A mistake in the making

Yesterday M and I were checking out the new CBC Radio 2, and tuned in during a show called Inside the Music. Their topic was the use of music to torture – by the States, natch. Apparently, endless loud loops can eventually drive people to lose their identity (and sanity). One guest complained that music lovers and musicians should be protesting more loudly about this. I don’t think it’s worth separating out in terms of what gets our scorn or our protest, really: torture’s torture. But using music to torture is a lot like rape, isn’t it?

And it’s not a new idea: bagpipes were intended to scare the living shit out of enemies. American troops used blasting music to get Noriega out of the Vatican embassy in Panama in 1989, and it was gross then.

It all made me think of a Kate Bush song – the new track on her 1986 hits record The Whole Story, Experiment IV. And it all made me think that our glorious and beautiful human selves are maybe exactly as evil as we are good.

Here’s the video.

when a band gets so big that they record with an orchestra, they’re pretty much finished

Neanderpaul sent me this link today – the kind of detailed rant I dig. The writer details the slow and ugly death of Metallica’s credibility as only a one-time hardcore fan could. Worth a read, even if you (like Paul, like me) don’t give much of a shit either way about Metallica.

http://www.dyers.org/blog/archives/2008/09/12/why-metallica-can-shove-death-magnetic/

Dave Stewart’s Obama song

Kro showed this to me yesterday, while we were talking about how scary this american election is, how much seems to be on the line. Apparently Dave Stewart (Eurythmics) has a new record out showcasing his catalogue, with a humungous orchestraband. I look forward to checking that out. This is called My American Dream:

It’s bigger than …

The thing that’s making me crazy excited and equally scared about mister Obama down south is not that he’s good looking or well-spoken as much as it is that he says things nobody ever says on TV, insightfully and clearly. He actually makes the reasonable sound reasonable, and it gives me a swollen heart (Thus the fear). Simple statements made clearly like: we should talk about the race problem. We should talk with our enemies. We don’t have to hate each other to disagree. Corporations shouldn’t have the power they have in a democracy. Simple, huge ideas.

Dead Prez gives me the same sort of charge: check out the ideas in this track, and listen for the same sort of power and clarity, honesty, passion and intelligence. In the magical world of Obama-possibility* this would be on the radio all the time (And no, I don’t expect it to happen).

Hip Hop – Dead Prez, from Let’s Get Free

featuring simple statements made clearly like:

In the real world, these just people with ideas
They just like me and you when the smoke and camera disappear

and

If you check 1,2, my word of advice to you is just relax
Just do what you got to do, if that dont work then kick the facts
If you a fighter, rider, bouter , flame ignitor, crowd exciter
Or you wanna just get high, then just say it
But then if you a liar-liar, pants on fire, wolf-cry agent with a wire
Im gonna know it when I play it

and

would you rather have a lexus, some justice, a dream or some substance?
A beamer, a necklace or freedom?

Here’s the video.

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* By the by, it is to our shame as Canadians that those dopes down south are pondering this possibility and we’re pretty much guaranteed some more Harper years here in Canuckistan. Boo. Dang. Boo.