I know I’m a little delayed in reacting to Pearl Jam’s debut of “Got Some” from their upcoming album “Backspacer” on Conan O’Brien Monday night.
Maybe I’m delayed because I needed time to think about it, or maybe I’m delayed because I didn’t want to say what I feel I have to.
I’m a huge Pearl Jam supporter, have been for years – but I was not impressed at all with this song and Eddie Vedder’s performance for that matter. The man is 44 years old and sounds like it.
I’ll give him some leeway as he has been on tour supporting his solo work and TV studio’s are not always a flattering place to play. The fan in me wishes he was just having an off night, but the critic in me thinks he should stick to mellow, low tempo songs as clearly his voice cannot handle it anymore.
What do you think?
June 03, 2009
June 01, 2009
The Influence Of Politics
“Let me ask you one question / Is your money that good / Will it buy you forgiveness / Do you think that it could / I think you will find / When your death takes its toll / All the money you made / Will never buy back your soul”
Powerful lyrics from one of the greatest political singer/songwriters to ever live.
Bob Dylan moved a generation with his words. He opened their eyes, expanded their minds and moved them to fight for change.
Dylan was a key figure in the 1960’s protest movement with songs like "Blowin' in the Wind" (1962), "Masters of War" (1963), "Talking World War III Blues" (1963), and "The Times They Are A-Changin'" (1964). His landmark songs inspired a generation, not only in the 60’s, but for the next 50 years as Bob Dylan is still - to this day a respected and admired artist.
In 1976, Dylan wrote “The Hurricane”, a protest song inspired by the false imprisonment of Rubin “Hurricane” Carter as a result of alleged acts of racism and profiling against Carter, which Dylan describes as leading to a false trial and conviction. The Hurricane is considered, in some circles, to be a contributing factor in Carter having all charges dropped against and released from prison in 1988.
"It Better End Soon" by Chicago, "War" by Edwin Starr, "Ohio" by Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young and "Imagine" by John Lennon were all recorded and released in the early 70’s in protest of the Vietnam war.
In fact, this week mark’s the 40th anniversary of John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s week long “bed-in for peace” at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal.
Soul artists like Marvin Gaye were using their voices as well to demand peace in the 70’s. Gaye’s legendary 1971 protest album "What's Going On” included the songs "Inner City Blues", "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)", and the title track, “What’s Going On”.
The 80’s ushered in new forms of protest songs and original ideas to bring global awareness to ongoing global problems.
Rap group NWA had hits like “Fight The Power” (1989) and “Fuck Tha Police” (1988). All American boys Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen rebelled against government policies with their songs “Allentown” (1982) and “Born In The USA” (1984).
And on July 13, 1985, former Boomtown Rats front man Bob Geldof would organize a global benefit concert to raise funds for famine relief in Ethiopia. The concert would showcase bands like U2, Queen, David Bowie, The Who, Elton John, Black Sabbath, Run DMC, The Beach Boys, Madonna, Neil Young, Led Zeppelin, Mick Jagger, Bob Dylan and Paul McCartney. Live Aid was viewed by an estimated 400 Million people worldwide and would raise an outstanding $283.6 million.
After that, politics and music just didn’t seem to mesh as well as it once did. More recently, notable acts like Rage Against The Machine (essentially their entire library), Green Day (American Idiot), Arcade Fire (Neon Bible), Eminem (Mosh) and Eddie Vedder have all made music rebelling against social trends, trying to evoke some sort of passion from the masses to demand change as they see it, but none have made the kind of significant impact – with all due respect - that our musical voices of the past have. Not through any fault of their own, it’s just that nobody seems to care anymore.
Another reason to believe that we are living in Generation... meh.
Where is the fire? Where is the passion, the need to see bullshit policies and human suffering overturned? Have we just stopped caring? Do we just accept what is going on around us these days with no desire to fix what’s broke?
