I was going to try to write something witty in the vein of an epitaph about how I feel like this blog is dying or is already dead. In fact I already had a solid paragraph penciled in. Something about hitting a wall and trying my hardest to walk through it. Bloody nose and all. But I didn't know how to go further than that. I thought to myself, "what else could I say that I haven't already said before?" Music...emotion...music and emotion. It all sounds like an echo that's bouncing off that same wall and won't stop. So, the only choice I do have is to stay silent for a bit to let the sound cool off. Being still comes easy for me. Hell, I haven't been to the gym in over a month now. I've gone back to smoking the occasional cigarette. My health hasn't necessarily deteriorated, but it's not exactly running on all eight cylinders. I guess the real issue is trying to convert that gas-guzzling engine into something more clean and efficient. Something that will carry me through the long haul of life. I need sustainability. I need to go green.
Holidays are always rough patches for me. The lack of money and then the stress of working more because of the lack of money. It can drag any person down as we have already seen in the past three years since the crash of 2008. I don't have to tell you that people have lost their jobs and homes. I don't need to give you the answers, you already know them. Some of you are a statistic. And what do the commercials say in regards to drunk driving or wearing your seat belt? "DON'T BECOME A STATISTIC!" Too late. This country (or should I say the 1%?) has already drank enough Four Loko, gotten behind the wheel, and hit the gas. I know many people that are jobless. Sure, it may be a lack of skills, but mostly it's a lack of money in the small business sector to provide those jobs. Oh, but wait, wasn't that what TARP was supposed to do? Where's that money? I think we already know the answer to that question too.
Don't get me wrong, folks. I still love music and I still love writing about it. But it's not just about me anymore and my problems. It's everyone else too and their 99 problems, or, their 99% problems. Which is why I'm going back to school for economics and political science. I don't think money is god, but I want to find out why people want to keep money as god. Gandhi said "be the change you wish to see in the world." So if we want our political landscape to change more of us need to take part in it or at least be knowledgeable about it. And I'm not talking about old ideas that cause people to sail under one flag or another. Conservative versus Liberal. Keynesian versus Hayekian. Korn versus Limp Bizkit (remember that fight? HA!). We need to go radical and come up with a plan that helps everyone. Even the ones that like Nickleback.
For now though, this new found obsession with the state of things has breathed new life into 5SIAR. I know I said I wanted to concentrate on the music and only the music on this blog and nothing else. But now it's time to flip-flop on that decision. Music means something different to me now. Just don't call me Newt or Mitt for changing my mind. You've been warned.
The Roots have a new album out. Good, I needed some space to fill on my year-end mix. There hasn't been too many albums released this year that have grabbed my attention. However someone just gave me a few more new releases for me to ingest and digest. But first, this album, undun. It's become standard practice for The Roots to deliver us from evil with their intense story lines about the world in which we live in. For example, Black Thought name drops the Occupy movement on this track. I haven't listened enough times to really grasp what the context of the mention is, but I'm sure Thought and the rest of his band are pro-Occupy. I mean, they played Fishbone's "Lyin' Ass Bitch" as Michelle Bachmann's intro music when she was on Jimmy Fallon. Of course she was none the wiser, but in an interview with Pitchfork ?uestlove said that they regret doing it now. I say keep stirring the pot.
Every time I think of a politician listening to music I always think of George W. trying to play drums with that African dance company or Bill Clinton jammin' on the sax. Or the pièce de rèsistance, John Ashcroft singing "Let The Eagle Soar." Oh, the humanity.
I wonder what Obama listens to. Hrmm... Nah, he's not that cool.
I'm going to have to say that in the realm of music political activism is partly erased. Or maybe I'm not listening to the right shit? As noted in Chris Hedges' book Death Of The Liberal Class, people used to listen to Bob Dylan for their answers not LBJ and Nixon during the 60s. I'm paraphrasing of course. While people may not look towards artists for their revolution ammo now, that doesn't mean it's not there. A good example would be PJ Harvey's recent album Let England Shake or some punk band that I'm not listening to but probably should.
My mind is drawing a blank again. Forgive me if this post winds up being short. It could have something to do with me being hungry. To combat this I have begun to shove Ritz crackers with peanut butter into my mouth like a fat kid clinging desperately to a failed diet.
Oh, look, the Grammy nominations just dropped. My Twitter feed is abuzz with Bon Iver getting the nod for an award or four. I'll call it right now that Señor Vernon will win and NO ONE will even know who the heck he is just like NO ONE knew who Arcade Fire was when they won last year. There's a tumblr about that actually. But what's even more hilarious is this video. I guess you could've just watched the video on the tumblr page, but I as I said before, I want to help people in this world. Consider that my first act of public service.
So, yeah, nominations. Radiohead is on there, obviously, for The King Of Limbs. No surprise there. But what's this my eyes do see? Robyn has been nom'ed as well! I was going to use a Radiohead song, but fuck it, we're going with Robyn. Did I mention I was the only dude dancing at Bonnaroo when she was on stage for her set? I have no shame. I'm sure at some point if I decide to run for public office this will come back to haunt me. No, not my illicit drug use. None of the (alleged) trespassing charges that never stuck. But some pundit will break the story of me dancing my ass off in public to Robyn. America is getting so goddamned tight-wadded that I wouldn't be a bit surprised to open the newspaper one day in the future and see a headline that reads "NICHOLAS TRUDEN CAUGHT DANCING TO GIRL MUSIC!" Yeah, so? I'll admit it. I shook that thing my mama gave AND I waved it around like I just didn't care! Suck it, America.
