Student Loan Interest Rates...
If ya'll are anything like me you took out some loans to help support your legal education. I been hearing all over that they are going to raise the interest rates on these by as much as 2% unless we consolidate them before July 1st. If you do it though, I hear you loose the six month grace period. Just thought I would share in case you hadn't heard of anything...
The "top 100" is coming along, but it is more difficult than I suspected it would be. I have the songs, but writing stuff about each takes some time. How's corporations going Kelly? Todd, any remodeling issues?
The "top 100" is coming along, but it is more difficult than I suspected it would be. I have the songs, but writing stuff about each takes some time. How's corporations going Kelly? Todd, any remodeling issues?
9 Comments:
You already have the 100 songs!? Good job. Can't wait to start seeing it.
Everything is going fine on the remodel, just way too slow. I haven't done anything on our house for two weeks as we planned and hosted a big 40th anniversary celebration for my folks which happened last Saturday. We plan to do most of the plumbing tomorrow (with my dad helping).
Also: We should all get together once for a beer sometiome before school starts again.
I'll post this here.
I wasn't thinking about songs that deal with the hardships of being on the road. "Turn the Page" is a great personal note about the struggle of carrying on, night after night, from one town to the next, 200 or so nights a year. Living in a bus or hotel rooms; being out of one's element (i.e., not on stage) for most of the year. Seger's song has nothing to do with groping fans.
It is perfectly reasonable for a person to want to be able to pee without being accosted. What I don't get is when a singer is inspired (or is unhappy enough, I guess) to pen a song about THOSE fans, who, presumably are few, and, one could argue, a little nuts. Maybe I am the one who is nuts, but I've never understood taking a close look at bona-fide craziness, unless you are a pyschologist or something.
Rush, one of my favorite bands, did a song called "Limelight" wherein they establish that fame is "the universal dream". Then they sing, "Living on the lighted stage approaches the unreal . . . one must put up barriers to keep oneself in tact." Wise words. Never, not once in the twenty or so years that I have listened to them, read about them, etc. have I ever seen pictures of their wives or kids, where they vacation, or what the inside of their houses look like. Think about most bands we know, actors, celebs in general and the things they (apparently) want us to know about them, or at least don't care that we know.
Whenever I hear some young new talent complain about groping fans, I just put it down to immaturity and unawareness of the pitfalls of being very widely known. It's gonna happen. Get used to it and figure out how you are going to deal with it. And here's a tip: Don't allow yourself to be photographed making out with your girlfriend, the pictures to be strung out across several pages of "People" magazine. I have a sneaking suspicion that that sort of thing promotes much of what we are talking about here. It's a bad idea.
It's more sinister than merely promoting it, they probably arrange it!
C'mon! Here's how it would go. People mag calls celeb X's publicist and tells them that if they can get X to be at place Z with girlfriend Y they will promise to promote their new movie. You see, magazines can be just like television!
The publicist sets up a free dinner at (to be redundant) resturant Q and then tells People mag where X and Y will be.
Part of me also believes that both X and Y are in on it and I even bet that Q gets a cut or gets mentioned in the mag for supplying the free meal. People magazine is disgusting. It's like the mob, everyone is scratching everyone elses back waiting to get whacked.
You see, if Celebrity X doesn't go along with the People Mag's plan he or she will find themselves and their new movie (aka mealticket) getting panned or worse, not mentioned at all.
With of of this in mind however, I still don't see where Mr. White is guilty of this? Or are you now specifically wondering where this inspiration/unhappiness comes from? I honestly think it comes from the ego that results after a hit or two. You see, no one is inspired to write about this stuff on thier first record.
I guess it would kinda be like a rapper rapping about his "bling". The "bling" in this case is the bragging rights to say, "look how popular I am I can't even pee without people bothering me"
Another useless analogy. On valentines day when you were in elementary school did you make paper sack baskets that hung on the side of your desk? No? Well, at my school we decorated these baskets and then hung them off the side of the desk and people would come by and drop their valentines cards in them along with some candy. The most beautiful/popular kid always got the most candy. So much candy that their bag wouldn't be able to be held on by the scotch tape on their desk anymore. I always remember the girl would make a huge deal about her bag falling. "Ms. Teacher, my bag fell down because it weighed too much". She wasn't really complaining of course. She just wanted everyone to recognize her Smartie Heart Superiority.
