For Your Listening Pleasure
The Beatles – Anthology 3
News to You
If you love or hate hip-hop, THIS is the game for you!
I was all set to use this section to talk about Eminem and how he’s decided to not show up at the Oscars just as the 8 Mile DVD is set for release on March 18. But since video games are a big part of the NEW 411mania — and I’m a loyal 411 columnist — I figured I’d use this opportunity to talk about an interesting cross-promotion between EA Sports and Def Jam, while indirectly plugging 411 Games.
If you haven’t caught on to what I’m talking about yet, here’s the deal. EA Sports and Def Jam have teamed up, with the result being what I think is a piece of marketing genius: Def Jam Vendetta. Here’s the story behind the game, from EA’s Web site:
“It’s been three years since D-Mob chased you out of the New York fight circuit and you swore you’d never go back. Now your pal Manny is in trouble and he needs you to bail him out. The plan is simple: get in, win a few fights, pay off his debt, get out. No problem. Well, it turns out that things aren’t as easy as they appear. Once in the scene, your past comes back to haunt you. Soon you’re over your head and your only chance to get your life back together is to settle a score that has gone too long unpaid.”
Now, I’m not sure about all of the details, but part of “settling the score” seems to be a series of fights with Def Jam rap artists N.O.R.E, Capone, DMX, Funkmaster Flex, Ghostface Killah, Joe Budden, Keith Murray, Ludacris, Method Man, Redman, Scarface and WC. Cross-marketing between rap and video games isn’t new by any means — the latest games have had hip hop songs from new and old artists as background music for years — but I can’t see anything beating the opportunity that this creates to pummel your favorite rap stars. Even if you HATE hip hop, can you think of a better way to take out your aggression?
“M-E-T-H-O-D-WHACK!”
I came to bring the pain, indeed.
War! What is it Good For?
I was having a conversation with my friend about the state of the music industry — yes, it was a very broad conversation — and he not only declared that hip hop has peaked and died, but also said something to the effect of: “I don’t know what’s left for music to do — it has been trying EVERYTHING since 1995, from gangsta rap to Latin rock to women rock to electronica to garage bands, and nothing seems to work.”
Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to the cynical, idealist music fan (CIMF). The CIMF has hope in his or her heart that the “Next Big Thing” is just around the corner — that the music industry is cyclical, and it will continue to hold true that, every ten years or so, a new “revolution” will occur, shaking up the rock and roll landscape. It happened with grunge, it happened with punk… so of course it will happen again, soon… right? The cynical part of the CIMF, however, focuses on the fact that with every revolution there’s an aftermath. Nirvana, after all, led to Silverchair, Bush, Better Than Ezra and Sponge.
The CIMF has seen the rise (and fall?) of late 1990s/early 2000s dance-pop and the “American Idol” craze, the “bling-bling-ification” of rap music (to the point where you rarely hear about some of the really hot, intelligent hip hop out there), and all of the over-hype surrounding the recent garage-rock resurgence. Just when he/she finds a ray of hope in new “singer/songwriter” Avril Lavigne, the CIMF then reads Jenny Eliscu’s Rolling Stone cover story on her, and realizes she’s merely Britney-with-a-skateboard, and some modern-day Leiber and Stoller called “The Matrix” has written most of her hit songs. Yes, the same “Matrix” that will be working with Britney herself on her new record.
Frankly, it’s hard NOT to be cynical when all the “new” music that’s getting any kind of radio or video exposure isn’t new at all — it’s just a recreation of something that’s already happened. Nirvana didn’t sit in a room and say “let’s mix the Pixies, Van Morrison the Beatles and the Melvins.” Kurt Cobain had a great deal of passion, and his music — influenced by all of the above — served as an outlet for this passion.
Let’s see if I can formulate this into a little theory…
First a musical artist needs a muse, some form of inspiration that creates some sort of strong feeling. The artist then needs to have the passion to express this feeling, and the talent to utilize the passion in order to express this feeling to others.
The final two pieces of the equation are (a) finding a channel through which to distribute the music, and (b) finding people (consumers) willing to listen to/pay for it.
Muse — Feeling — Passion — Talent — Channel — Consumers
Unfortunately, most of what’s on the radio or MTV these days maybe has met 3 of the above 6 criteria — all of which, in my opinion, are needed for a performer to be a legitimate musical artist with any chance of being meaningful, influential and successful in the long-term.
So what are we waiting for? Where’s the Next Big Thing?
Sure, one could argue that there are plenty of innovative artists out there, unheard due to the corporate nature of the major record labels, radio stations and Viacom. But I still think we’re close to something major that will force the issue a bit, and bring these artists — and ones that haven’t hit their strides yet — to the forefront.
I think that, in some sick way, we need a war for this to happen.
Let’s face it. For all of our nation’s faults, Americans have had it pretty damn easy, and we need a swift kick in the ass. We don’t know hardship like our grandparents saw during the World Wars and Great Depression. We haven’t had a Vietnam serving to split an entire generation (and create some of the best peace anthems in our history). Heck, we haven’t even had a recession like the one we saw towards the end of the George H. W. Bush presidency.
