Friday Fives

ed note: this week, after a huge falling out with Roy over compensation... we have a guest questionater thingy person . His name is Dan, and he boiled up some good stuff for us. What follows are his questions and my subsequent rants. Gee, who needs Roy now?

1. In the late 60's and early 70's music was such a huge influence on our culture. We actually thought that music could change our world, and to some extent, it did. What the hell happened to that? Have the music makers gotten lazy or do we expect less from them? Good question. I wasn't born at the time, but I can speculate because I feel we are in a very similar time. First off, it seemed some great leaders got killed off. Some of those leaders were the Kennedy brothers, and Martin Luther King. All we had left in the leader department became musicians. Bad idea! For as much hope and goodness they hold... rock stars are basically self indulgent children who haven't matured past 21 years old. Anyone one of them who lived past 27 will tell you that. Oh yeah, most didn't live past 27.** 2. Do the powers that be in the record industry that try to sell us the shitty music that's popular today expect Brittany Spears and Justin Timberlake to replace people like John Lennon and Bob Dylan? As much as it seems we are only being handled swill... this is the music of our choosing. We wouldn't have Brittney Spears on every corner if people didn't buy her CDs. Of course the world would be a better place with more Joe Myers and less Backside Boys... but we have made our own bed here people. If you think pop music sucks, turn off your Clear Channel station and listen to some independent music. Go see a local band live. Try and spend 1 day without purchasing a single thing at a national chain store. We have some modern day Lennon's and Dylans (sadly though, Dylan is not one of them any more). It may be 20 years before we recognize them. 3. Do you think pop music will ever be as socially meaningful and relevant as it once was? Without question, I do. In fact, it already is. Look at the whole Dixie Chicks/ Toby Keith flap, that is some entertaining shit y'all. Pearl Jam have been ostracized for speaking out against the current regime, and Bruce Springsteen has put it all on the line to fight for change. These individuals, who lived through Nixon and Vietnam, are calling this the most important election of our time. This is a great and exciting and crazy time to be alive and aware. This is heavy shit my friend, because I feel regrettably that it is very much us vs them. That kind of sucks, because nobody wins when things are this polarized. 4. Does the "bling bling" mean more to the general public now than peace and love? I don't believe our values are any different than they ever were. Peace and love is critical for anyone to succeed and score the bling. Look at Maslow's Hiarchy of Needs. In order for people to be happy and successful and reach self actualization, they first need the basics: shelter, food, love. So, if even unconsciously, we all must have peace and love before we can do a thing. I feel for the Republicans, their self actualization goal is to provide for themselves... which is smart. However, I think Democrats like myself want to make sure that everyone possible can have their base needs met, then we can all go after actualization together. I also don't think we need to sacrifice anything to make this a reality. We just need to re-allocate some assets. 5. Am I preaching too much with this line of questioning? Not at all! These are exactly the questions that need to be asked! These questions are why there is still hope. It means people are thinking about these issues and are concerned. There is still good rock and roll, and we still have good leaders. Maybe we just have to look a little harder for them these days. via Dan ** seriously, all of them: Robert Johnson, Kurt Cobain, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Pigpen, Brad Nowell, Shannon Hoon... the list goes on