To say that we haven’t had our share of live-changing historic moments would be false as well. Most of us lived through 9/11 – that was life changing; at least in North America, wasn’t it? And what do we have to show for it that is of any cultural significance? Neil Young’s “Let’s Roll” (2002) and the subsequent movie “United 93” (2006) that followed soon after. What about global warming – is that our generations issue? If so, why are bands today not being progressive like Dylan and Lennon and demanding change. No, instead lets all listen to songs about some chick’s poker face.
If the music is out there, and if bands are still exercising their right to free speech, I apologize and maybe my focus should be on the media for not giving them the air time.
I refuse to mention Al Gore’s Live Earth and Geldof’s Live 8 as significant, because they weren’t. Time has already proven it.
Powerful lyrics from one of the greatest political singer/songwriters to ever live.
Bob Dylan moved a generation with his words. He opened their eyes, expanded their minds and moved them to fight for change.
Dylan was a key figure in the 1960’s protest movement with songs like "Blowin' in the Wind" (1962), "Masters of War" (1963), "Talking World War III Blues" (1963), and "The Times They Are A-Changin'" (1964). His landmark songs inspired a generation, not only in the 60’s, but for the next 50 years as Bob Dylan is still - to this day a respected and admired artist.
In 1976, Dylan wrote “The Hurricane”, a protest song inspired by the false imprisonment of Rubin “Hurricane” Carter as a result of alleged acts of racism and profiling against Carter, which Dylan describes as leading to a false trial and conviction. The Hurricane is considered, in some circles, to be a contributing factor in Carter having all charges dropped against and released from prison in 1988.
"It Better End Soon" by Chicago, "War" by Edwin Starr, "Ohio" by Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young and "Imagine" by John Lennon were all recorded and released in the early 70’s in protest of the Vietnam war.
In fact, this week mark’s the 40th anniversary of John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s week long “bed-in for peace” at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal.
Soul artists like Marvin Gaye were using their voices as well to demand peace in the 70’s. Gaye’s legendary 1971 protest album "What's Going On” included the songs "Inner City Blues", "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)", and the title track, “What’s Going On”.
The 80’s ushered in new forms of protest songs and original ideas to bring global awareness to ongoing global problems.
Rap group NWA had hits like “Fight The Power” (1989) and “Fuck Tha Police” (1988). All American boys Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen rebelled against government policies with their songs “Allentown” (1982) and “Born In The USA” (1984).
And on July 13, 1985, former Boomtown Rats front man Bob Geldof would organize a global benefit concert to raise funds for famine relief in Ethiopia. The concert would showcase bands like U2, Queen, David Bowie, The Who, Elton John, Black Sabbath, Run DMC, The Beach Boys, Madonna, Neil Young, Led Zeppelin, Mick Jagger, Bob Dylan and Paul McCartney. Live Aid was viewed by an estimated 400 Million people worldwide and would raise an outstanding $283.6 million.
After that, politics and music just didn’t seem to mesh as well as it once did. More recently, notable acts like Rage Against The Machine (essentially their entire library), Green Day (American Idiot), Arcade Fire (Neon Bible), Eminem (Mosh) and Eddie Vedder have all made music rebelling against social trends, trying to evoke some sort of passion from the masses to demand change as they see it, but none have made the kind of significant impact – with all due respect - that our musical voices of the past have. Not through any fault of their own, it’s just that nobody seems to care anymore.
Another reason to believe that we are living in Generation... meh.
Where is the fire? Where is the passion, the need to see bullshit policies and human suffering overturned? Have we just stopped caring? Do we just accept what is going on around us these days with no desire to fix what’s broke?
To say that we haven’t had our share of live-changing historic moments would be false as well. Most of us lived through 9/11 – that was life changing; at least in North America, wasn’t it? And what do we have to show for it that is of any cultural significance? Neil Young’s “Let’s Roll” (2002) and the subsequent movie “United 93” (2006) that followed soon after. What about global warming – is that our generations issue? If so, why are bands today not being progressive like Dylan and Lennon and demanding change. No, instead lets all listen to songs about some chick’s poker face.
If the music is out there, and if bands are still exercising their right to free speech, I apologize and maybe my focus should be on the media for not giving them the air time.