There's another Robyn track I really love too. It's called "Who's That Girl?" and was the song that garnered her a negative response from her label at the time which then propelled her to start her own label, Konichiwa Records. Every time I listen to "Who's That Girl?" it reminds me of a quote from the author of the comic Phonogram, Kieron Gillien, and what he said about the track. I may have mentioned it before in a previous post, but here it is again.
“i listen to "who’s that girl?" and i think of every girl i’ve trapped in my expectations of her, and think of every time i feel as if i’ve been trapped in theirs. i think of the infinite distance between people and - nevertheless - our urge to cross that gap, knowing that most people fall into the void. it makes me want to dance, and makes me know that no matter how big the dance floor, no matter how many friends i was with, how happy i was…i’d be alone, and i know i’ll always be alone. and so will everyone else. but - most importantly - it doesn’t matter.”
Whenever I feel down I go back to that quote and listen to the song. It makes me feel better. I don't know how or why, but it does. Maybe because Kieron is right. We are alone, but it never really matters anyway in the greater scheme of things. There will always be friends and a dance floor and songs from Robyn. Those things are eternal.
"You can't apologize your way into people's hearts. You have to go full force." - Annie Clark
I envy this woman. She makes not having any emotion look so damn easy. And beautiful. Her gestures speak for themselves and they're not really saying much. This is what numb looks like.
I had a dream. I had a dream you were my neighbor. I had a dream you were my neighbor and as we were sitting outside a man approached us at our little table. I don't remember what he said, it's possible he didn't say anything at all. But I remember the look on your face when you told me that this wasn't going to work. You and I. You looked down at the table and your dark hair masked the sides of your face like blinders on a horse. The man was then blocked from your view so I looked at him just so I wouldn't have to look at you. Or our table.
That was all I remember from a dream I had this past week. A brunette with dark eyes sitting across from me. I don't remember the dialog, but I'm sure it wasn't kind judging how I remembered the scene by listening to this new song from The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo soundtrack. All I can recall now is her face and head, and the brown hair that fell from it that hid her brown eyes. I thought I'd be okay, but it's always something, something aural, that causes the most painful sting. Which is why I will always consider Trent Reznor one of the most prolific and conscious songwriters of our time and how I wish Chad Kroger would just stop already.
Am I bitter? Yes. Is it going to go away? Unlikely. I am who I am because of my penchant for not forgetting. I tend to hold grudges. I've buried most of them, but that doesn't mean they aren't there beneath the surface. I just need to throw the shovel away, but my grip on it is like that of a vice. I won't let go. And that will always be my problem. I'll never leave the table.
I decided to go ahead and put Radiohead on here anyway to make a point. The Kings Of Limbs has become the new bad Radiohead album. It pushed ahead of Hail To The Thief to take the top spot of least favorite among many of the casual and non-casual fans. Myself included. But I'm at war with this decision because I don't want to give up the idea that Radiohead can make a bad album. Truth is, any band can. Even Radiohead. Now what I want to know is, did they do it on purpose? Is King Of Limbs Radiohead's Exit Through The Giftshop? Did they turn the camera on us to see what we would do? I keep wondering if that's the statement between the songs. I mean, it's still Radiohead, and even though we're not getting the same kind of OK Computer or Kid A kind of genius, I feel like King Of Limbs still has something to teach us; It doesn't matter who it is, art doesn't always have to be loved.
It's weird to think that someone could be fucking with our heads like that. Making us sit down and question things. But that is what we should be doing most of the time anyway. This is why I feel Radiohead commissioned all of these remixes to be created. They asked, "how would you have done it?" It's not surprising that most of the remixes are actually better than their originals. Listening through it sounds like the only piece used from the original tracks is Thom's vocals. Everything else was produced by the remixers. Truth be told, this collection is the real King Of Limbs.
Radiohead isn't hurting for cash. I'm sure they wouldn't have flinched if absolutely no one bought The King Of Limbs. What I'd like to know is whether or not these remixes have had higher sales than KOL. If so it would almost be like Radiohead is doing what other leaders have suggested doing, and that is to "spread the wealth." Sound familiar? I'm sure it does to you and I'm almost just as sure you might be calling me a commie inside your head. Fair enough, but I'm not talking about a set of ideals taken from the story of Robin Hood. Where a thief takes from the rich and gives to the poor. Our society doesn't need a middle man. What we need are the opportunities without the enormous cost or any cost at all. What people don't understand about capitalism is that its goal is to have everything bought and sold in a market. It's a system of haves and have nots. I wish more people would see this, but it takes turning off the television and opening up a book or newspaper once in a while. You'll find that death is a pretty hot commodity lately.
People say that capitalism has improved our way of life and we are better for it. Noam Chomsky made a good point saying the same thing about the improved conditions of slavery from the 18th century to the 19th century. Does that still mean slavery is moral? How can America be the richest country in the world yet be in the middle or at the bottom on lists of countries with a better health care system or school system. The only thing we're at or near the top of the list for is the amount of money we spend on defense and the number of people incarcerated.
We need new ideas. Ones that aren't based off the systems we have in place now. The thing is is that these new ideas aren't new at all. They've been around for a long time and have become bastardized by our government, the media, and even the art community. We have no real choice anymore, and if voting actually changed something it would be illegal. This is why we need the remixers of the world to stand up. We've seen what Occupy Wall Street has done, just imagine what else we can do once more people wipe the dust from their eyes from sleeping so long to get to the American dream. We need to stop seeing green in everything and start seeing red. But first we need to get mad.
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