The Automatik

I’ve been railing against the RIAA for a long time now, and I’m tired of it. Something has got to give. The latest article I have read is perhaps the worst offender of all.
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My dad was really stressed out about Hurricane Lili’s imminent arrival last week and so he started ranting and raving about tolerance and prejudice. He argued that by discriminating against someone for say, having a Confederate flag on their truck, one is being just as close-minded as someone who despises black people purely because of the fact that they are black. His point was that not all people who support the fact that Mississippi has a Confederate insignia in its state flag believe that slavery is an acceptable notion. They might have had a relative who fought in the Civil War or have nostalgic notions about the Old South. He added that even though the South rallied against the abolition of slavery, at least they had something in which they believed and at the time, not everyone knew that the ideals of the Old South, particularly slavery, were wrong. He firmly believes that racism is diminishing with each generation as people become more enlightened and tolerant.
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The first time I saw this movie, I hated it. I hated the flat, emotionless voice over and the faux-Film Noir stylings. I loathed this movie for the next four years and dreaded the idea of having to analyze it for my Science Fiction Cinema class when I was a junior in college. After I watched it, though, I did a Pauline Kael and realized that it was truly amazing. I loved it even more when the Director’s Cut was released a few years later without all that ridiculous voice-over rubbish.
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I’m reeling from this Canoe article, “Sloan has carved its own musical niche” (scroll to November 3, 2001). I totally agree with Andrew Scott when he says, “I hate everything that’s out there. There isn’t a band on the radio today that I have any respect for.” And shame on you, journo Mike Ross, for insinuating somehow that strong, negative opinions are bad. I myself am sick to death of musicians and celebrities that have no business collaborating or even being friends pumping each other up to nauseating levels (no names mentioned, ahem, Ben Stiller and Limp Bizkit, Steven Tyler and Pink, Puff Daddy and anyone…shall I go on?)
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“Take care and have respect for each other. Keep the faith and never let the sycophants and small minded people of this world get you down.”
-Statement from the official Placebo web site on the release of their single, “Special K”
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Disclaimer: I want to make it clear that in NO WAY am I a fan of Trent Reznor OR his music. In fact, I think he’s quite a Jim Foetus rip-off. It just amuses me that I have this knack for bumping into him at the same places over and over again. But it isn’t like I plan it or anything. In fact, I think it could be argued that he’s stalking ME!
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Something is wrong with the world when I start feeling less annoyed by crappy bands like Korn, Rage Against the Machine, or Crazy Town in the face of bands like Godsmack, Full Devil Jacket, and Linkin Park. Even Moby and Gwen Stefani now seem appealing. At least Gwen is a more positive role model than the singer from Snake River Conspiracy. Wes Borland from Limp Bizkit (you know, the one that looks like a mime on crack) has a new album out called Big Dumb Face. And while I am sure that it is more than his face that is dumb, even that doesn’t turn my stomach like Mudvayne, who must be seen and heard to be believed. MTV2 has a special on this week about “new artists” and Mudvayne is being spotlighted. Riiiiiiight. They are artists in the way an infant is an artist when it craps in its diaper.
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The most appalling video that I have seen recently, and probably of all time, is Robbie Williams’ “Rock D.J.”
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Forget Oasis. If you really want to hear the legacy of the Beatles, you should listen to Sloan. I hate to even compare them to anyone, but trust me, it’s fitting. It’s a crime that Creed and Limp Bizkit CDs have sold a gazillion copies because Sloan are the saviors of rock and roll music that we’ve all been waiting for.
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