I am very disturbed by the current state of affairs regarding Rock and Roll -- or rather, lack of -- it seems to be disappearing. I simply cannot stand idly by while the music-business-machine-corporate-engine effectively drowns out rock and roll in a dull beige fuzzy electronic artsy emotive loopy sea of manufactured sonic garbage. The kind of music being produced and arranged and promoted and played these days sounds like it was made in a very boring assembly line-type factory full of state-college-music-business-management-school MBA drones. Quite simply, the music business has taken the emphasis off music and focused squarely on business for a long time now. Too long, and it's gotta stop.
Creativity is being shoved aside and swallowed up by the music execs and computerized producers who determines what type of 'sound' will SELL, SELL, SELL tracks to the kids in America. Computer geeks and video game nerds have suddenly become the record producers 'du jour.' Yes, it's true -- they have evil names like Dr. Luke and they record and 'create' songs on their MacBook Pro's. Instruments?? What instruments??? Who needs a guitar or a keyboard when one can simply download music production software for free. And, terrible, terrible bands with terrible, terrible names like One Direction and Nickelback are catapulted to the top of the music-corporation-universe, riding a wave of perfectly polished, albeit horribly bland, generic beats and licks and melodies that make me dry heave when exposed to such crap. That kind of 'music' has no heart. It has no soul. I want my rock-and-roll back dammit! Where did it go???
Creativity is being shoved aside and swallowed up by the music execs and computerized producers who determines what type of 'sound' will SELL, SELL, SELL tracks to the kids in America. Computer geeks and video game nerds have suddenly become the record producers 'du jour.' Yes, it's true -- they have evil names like Dr. Luke and they record and 'create' songs on their MacBook Pro's. Instruments?? What instruments??? Who needs a guitar or a keyboard when one can simply download music production software for free. And, terrible, terrible bands with terrible, terrible names like One Direction and Nickelback are catapulted to the top of the music-corporation-universe, riding a wave of perfectly polished, albeit horribly bland, generic beats and licks and melodies that make me dry heave when exposed to such crap. That kind of 'music' has no heart. It has no soul. I want my rock-and-roll back dammit! Where did it go???
 |
| Jimmy Page |
The guitar god...
 |
| Robert Plant |
 |
| John Paul Jones |
The mysterious, obscure bassist...
 |
| John Bonham |
The hard-pounding/partying drummer...
 |
| Dave Grohl |
The BAND, man! The B-A-N-D is disappearing. Thank god for guys like the Foo Fighters, struggling to keep rock and roll alive. Dave Grohl, former drummer for Nirvana, current frontman/axeman for the mighty Foo Fighters. Without guys like Grohl, rock and roll would die for sure. Thank god for Dave Grohl.
And don't even get me started on MTV. Does anyone even remember what the "M" in MTV stands for?? Well?? "Music." Yep, music, man. Music television. 'Music television' my ass. MTV? Fuck MTV! MTV sold out long ago, straying far away from anything that even remotely resembles "music." MTV used to be cool -- about 25 years ago. MTV used to be awesome -- Headbangers Ball -- the Unplugged series. Now?? NOW??? Jersey Shore and Hip-Hop -- that's the MTV of today. Pathetic. 'M' TV....more like Monstrous Television.
I have news for the kids out there -- they are being brainwashed by a very slick, commercial group of very large companies who have been buying up decaying and depreciated pieces of the music business over the past 10-15 years as the music business itself struggled for its very survival through the age of free-file-sharing-Napster-Limewire-bit-Torrent-etc.
I have news for the kids out there -- they are being brainwashed by a very slick, commercial group of very large companies who have been buying up decaying and depreciated pieces of the music business over the past 10-15 years as the music business itself struggled for its very survival through the age of free-file-sharing-Napster-Limewire-bit-Torrent-etc.
The music business has sold itself to the highest bidder, and the highest bidder cares about one thing, and one thing only -- MONEY -- yes, money, the root of all evil is now trying to take down rock and rolll as we know it. Something must be done about this. And fast. So here's my message to the next generation of music lovers -- the younger ones who haven't been exposed to really great music:
Okay, kids, listen very carefully. Put on some noise-cancelling headphones -- make sure they're good quality. Okay. Now, go to your little I-Tunes "Genius". Do you follow? Okay, good. Now, I have 2 words for you to input into the machine. And those 2 words are -- now pay attention -- the 2 words that you must very carefully enter into the music "cloud" -- 2 words that will blow your mind and change the very course of your life. Those 2 words are (1) Led and (2) Zeppelin.
Okay, kids, listen very carefully. Put on some noise-cancelling headphones -- make sure they're good quality. Okay. Now, go to your little I-Tunes "Genius". Do you follow? Okay, good. Now, I have 2 words for you to input into the machine. And those 2 words are -- now pay attention -- the 2 words that you must very carefully enter into the music "cloud" -- 2 words that will blow your mind and change the very course of your life. Those 2 words are (1) Led and (2) Zeppelin.
When Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham took the Mississippi Delta Blues and shook it up -- and beat it against the wall of sound that was THE British music scene at the time and gave birth to "Hard" rock -- modern rock-and-fucking-roll. Learn it. Embrace it. Love it. Pay it forward. It is your duty.
