For Your Listening Pleasure
Afroskull – Monster for the Masses
News to You
In the STORY OF THE YEAR, son of performer/comedian Dick Smothers says he wants to be the “Orson Welles of porn”. Does it get any better than this?
Dick Smothers, Jr. stars in the upcoming adult film Bad Influence, as well as Sex For Sale alongside (on top, inside… oh, you know what I mean) co-star Rebecca Love, who according to avninsider.com will do anything, but hates when getting spit in the mouth, because “it kinda freaks me out” — you can’t make this stuff up.
Now, say what you want about the adult entertainment/porn industry, but if you’re born with a name like Dick Smothers, how can you not at least consider it? By typing “Matthew Biscuiti” into the Porn Star Name Generator, I get “Xavier Lick” which I find just a little bit contrived. “Matthew Michaels” spits out “Juan Rod” (not much better). But “Dick Smothers”? Simply perfect. I wish him all the best. His dad must be proud!
Will Slim Shady Please Step Up?
Two things stood out to me while reading the April 3 issue of Rolling Stone: Eminem is the highest rated hip-hop artist on the magazine’s “Rock’s 50 Richest” list, ranked at #5 with a net of $28.9 million in 2002 (behind only Paul McCartney, Rolling Stones, Dave Matthews Band and Celine Dion); and Eminem’s project 50 Cent is the biggest new artist of the year, selling 2.1 million copies of Get Rich or Die Tryin’ in it’s first three weeks.
Damn.
Let’s keep going, shall we?
— He just became the first hip-hop artist to win an Oscar for “Lose Yourself” from 8 Mile;
— His latest album, The Eminem Show, has sold over 7 million copies since its release last summer and won a GRAMMY for Best Rap Album;
— “Lose Yourself” was the number one Billboard single for 12 weeks in a row;
— His movie debut, 8 Mile, grossed over $116 million at the box office last year, and produced a multiplatinum soundtrack; and
— The 8 Mile DVD became the biggest DVD debut EVER for an R-rated movie when it sold a record $75 million worth in one week.
There is no doubt in my mind that Marshall Mathers III is the most powerful performer in the music business today. And by using the Spider Man Theory (“with great power comes great responsibility”), one must wonder (a) what’s next for Eminem’s professional career and (b) what’s the best way for Marshall to use his powers for good, not evil?
As I mentioned in this column a couple of weeks ago, the biggest factor necessary to institute big change in the music industry is the channels in which the music is delivered from artist to consumer:
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.
What stronger a force than the most powerful performer in music today, Eminem? He’s made his movie (and who knows, maybe he even has a future on the big screen), every album he drops is a hit, he’s won GRAMMYs, an Oscar, and he’s producing the hottest new act on the hip-hop scene. He’s earned a tremendous amount of cash, he’s matured both in his public persona and those characters he portrays in his music, and he’s even gotten to the point where reconciliation with Kim (yes, THE Kim) isn’t out of the question. Eminem has a real big chance to at least TRY and make change, and he may even be able to succeed.
My friend Toby and I were discussing this today, and he made a great point: if anyone’s going to force the Internet to “kill the radio star,” it’s Eminem. Internet and satellite radio are ready to take off and give mainstream radio and MTV a run for their money, but every artist to date that’s tried to force this issue has done so with minimal success. Public Enemy, They Might Be Giants and Alanis Morissette are just a few artists that embraced the Internet… but did so way past their primes (assuming Alanis actually had a “prime”). Indie bands love the ‘Net, but the fan-base isn’t big enough to really affect change. But Eminem? He’s on top of his game right now. I’m not saying he’s got to go COMPLETELY online, but what about offering Web-only content, or a streaming “Eminem Radio” station available only to online fans? How about Webcasting a concert or the latest videos before they hit MTV?
Who knows if this would even work?… Let’s face it, Eminem’s money doesn’t come from touring — it’s all based on record sales, which for now rely greatly on radio and video play. But my argument is that it would be nice for him to at least try. If he can figure out this next generation in music distribution, it opens the doors up not only for him to evolve from artist to pioneer, but also provides him with more ways to get exposure for artists on Shady Records, as well as make some more bank.
Fun With Spellchecker
I’ll try to hold back on the innuendo here…
What I typed: Celine
Spellchecker’s suggested replacements: Clean or Feline
{{showing restraint}}
Thanks for reading, and check back in next week, when I’ll discuss either the newest crop of anti-war songs, street musicians, or neither!
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.
