generation nothing

[Magpel]

I think you make an inherent political move simply via the way you play your music and conduct your own business. So I don't particularly care if Linkin Park is decrying the war in Iraq (they are, god bless 'em); I'd look instead to Andrew Bird's combination of fiercely idiosyncratic music and a fiercely independent business model as being truly, politically substantive and effectual in a way that Zach de la Rocha (whom I like) never was, in a way the Jefferson Airplane and The Clash never could be. Well, maybe The Clash...

Of course, Andrew Bird--who nevers seems to sing about a girl--can write a song about standardized testing and the Bowdlerization of children's literature that would make you weep. (It's called "Measuring Cups.") So the guy generally paints with a very fine brush and is thus kind of the antithesis of Green Day or U2 or other bands known for their deliberate political working of the arena venue...

Its an action-speaks-louder-than-words thing for me, but more, if you really want the chance to work out balanced, supported political thought, the rock song is not the most congenial form for that--good for venting a blast of anger, indignation or hope, good for terse eup[hemisim and memorable bon mots, but I'm not looking for "statements" from music. I think "message" songs are generally the blandest and lowest form of sonwriting. I prefer if it ther writer--while focused and honest--lets unintentional meanings play with the intended ones, producing a "meaning" that the writer alone could never had consciously intended, but that's an argument for another day...

[alphajerk]

its not about musicians LEADING a political revolution, and all major label bands are in bed with the biggest problem affecting politics... corporations. its about them uplifting and bringing situations to better light on a widerspead arena providing a sountrack for movements.

[Billster]

and all major label bands are in bed with the biggest problem affecting politics... corporations.

 

 

Here we go again with the "Corporations are bad" trope.

[alphajerk]

well they run the government, especially this one. i guess i should have said megaconglomerate corps. think about in the past... the best labels were what? small and independant.

[the-good-way]

I do think they are lacking outrage and would be stretching to assume this is for tactical reasons.

they may very well be [lacking outrage], they may have more "inrage" or some other form of rage, or, perhaps "rage" isn't the emotion they are using

A note on tactics :

Tactics don't have to be from specifically self-aware thoughts (eg "this would be the tactically correct thing"), but can be simply the mode of operations directed through more fundamental elements
(which is why, for instance, fly fishing is so challenging...river fish are masters @ energy economy)

[Billster]

the biggest problem affecting politics... corporations.

 

 

The biggest problem facing politics is lack of participation.

 

A lot has been made of the two most recent preseidential elections being so close, and that in the 2000 election Al Gore

[Billster]

well they run the government, especially this one. i guess i should have said megaconglomerate corps. think about in the past... the best labels were what? small and independant.

 

 

How far back are we looking? I think Atlantic and the "old" Columbia (think Miles Davis classic albums) were pretty good at being large and quality. Then again "large" in the 1960's was smaller than today's "medium".

[mrcpro]

When I was a young adult, my college tuition was practically free, my share of the rent was $50, and gas was .29 a gallon. I could easily and comfortably live playing music because there was plenty of club work. I had time to actively protest.

 

Today I watch my kids struggle to just get by. They're so stressed out for time and money that they only way they have to protest is at the voting booth.

 

Welcome to the 21st century, man.

[Geoff Grace]

 

When I was a young adult, my college tuition was practically free, my share of the rent was $50, and gas was .29 a gallon. I could easily and comfortably live playing music because there was plenty of club work. I had time to actively protest. Today I watch my kids struggle to just get by. They're so stressed out for time and money that they only way they have to protest is at the voting booth. Welcome to the 21st century, man.

 

 

Good point. Even when I was in college in the '70s, the cost of living was relatively cheap -- except for gas and keyboards.

 

These days, there are more "essential" expenses -- computers, Internet connections, and cell phones, for example -- and less real income to pay for them with.

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[UstadKhanAli]

Something that twenty-somethings are screaming to have stop is slavery. For those of you who don't know, slavery has actually increased, and it is estimated that there are as many as 30 million slaves worldwide, some of which are in the U.S. (sex slaves, indentured servants, etc.). Tommy Calvert and iAbolish.com have been trying to do something about this, and older generations of people who think that there is no slavery in the world are starting to come around to realize that this is a huge multi-BILLION dollar business that needs to be stopped.

[UstadKhanAli]

I also want to point out...just about every generation dumps on the younger generation. And obviously, for people in their 20s, it's no different. Criticizers seem to ignore the fact that it's a total lapse in logic to believe that there have been tens of thousands of generations, but then suddenly, this last generation is no good. And finally, an assessment of the younger generation is made by observing some kids in the press, rather than looking at the generation globally to gain the big picture.