I refuse to mention Al Gore’s Live Earth and Geldof’s Live 8 as significant, because they weren’t. Time has already proven it.
May 31, 2009
The Influence Of The Internet
Let’s jump off from where Daniel's comment from the previous post left off: The Internet.
I agree with him, music is alive and well today. There is a ton of great music being produced every day and we all know that just because it’s popular, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s good. So what role as the internet played in this decade lacking a musical voice?
The internet, and the ability that every Tom, Dick and Harry have to download music and seek out alternative forms of music that aren’t on the radio is playing a huge role for today’s music lover. How else would they come to know bands that aren’t being force fed to them by the mainstream media?
Music fans and artists alike have to be thrilled about the internet’s capability to make any sound, any artist and any song available world wide. But as good as it is for the exposure of new music, what harm is it doing to our identity?
The internet to the music industry is what expansion is to the NHL. Sure, you get a lot more players involved in the game and open yourself up to potential revenues from un-tapped markets, but you also water down your product. No?
Did artists like Elvis, the Beatles and Michael Jackson benefit from a pre-internet era, or were they just that special? I would argue the latter.
Even in my own life, the internet has exposed me to bands that I would not know of otherwise, Daniel alluded to Animal Collective – they are one. The Avett Brothers, Dr. Dog, TV On The Radio, Vampire Weekend, and Citizen Cope have all taken up space on my iPod with thanks to the internet.
I like that internet is allowing us to seek out and enjoy more diverse and eclectic music, but shouldn’t such a mass communicator like the internet produce more global artists that we all know? We all seem to be living in our own little musical worlds, enjoying what we want to enjoy, isolated and not interested in what everyone else is listening to – and that that may be all well and good, but it doesn’t answer the initial question: Where is our unifier? What is our legacy?
Or did I already answer my question?
Is our legacy just that – that we have no one or two artists to define us? Is this generation simply defined by our own personal musical tastes? Time magazine dubbed “YOU” the person of the year a few years back. At first they were mocked by readers and pop culture critics for proclaiming that we were all the person of the year for doing just what we are talking about: seeking out and enjoying what we like individually, and not what is being fed to us by the media. Maybe they were right.
I still like to believe that somewhere out there is an artist or personality that will rise up above the rest and make the world take notice, someone who will be remembered and revered for the next 50 years... there has to be. Who knows, maybe they might just use the internet to reach that global fame and respect.
To be continued...
I agree with him, music is alive and well today. There is a ton of great music being produced every day and we all know that just because it’s popular, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s good. So what role as the internet played in this decade lacking a musical voice?
The internet, and the ability that every Tom, Dick and Harry have to download music and seek out alternative forms of music that aren’t on the radio is playing a huge role for today’s music lover. How else would they come to know bands that aren’t being force fed to them by the mainstream media?
Music fans and artists alike have to be thrilled about the internet’s capability to make any sound, any artist and any song available world wide. But as good as it is for the exposure of new music, what harm is it doing to our identity?
The internet to the music industry is what expansion is to the NHL. Sure, you get a lot more players involved in the game and open yourself up to potential revenues from un-tapped markets, but you also water down your product. No?
Did artists like Elvis, the Beatles and Michael Jackson benefit from a pre-internet era, or were they just that special? I would argue the latter.
Even in my own life, the internet has exposed me to bands that I would not know of otherwise, Daniel alluded to Animal Collective – they are one. The Avett Brothers, Dr. Dog, TV On The Radio, Vampire Weekend, and Citizen Cope have all taken up space on my iPod with thanks to the internet.
I like that internet is allowing us to seek out and enjoy more diverse and eclectic music, but shouldn’t such a mass communicator like the internet produce more global artists that we all know? We all seem to be living in our own little musical worlds, enjoying what we want to enjoy, isolated and not interested in what everyone else is listening to – and that that may be all well and good, but it doesn’t answer the initial question: Where is our unifier? What is our legacy?
Or did I already answer my question?
