music

Music has always been a big part of my life. I started young, listening to what I now call ‘top 40’ music and then moved on, finding this ‘top 40’ to be insulting in that it was so non-offensive that it became offensive!

Then it changed, but in a very manipulative way..

Lets face it, the music always has and always will be aimed at the kids. So it's interesting how the music industry has positioned itself as a kind of unofficial authority through the music/media it produces. A sort of systematic rebelliousness undertone resides at the core of many of  their products which are pitched at these kids. It's reflected in a rock video and advertising world view that your parents are creeps, teachers are nerds and idiots and authority figures are laughable—i.e. nobody can really understand kids except the corporate sponsor. These huge authorities such as MTV and the like have alarmingly therefore emerged as the unspoken super heroes of consumer culture :(

So anyway, my first progression led me to heavy (pub) rock. Unfortunately this was before I was old enough to go to these pubs to see them. And when I was old enough, my tastes had matured. I researched various rock magazines and books, sampled their suggestions and ultimately pieced together more diverse tastes. I found that I tend to like the best songs of each genre, taking exception only to grass roots styles such as blues, jazz and R’n’B as they each tend to come across to me as self-indulgent. American country almost makes me physically sick while the jury is still out on opera and classical music—maybe when I’m older.

Since the mid 90’s, I’ve found that music has shifted to a more visual medium with the marketing arm taking over and in turn stifling artists creativity. Only a few talented musicians have managed to break through despite this, so I guess they’re all we can hold on to until the musical revolution occurs—and it will—those of us who want more than bubble gum pop are growing in number and in turn creating a market for musicians who are hungered by desire creatively and not commercially. Lets allow them to once again take the stage both metaphorically and literally!

..next we'll have a look at a couple of random older posts of mine from different sources which can bring us up to date a little with the music scene as it stands today.

Music is proof of the existence of God - One Giant Leap DVD

Donnie Darko

The only film I know which uses its soundtrack to add to the storyline (at one point it introduces the characters through one song – Tears for Fears no less – in a way other films can dedicate ½ the running time to). It's also a thought provoking intelligent post-modern story told in a classy way..  **watch it!**

Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Think Rocky Horror but with better songs and maybe even a bit more cheek.
Now I don’t particularly like musicals, but once you throw in a bit of charactor developement the way this film has, you get an extra dimension that many don't. Chicago goes close (closer if they cast Kylie as the lead) likewise ‘Rio Bravo’ and ‘Moulon Rouge’ (had it been ½ an hour shorter) and even Singing in the rain, but there's still daylight between these and anything else in the genre.

Mullholland Drive

Once you get it, you can’t help but be impressed at David Lynch’s ability to take you to another place – not a flick where you can just switch off from it and just go along for the ride.

Jean de Florette and it's sequel Mannon Des Sources

For their simplicity and ability to take you back to another time and place (however at 4 hours in total, it’s a big investment).

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

What a clever way to show how the romance can go out of a relationship with time! The film is a thought provoking (in more ways than one – you have to of seen it) journey to boot.

film rant

Don't you just detest two-dimensional Hollywood blockbusters? I do–unless they deviate a great deal from their traditional format. Now take cutting edge movies that push the boundaries of film making, that's a different story (literally)–film making should be an uncensored medium (unlike TV) and a visit to the flicks should not just be entertainment but an informative, eye opening or even a soul-searching experience. Leave the formula driven happy ending fodder to telemovies.

When it comes to rewarding these filmmakers, there are also some fundamental problems. Presently, the movies that appeal to the lowest common denominator get the kudos. The Academy Awards speak for themselves in this respect with members of the academy–who more often than not have one foot in the grave, given the power to allow a film to go down in history as great. They are a relatively small cross-section of the film-going public, so they lack depth, and the middle of the road films of course, win out–cuz the independent flicks with something to say don’t appeal to this group on a whole. Now, this is hardly a conducive way to get cutting edge results! And the Golden Globes are far LESS legitimate. To achieve their results, they pretend to be all-inclusive by using the foreign press, a group of 90 or so hand picked ‘journalists’ (read: invited members who all now reside in Hollywood) who can be bought–and often are! and who become no more than puppets to the might of the big studios.

Now there's no point bagging sumthing unless you have an alternative right? So what is it? Simple.. films of each particular flavour that are voted on by people who understand this flavour i.e. If you like and understand Film Noir, YOU vote for the films that fall under that umbrella. Or if you can identify with Chinese gangster flicks, once again, YOU vote for it. This concept has been put into practice online with some websites allowing people to give their own ratings on the film of the day. If the site is well patronised and universally recognised, it can achieve a vast wealth (database) of knowledge. The end result is that people with more than a passing interest in films and also a knowledge of the subject matter of the particular film, are given the power to judge it. When we look at upwards of 10,000 (now knowledgeable) people voting on the film, it irons out individual bias and we get a clearer picture of it’s worth. Any person can therefore find and watch a Japanese Samurai film that has scored well, with confidence that it is one of the best of it’s type around–power to the people! And if that person understands the culture and identifies with its characters, he may be compelled to vote on the film himself!

That said, let's get into em..