If you think about it, Operation: Desert Storm and the early 90s recession just so happened to coincide with the last explosion of great rock and hip hop music into the mainstream… and our economy and foreign affairs are starting to look quite similar to the way things were a decade ago. The 9/11/01 terrorist attacks and the probable Second Gulf War, along with the sagging economy, may just be the muse the music industry’s been waiting for.
So how will this all go down, you ask? Well, let’s see… Muse? Check. Strong feelings? Check. Passion? Check. Talent? Check.
I’m sure that there are plenty of inspired, passionate, talented kids dying to express their feelings through music. And the consumers are there clamoring for something new AND good to latch on to (and if not, they will be with good marketing). The trick is Factor #5: the distribution channel. It may be taking a bit longer than we CIMFs would like, but I’m convinced that the Internet WILL indeed be this channel, and provide the means to shake up the entire music industry.
Up until now, there’s been no reason for the Internet to be anything more than something for the kids to play with, ’cause they don’t wanna buy stuff, have lots of free time, and let’s face it — they’re way more technologically advanced than the generations of music fans that came before them.
Yes, with five major record labels (Sony, Universal, EMI, Warner Brothers, and BMG) determining what music gets made, and two companies (Clear Channel and Infinity) controlling the mainstream airwaves, it’s easy to lose hope that anything will ever change. But the Big Five continue to take steps (albeit baby-steps) towards the realization that the Internet is the future of the industry, and Internet and satellite radio alternatives are growing. All the industry needs is a trigger, a strong enough force to take things to the next level.
The muse is on the horizon, whether it’s war, another terrorist attack or the economy getting even worse. Once the feelings and the passion are strong enough, the Internet will indeed have the push to naturally become the necessary distribution channel for the Next Big Thing in music.
Or at least it seems that way to me. Stay tuned…
Responsibility
Speaking of war, Till My Head Falls Off reader Rpronest sent me some interesting feedback on my “Celebrity Pundits” column:
Enjoyed your column…would like to comment on the celebrity pundit piece…It would seem to me that a celebrity speaking out on political or world issues is extremely dangerous for two profound reasons…one – celebrities posses a talent (singing, acting, etc.) that, in our current society, brings them wealth and fame…these talents do not, however, guarantee awareness or intelligence in said celebrity…in many cases it is just the opposite…a great example of this is Sean Penn, who is famous because he can memorize lines and make facial expressions, nothing more…now he may be an intelligent individual, but that is not inherent in his profession…two – whom more than celebrities could be further removed from the reality of everyday life?…most truly live in a fantasy world where everything is provided, money is not an issue, and their children are raised by nannies…I love the example of a comedian hilariously describing a bowel movement…while that comedian’s take on the act may be insightful and witty, it is still shit that he is describing…until Jeanine Garafalo is ready to explain to me her plan on revising world economic theories with facts, not opinion, then she should stick to pointing out the everyday absurdity of changing her tampon…just some thoughts…keep up the good work
Well, SOMEone’s been watching “The O’Reilly Factor”! I hear you, RP, but I still say let the celebrities say what they will… it’s their right just as much as it is ours, and half the time they end up looking like such idiots, it’s worth it just for the comedy factor.
Speaking of idiots, here’s an email about my favorite idiot, Fred Durst, from Scott R:
I was reading your comments on 411 about Fred Durst’s commentary on the Great White fire. You forgot to mention that the most distasteful thing about what he wrote is that he considered what happened in Australia when a fan died during there show.
You see, the scum sucking piece of shit that he is, claimed no responsibility for this persons sad death. We have our Big Day Out festival every year that travels our country and compares to early Lollapolloza in terms of being such a cool thing. Many overseas acts come here for just these shows and nothing else. Nirvana headlined the very first show when it began, and it offers the widest variety of acts you could imagine. It offers all the usual festival rip off’s and overpriced fare, but there has never been any serious trouble that you wouldn’t find at any other well run festival the world over.
Well the year Limp Biscuit played not only did they command an incredible HUGE amount of money for these 6 shows, US$2,000,000 if memory serves, but stated over and over in press conferences that he likes to incite crowds to the point of anarchy. The first show he did in Brisbane was manic and had organizers worried about the showpiece show of the tour, and the next stop coincidentally, in Sydney.
He was repeatedly asked to make sure that the crowd did not overreact and keep things calm. He said he would perform as he always did and the safety and the security of all the fans was the promoters responsibility.
Show time. Durst The Limp, performs in his usual manner and trouble breaks out. With the usual crowd at this festival there is an abundance of making sure the other person is ok. Crowd deaths at shows here DO NOT happen. Nine In Nails, Rammstein, Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Mudvayne, Ministry and Marilyn Manson among others who inspire similar crowd reactions, have played to minimal problem. Durst went out of his way to make the crowd over the top. Repeated requests to cool the crowd down were ignored and the final wash up was a person was killed.