Is our legacy just that – that we have no one or two artists to define us? Is this generation simply defined by our own personal musical tastes? Time magazine dubbed “YOU” the person of the year a few years back. At first they were mocked by readers and pop culture critics for proclaiming that we were all the person of the year for doing just what we are talking about: seeking out and enjoying what we like individually, and not what is being fed to us by the media. Maybe they were right.
I still like to believe that somewhere out there is an artist or personality that will rise up above the rest and make the world take notice, someone who will be remembered and revered for the next 50 years... there has to be. Who knows, maybe they might just use the internet to reach that global fame and respect.
To be continued...
Voice Of A Generation
Let us first define some parameters of this ongoing discussion. We’re focusing specifically on the 2000’s. If music was created on or within January 1, 2000 – present day, it’s welcome in this platform. That’s pretty much where the limit ends. There’s no need to restrict ourselves to any other rules or guidelines because I feel (and hope) that this debate will rage on and branch into territories that weren’t even considered at first.
In initial conversations with friends and music lovers, sub-topics like the media, the internet, changing social trends, world events and money have all come into play, so let’s start simple and see where this goes…
I like to think of myself as the average music fan. I have no one distinguishable style of music that I lean towards. I just enjoy music with prejudice. Rap, rock, country, techno, pop, and metal – if it’s good, it’s good!
I’ve only been around for two and a half decades, so I cannot consider myself the foremost authority when it comes to the history of music and how it represented generations past, but I have done my research, and I have spoken to a lot of people who have lived longer than I have.
It takes a very special artist to make the entire world sit up and take notice. These artists don’t necessarily have everyone rushing out to buy their albums or purchase tickets to their shows. But they do something so remarkable, so unique and so special that you can’t help but know who they are and what they do.
Generally speaking, when you think of music from the 1950’s, you would think of artists like Elvis Presley. Elvis tore on to the music scene in 1956 like a bat out of hell and very quickly became the reason for living for most young girls, the envy of young boys and the devil to most uptight American parents. Whether Elvis was “a hack” and a thief, as proclaimed by some is not the debate. It doesn’t matter if you like Elvis or not - you know him, recognize his music and can categorize him to a very specific decade musical sound.
The 60’s had the British Invasion, led by the Beatles. The 70’s left us Led Zeppelin, Jim Hendrix, The Rolling Stones and Disco. The 80’s had Run DMC, Madonna, Michael Jackson and Hair Bands. The 90’s: Nirvana and Pearl Jam led the grunge fad and manufactured pop bands like the Backstreet Boys and the Spice Girls drew world-wide attention. (I know that I’m over-simplifying these decades, but I hope you get my point)
What legacy will the 2000’s leave behind?
There has been a ton of great music produced in the past ten years, but who – or what – has been big enough to make the mass population stand up and take notice? What will this era be remembered for in 20 years for now? What will we tell our kids we listened to? Will there be radio stations devoted entirely to today’s music? Or is it too early to tell?
All the biggest bands, artists and music personalities of today were not products of the 2000’s. Green Day, The Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Eminem, Britney Spears and Coldplay (for a lack of a better list) were all exposed to us in the 1990’s or earlier and have lived on until now.
Is Jack White our savior? Will the Kings Of Leon be a valid representation of us in 2020? Does Lil’ Wayne have the longevity to sustain well into the next decade?
A lot of questions are being asked of me, I know, but a lot of hesitation and concern is also swirling about my head.
So how about you, who do you think is the “voice” of our decade? Who stands out to you as being the global standard of who we are and what we listen to?
We are not baby boomers, we're not hippies or stoners, we aren't generation x'ers. Are we nothing more than Generation... meh?
In initial conversations with friends and music lovers, sub-topics like the media, the internet, changing social trends, world events and money have all come into play, so let’s start simple and see where this goes…
I like to think of myself as the average music fan. I have no one distinguishable style of music that I lean towards. I just enjoy music with prejudice. Rap, rock, country, techno, pop, and metal – if it’s good, it’s good!
I’ve only been around for two and a half decades, so I cannot consider myself the foremost authority when it comes to the history of music and how it represented generations past, but I have done my research, and I have spoken to a lot of people who have lived longer than I have.