 

So...people in their twenties have inherited a world in which they far more likely to be latchkey kids from broken families, the cost of living is far more than it ever has been, you have to be good at more things than ever before, they're entering a world that is, for many Westerners, far more diverse than before, there's terrorism - a far more dangerous, amorphous, ambiguous, pissed-off enemy than an actual country who has a large army that kills Jews and rolls into England, etc. (anybody who blows themselves up for a cause is seriously pissed off and dangerous - and likely angry at a policy enacted by previous generations - so much for *their* great judgment).

 

To this, people in their twenties have responded by forming more non-profit organizations to combat injustice than ever before, battle worldwide slavery, are extremely independent and self-reliant, are more acceptant of diversity than ever before, speak more languages than ever before, are technologically savvy, and are flexible and pragmatic at surviving.

 

Gee...what a "horrible" generation.

[chipmcdonald]

When I was a young adult, my college tuition was practically free, my share of the rent was $50, and gas was .29 a gallon. I could easily and comfortably live playing music because there was plenty of club work. I had time to actively protest.

 

 

When I was a little kid, I had a cousin I looked up to: he worked "in the food service industry" at the time, and made enough money to have a decent apartment to himself, an almost-new car, some nice stereo gear AND the money and *time* to go to college.

 

.. and I remember when I first started playing, there were a number of clubs in town that paid local bands upwards $2,000+ a weekend to play. Man... $2,000! Now you're lucky if a band gets paid at all.

 

Reading that now it seems like fiction? WTF happened?

[alphajerk]

The biggest problem facing politics is lack of participation.

 

 

that and accountability. but thats simply on the voter front, corporations are raping the political system while the constituents are simply too apathetic.

[Geoff Grace]

I think "message" songs are generally the blandest and lowest form of sonwriting. I prefer if it ther writer--while focused and honest--lets unintentional meanings play with the intended ones, producing a "meaning" that the writer alone could never had consciously intended, but that's an argument for another day...

John, are you sure that you don't want to make a few exceptions for one of our favorite bands -- XTC? Specifically, I have in mind "Respectable Street" and "No Thugs In Our House;" but I also like "Generals And Majors" and "Melt The Guns" as well.

Best,

Geoff

[Cry Logic]

 

quit acting like children then and do something... then maybe you wont have to be told to do something.

 

 

Apart from starting this thread

(which was good thing to do IMHO):

What have you done?

Have you written a decent "protest" song?

Have you written a "political" book? Or even an article?

A poem maybe?

Have you formed a band with the express purpose of

raising peoples awareness to what's happening in the world?

 

What exactly have you done yourself?

[Cry Logic]

 

.....The biggest problem facing politics is lack of participation......

 

 

Agree 100%.

People like to complain... but when asked what they

themselves are doing about the situation

they are complaining about.......well ... you know the rest....

[Cry Logic]

 

For those of you who don't know, slavery has actually increased, and it is estimated that there are as many as 30 million slaves worldwide, some of which are in the U.S. (sex slaves, indentured servants, etc.).

 

 

Just yesterday I came across this very scary article on

the Orange County Weekly web site about slavery and

this guy, Aaron Cohen, who is actually doing something

about it.

This is really serious stuff and highlights my growing realization

that there are no "good guys" ....or "bad guys" just way

too many humans with agendas.

The connection to the music industry and it's subsequent

betrayal and rejection of Mr Cohen adds an extra disturbing

element to an already deeply disturbing story....

 

I actually collated the entire article into one document

and sent it to a group of friends, but I'll be very surprised if

even one of them reads it in it's entirety...

(It's a long article).

 

Seems people don't have the time/inclination to read anymore...

 

I've attached the collated article here:[ATTACH]237285[/ATTACH]

(Zipped html file)

[alphajerk]

What exactly have you done yourself ?

 

 

plenty... but never enough. which reminds me, i need to go do this petition to keep partisan politics out of our city council and collect sigs. thanks for reminding me.

[UstadKhanAli]

Just yesterday I came across this very scary article on the Orange County Weekly web site about slavery and this guy, Aaron Cohen, who is actually doing something about it. This is really serious stuff and highlights my growing realization that there are no "good guys" ....or "bad guys" just way too many humans with agendas. The connection to the music industry and it's subsequent betrayal and rejection of Mr Cohen adds an extra disturbing element to an already deeply disturbing story.... I actually collated the entire article into one document and sent it to a group of friends, but I'll be very surprised if even one of them reads it in it's entirety... (It's a long article).

