the spotlight on issues the general public might have missed while they've been busy with kids, mortgages and working for The Man.

Hey....hey now!!

:p
 
I love the 'Wish You Were Here' album so much. And not even for the title song or 'Crazy Diamond'. The other two are something else and they remind me of 'Animals', which is probably my favourite of their albums.

I'll have to check it out - I missed that album. I'm a Floyd-head from way back, including some of their abstract early songs - I'm totally in love with the Pompeii DVD.
 
Polly,

In regards to the Wifey's feelings about her in the corporate world and me getting out...

She is Indonesian, schooled in Switzerland, attented College in Miami, and then we met in CA. I share this because it was important for me to find someone woth a Global understanding of what is truly important in life...

She loves what she does and its a huge accomplishment for a Woman, much less an Asian woman, to succeed in the Boys club company I'm talking about. Whats better is she could care less if you drive a BMW or a Bucket of bolts, have a "real" Coach bag or not... The beauty of life comes from within not what we put on, lol.

I'm was the superficial one... and I'm thankful she fixed most of me. :)
 
Cheers Zeus, interesting thoughts. Great that she's happy with the arrangement - win/win :)

Funny you should say "The beauty of life comes from within not what we put on". Only a few minutes ago I was only reflecting on the American Idol thread about its triumph of form over substance.

Damn, when/if are people going to get real!
 
That echos my feelings about that album precisely. Desolate. In a good way.

Is that a play on words Larry? I remember several years back, I was visiting my sister in London. We were bowling and my brother in law wanted to play the juke box. He sees this album Meddle and says, Ken you like Pink Floyd, should I play it? I said don't play the track Echos, it's twenty minutes long. Now being a fan of 1980s synth pop, he actually didn't believe that a song could be 20 minutes long, so he played it. There we were in the bowling alley listening to Echos. He couldn't believe that it actually was twenty minutes long; but certainly agreed it was a quarter (or a pound) well spent.

I love Animals because like Meddle, it is one great album not destroyed by AOR.
 
Is that a play on words Larry? I remember several years back, I was visiting my sister in London. We were bowling and my brother in law wanted to play the juke box. He sees this album Meddle and says, Ken you like Pink Floyd, should I play it? I said don't play the track Echos, it's twenty minutes long. Now being a fan of 1980s synth pop, he actually didn't believe that a song could be 20 minutes long, so he played it. There we were in the bowling alley listening to Echos. He couldn't believe that it actually was twenty minutes long; but certainly agreed it was a quarter (or a crown) well spent.

I love Animals because like Meddle, it is one great album not destroyed by AOR.

If you want an interesting read about Pink Floyd and record companies read this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Hit-Men-Brokers-Inside-Business/dp/0679730613

It discusses how during the Wall, Pink Floyd had a hit album, with sold out concerts, but was not being played on the radio because a record company exec wanted to see what would happen if he didn't bribe radio stations for a change.
 
If you want an interesting read about Pink Floyd and record companies read this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Hit-Men-Brokers-Inside-Business/dp/0679730613

It discusses how during the Wall, Pink Floyd had a hit album, with sold out concerts, but was not being played on the radio because a record company exec wanted to see what would happen if he didn't bribe radio stations for a change.

It got a lot of air play where I am, and that was before the shows. For The Wall, Pink Floyd did three cities, LA, London and believe it of not Long Island. They played a week of sold out shows that were celebrity and Kennedy attended. I didn't go because I disliked that album. At that point, everyone was jumping on the disco band wagon, and to hear one of my favorite bands doing a disco tune was more than I could bare. But by the time the movie came out, I better understood the satire and the Orwellian references. Years later my uncle says to me, "Oh, I worked security for that show. I could have gotten you in." I should have hit him." That was the last chance to see Pink Floyd with all its members.
 
Well Ken, at least they were new when you were the right age. I feel slightly embarrassed admitting that I like them because they're so often retrospectively grouped in with bands that I really do not like at all. People then decide to make assumptions about my musical taste - but this is all retrospective. I don't like a lot of music from the 70's - and I like their 60's stuff and 'The Final Cut', so it's not exclusively 70's - but I really do like Pink Floyd. My Dad is a big fan and used to always play them in the car when I was very small. Somewhere he has the cassettes that he used to play. Lots of memories there from being really very, very small.
 
For modern metal protest songs, look no further than our own ginger whinger...

Mr. Dave Mustaine

Megadeth have written songs foretelling the world's future and giving shit to those who drag it down for years.


Rust In Peace... Polaris
- Ode to nuclear missles

Holy Wars (The Punishment Due)
Self explainitary, really... Making religion the scapegoat for worldwide slaughter.

Peace Sells
Cold war politics

United Abominations
Written about how peace talks have f**ked up with the war on terror
 
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