Fred came out publicly and said he was not responsible for the crowds reaction and he was only doing what he always did and that it was unfair he be asked to change his show because it would interfere with his “art”. He then, with the rest of his band, hightailed it out of Australia, not giving back the money for the four shows he was still contracted to do and has never been brought in to explain his actions. Because of this, when the coronial inquest was brought down he was absolved of any responsibility through lack of testimony.
As always, being close to the events at hand that day (i play in a band here that was also present that day to play the Big Day Out) I was shocked and appalled at Fred Durst and his actions. His comments on the fire just make them more villainous. Take what i say with a grain of salt but the core of this story is the truth and I have tried like hell to stick to the facts of this story. Emotion sometimes gets me about this.
Like your column and keep up the good work.
Thanks, Scott, and while I haven’t researched the Australia event you described, I of course think it’s sad when anything like this happens, and I’d hope all parties would take responsibility for what happened, and do their best to make sure nothing like this ever happens again. To be fair, here’s a link to an article describing Durst’s side of the story.
Speaking of taking responsibility for their actions, I got called to task by Nanisacan for comments I made in my column on Phil Spector:
Generally your columns are thoughtful, but as a writer it is your responsibility to maintain that domestic violence is never a subject for jest, especially when perpetrated by “celebrities and entertainers and artists” who make violent crime seem mainstream just by their own media draw. You made it worse when you added “and hopefully he’s eventually found innocent.” What you might want to hope for, instead, is that men stop killing women.
I wanted to apologize for my comments, and will reprint here what I posted on my Web site’s message boards:
I said:
“Where did it all go wrong? His ex-wife Ronnie Spector recently reiterated statements that she had made a few years ago: she knew when she left Phil that, if she didn’t get out then, she’d end up dead. Pretty scary stuff to think about, and hopefully he’s eventually found innocent. It’s always hard to try to stomach that someone could actually take someone else’s life when it’s not a matter of self-defense. But when it’s someone as revered as many of these celebrities are — celebrities and entertainers and artists that are supposed to help you escape from reality, even just a little bit — it really burns.
Now comes the really burning question, though. Did Lana Clarkson deserve to die? I mean, while she played bit parts in such classic films as Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Scarface, she also starred in Amazon Women on the Moon, Barbarian Queen and Deathstalker. That’s just inexcusable. Plus, what are you doing letting a documented freak like Phil Spector bring you home? That’s almost as stupid as letting your 12-year-old son sleep over Michael Jackson’s house.
Okay, okay, I’ll stop. My condolences to Ms. Clarkson’s family, and here’s hoping OJ Simpson lawyer Robert Shapiro — recently hired by Spector — can help us all get to the bottom of this.”
I in no way meant that I hope he’s found innocent if he did it. Obviously if he DID this, he should burn in Hell AND rot in jail. I meant that I hope it’s found out that he actually didn’t do it — I accept that bad things happen, but when someone in the spotlight, who’s even recognized as an artistic genius, does them, it really burns. You like to paint people you know (as well as people you know about) as better than the rest of us. If you find out he or she’s a murderer, it takes the luster off of it, and for entirely selfish reasons, I don’t want that to happen. I would much rather find out someone else did it — perhaps an ex boyfriend that broke in or ANYone else. That’s all… we’ll probably find out he DID do it, and that’s fine… no matter WHO did this, it’s horrible, and happens way too often — both in the public spotlight, and out of it.
As far as my joking about whether she deserved to die — it was just that… joking. Not very tasteful joking, but it wasn’t meant to be serious, nonetheless.
Thanks, and as I stated in the column, my condolences to Ms. Clarkson’s family.
Festival Update
This column’s running pretty long, so here’s a quick update on this year’s festivals and benefit concerts, all from Billboard.com unless otherwise noted:
Garbage, Travis frontman Fran Healy (isn’t he a Mets baseball announcer?), Paul Weller, Evan Dando, Beth Orton, and Echo & the Bunnymen frontman Ian McCulloch are confirmed to perform at the One Big No anti-war concert, which will be held March 15 in London…
Bonnaroo has signed on nearly 20 additional acts, including Neil Young & Crazy Horse, the Flaming Lips, Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss + Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas, the Funky Meters, Leo Kottke and Mike Gordon, and Spearhead for the event, set for June 13-15 in Manchester, Tenn., that will be headlined by the Dead and Widespread Panic…
And, last but not least, The Donnas will be at Lollapalooza.
Fun With Spellchecker
Let’s see what the ol’ spellchecker has for me this week…
What I typed: Durst
Spellchecker’s suggested replacement: Dust
Need I say more?
One Final Note
There was a great piece in the New York Times recently about Iraqi singer Kazem al-Sahir and his plans to tour America. Definitely give it a look — it’s nice to read about Iraq in a positive light every now and then. Funny how music can let you do that…
peace. love. moe.
– Matt
Till My Head Falls Off can be found weekly on 411 Music (old columns are archived in the pull-down menu below). Already hit everything on 411? You can find more from Matthew Michaels at moodspins and 1-42.