Bad analogy, but I think it's similar to what's going on in these types of songs.
I am not sure what we are arguing about.
Like I said (or implied), I jumped the gun with Mr. White. I haven't even heard the song so had no cause to spew.
However, reading about his remark about the Hayworth encounter did get me thinking about this stuff. See what happens the summer after first-year law school? Yikes.
Am I getting you? You are saying that maybe Pitt and Jolie were somehow extorted into doing the "People" spread? Even if that is true, so what? Does it follow that it is a good thing if they joing forces and cut a single together titled, "Those Meddling Little People Just Won't Leave Us Alone"? I am not asking whether or not they have a right to, I'm simply asking, does it make much sense? I just don't see how. What we are talking about, again, is that type of people (i.e., sickos) who do the things celebs don't like, isn't it?
I think you are using the word "inspiration" to loosely here. I think you mean to say, "prompted", or maybe "driven", or "compelled". Like the way I feel when my three year-old is pitching a fit about bedtime. My first instinct is often the wrong one, to yell back at her. To my mind, "inspiration" means being moved to make something good, something that will build up other people. Again, sure, X can do whatever he dang well wants to, sing whatever he wants to, have his picture taken while he is doing whatever to Y, but that doesn't make it good. Those wiser celebs learn how to deal with it without venting publicly.
What it all boils down to is this, I think; the lyrics "I don't like it when freaks and weirdos bother me" set to a really great hook. Yawn.
But, again (again), I haven't heard White's song. He did say about fame, "I didn't ask for this." That comes close to what I am talking about. Because of course he asked for it.
One more thing I forgot.
I can't believe you didn't ask me what the heck I was doing looking at "People"?
I was in the waiting area where my kids get theire physical therapy. I am drawn like a moth.
I just reread my last post and saw something that makes absolutely no sense at all. I am sinking. It's late. Does anything I wrote here add up? I made the statement of "X and Y" doing their thing and conflated that with the act of publicly complaining about fame in word or song. Sorry. All Jack White is guilty of is making solid rock and roll records. No crime there, so let's forget about him. Maybe I should just stop before I start stalking Michael Jackson.
Oh No! I don't think we disagree at all. I just thought you had a beef with Jack White so I was trying to get you away from it :).
I used inspiration because I thought you did in your initial post about the subject. Further, I think the word might fit. I wasn't talking morally, (where the word probably comes from, "in-the-spirit) I was using it practically (where the word would mean something like, "the catalyst of a thing or idea"). While morally I think it is the wrong word, I don't think it is in its practical sense.
Anyway, we are in agreement, I'm sorry if I came off as a law student (or a shark), not my intention. What I thought I was doing was coming to the defense of someone who in my mind, is not that type of celebrity.
As far as those other wanks are concerned, ya they're a bunch of dorks. I don't understand what motivates those songs either except maybe, again, their own ego. I mean, among celebrities, I bet some wear their stalkers like a badge of honor. So those songs would be a place to display their medals.
"I didn't ask for this"
The age old indie question.
When an artist is good, they often become popular. However, if you are an indie kid, you can't like anything popular. Therefore, an indie kid can only like a band until they become popular.
However, there are two (or more) ways of looking at the word "popular". Some indie kids won't like a band if anyone else knows about them. Other indie kids will stop liking a band after they have been on MTV.
But what happens when an indie kid becomes popular? Maybe they have to defend their indie roots by saying things like "I didn't ask for this".
I don't know though :)...Thanks for the discussion....
Yeah, it occurred to me today that I was the one who used the word "inspired" first. How's that for shiftiness? It's hard to argue with a guy whose meanings change from one day to the next. Sorry.
I get what you mean now.
Don't apologize. I like nothing more than getting a good verbal bruising. One thing I hope my own blog will do is eventually get others to post counter-responses, rather than just get notes from those who agree with every word. I'll probably have to tackle more controversial topics, venture out into more rocky seas. Reality is that once school starts again it'll probably just stop.
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