 

 

This article is an absolute must-read, regardless of political or religious affiliation. I actually posted this article in a thread entitled This article made my blood run cold. It's absolutely shocking, and perhaps the most shocking part doesn't even have to do with sex or sex slavery or the Burmese government.

[elsongs]

Something that twenty-somethings are screaming to have stop is slavery . For those of you who don't know, slavery has actually increased, and it is estimated that there are as many as 30 million slaves worldwide, some of which are in the U.S. (sex slaves, indentured servants, etc.). Tommy Calvert and iAbolish.com have been trying to do something about this, and older generations of people who think that there is no slavery in the world are starting to come around to realize that this is a huge multi-BILLION dollar business that needs to be stopped.

 

 

This information is impossible to believe for Americans with no connections to any immigrant groups.

[UstadKhanAli]

This information is impossible to believe for Americans with no connections to any immigrant groups.

 

 

This information is impossible to believe for Americans who don't read the paper.

 

This information is impossible to believe for Americans who think that nothing like this ever happens within their own borders.

 

But it's big business, and a faster growing "trade" (as sick as it is to describe it as a "trade") than drugs.

 

Just shows you that whenever there's money to be made, there's no depths to which people will not sink. And it's a multi-BILLION dollar trade. And growing.

 

This is something that we all need to work together to stop immediately.

[Ernest Buckley]

 

Just shows you that whenever there's money to be made, there's no depths to which people will not sink. And it's a multi-BILLION dollar trade. And growing. This is something that we all need to work together to stop immediately.

 

 

Then the gov`t is already involved (and making $$$ from it as well).

[Synonym Music]

And you are?

 

 

Not doing so. I've said twice that the political opinion is split in this age group. It's not a roving group of liberals. There is not one belief to rally under, with the exception of humanity as Ken has stated (even that is walking a tightrope for some people.... Blegh)

 

It's still kind of ironic that he hears from people in this generation - right in this thread no less - and couldn't care less what they have to say. The sheer ignorance... It's mind boggling.

[UstadKhanAli]

 

Not doing so. I've said twice that the political opinion is split in this age group. It's not a roving group of liberals. There is not one belief to rally under, with the exception of humanity as Ken has stated (even that is walking a tightrope for some people.... Blegh)

 

 

Yeah, you get people arguing about the best way to go about achieving that - which is fine, as long as the arguments don't ultimately nullify any efforts.

 

I mean, how do you stop a growing, multi-billion dollar slavery business that, as Ernest Buckley pointed out, has government officials involved?

 

Well, I'm not really sure.

 

That guy, Aaron Cohen (another link to the "From Hunter to Hunted" article) may have figured out a a way or two, but ultimately, it doesn't make that large of a dent unless there is some serious follow-through (and crap, someone has got to do something about that uranium mining in Burma....frightening...).

[Magpel]

John , are you sure that you don't want to make a few exceptions for one of our favorite bands -- XTC? Specifically, I have in mind "Respectable Street" and "No Thugs In Our House;" but I also like "Generals And Majors" and "Melt The Guns" as well.

Geoff, I hear you. I think politics and social issues are every bit as much fair game for songwriters as love and loss and god and satan and california and booty.

In truth, I do tend to prefer Andy Partridge's songs when he is being playful and silly and literary ("Burining With Optimism's Flame," "Garden of Earthly Delights," "000 Umbrellas, or my wedding song, "The Mayor of Simpleton") than when he is being overtly political and activist ( "Books are Burning," "Living Through Another Cuba," or "Here Comes President Kill Again" for example).

Again, it is my sort of vague feeling that too much "message," too much "intent" squashes the best of what can happen in the songwriting process--which is not at all to say that I prefer impressionistic incoherence to coherence, just that I have some ideas about how the highest, most organic levels of coherence are actually achieved in writing.

It's a process thing. You don't begin with your conclusions--writing is not so much expressing what you think and feel as discovering what you think and feel, and if you BEGIN with your thesis, you've circumvented the process of discovery and protected yourself against the realization that you might not actaully think what you think you think...heh..what? Creative process, pop psychology blather, but I do take it semi-seriously.

I like political songs when they are done by a really deft, literary writer (say Randy Newman in "The World isn't Fair") or when they are implicitly political--details of a life against a political, historical backdrop, ala a lot of Springsteen's better stuff. I don't have a lot of patience for "feed the people" rock, even though I believe very very much in feeding the people.