It takes a very special artist to make the entire world sit up and take notice. These artists don’t necessarily have everyone rushing out to buy their albums or purchase tickets to their shows. But they do something so remarkable, so unique and so special that you can’t help but know who they are and what they do.
Generally speaking, when you think of music from the 1950’s, you would think of artists like Elvis Presley. Elvis tore on to the music scene in 1956 like a bat out of hell and very quickly became the reason for living for most young girls, the envy of young boys and the devil to most uptight American parents. Whether Elvis was “a hack” and a thief, as proclaimed by some is not the debate. It doesn’t matter if you like Elvis or not - you know him, recognize his music and can categorize him to a very specific decade musical sound.
The 60’s had the British Invasion, led by the Beatles. The 70’s left us Led Zeppelin, Jim Hendrix, The Rolling Stones and Disco. The 80’s had Run DMC, Madonna, Michael Jackson and Hair Bands. The 90’s: Nirvana and Pearl Jam led the grunge fad and manufactured pop bands like the Backstreet Boys and the Spice Girls drew world-wide attention. (I know that I’m over-simplifying these decades, but I hope you get my point)
What legacy will the 2000’s leave behind?
There has been a ton of great music produced in the past ten years, but who – or what – has been big enough to make the mass population stand up and take notice? What will this era be remembered for in 20 years for now? What will we tell our kids we listened to? Will there be radio stations devoted entirely to today’s music? Or is it too early to tell?
All the biggest bands, artists and music personalities of today were not products of the 2000’s. Green Day, The Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Eminem, Britney Spears and Coldplay (for a lack of a better list) were all exposed to us in the 1990’s or earlier and have lived on until now.
Is Jack White our savior? Will the Kings Of Leon be a valid representation of us in 2020? Does Lil’ Wayne have the longevity to sustain well into the next decade?
A lot of questions are being asked of me, I know, but a lot of hesitation and concern is also swirling about my head.
So how about you, who do you think is the “voice” of our decade? Who stands out to you as being the global standard of who we are and what we listen to?
We are not baby boomers, we're not hippies or stoners, we aren't generation x'ers. Are we nothing more than Generation... meh?
May 30, 2009
Prologue
Welcome to Generation Meh! Here will focus solely on today's music scene and what it represents. Not just to music fans, but what it says about who we are and how we will be remembered.
Topics will be posted as frequently as possible and the discussion will not work without your participation. I'm only one man, and represent only one man's opinion.
Music is universal. It speaks to us in ways that other forms of communication cannot. It can be beautiful and ugly. Smart and stupid. Meaningful and useless. Forgettable and memorable. Music can be life changing, motivating, arousing, inspiring, embarrassing and educating.
Through the years, there has always been a documented style of music that has been prevalent. Whether it was Swing in 20's, Rock N Roll in the 50's, Disco in the 70's Pop in the 80's or Grunge in the 90's. But what have we now? What sound is defining our generation? Who are our collective musical influences? Do we have (or even need) a defining voice or personality today? Or are we simply defined by our diversity?
These topics and more will be explored in depth, here at Generation Meh.
Stay tuned and stay involved.
Dan
Topics will be posted as frequently as possible and the discussion will not work without your participation. I'm only one man, and represent only one man's opinion.
Music is universal. It speaks to us in ways that other forms of communication cannot. It can be beautiful and ugly. Smart and stupid. Meaningful and useless. Forgettable and memorable. Music can be life changing, motivating, arousing, inspiring, embarrassing and educating.
Through the years, there has always been a documented style of music that has been prevalent. Whether it was Swing in 20's, Rock N Roll in the 50's, Disco in the 70's Pop in the 80's or Grunge in the 90's. But what have we now? What sound is defining our generation? Who are our collective musical influences? Do we have (or even need) a defining voice or personality today? Or are we simply defined by our diversity?
These topics and more will be explored in depth, here at Generation Meh.
Stay tuned and stay involved.
Dan
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
