Hallucinate Desegregate Mediate Alleviate
I wanted to make an entry about how I spent the last couple of days. And I’ll get around to that in time. But when I got in the internet, I saw a “headline” that just bugged the hell out of me, so I’ll tackle that first.
First, I’ve got to know, how many INXS fans out there, past or present? Show of hands?
Not too many, I may be the only one with a raised arm. Well here’s the deal for me:
When I was younger, I considered myself a fan of INXS. Maybe not the biggest fan, but enough. I had a couple of their CD’s which, for me, indicates a strong interest. And it always pissed me off when a radio station would stop “Need You Tonight” before the “mediate” addendum(*). And I still think “Listen Like Thieves ” is a really cool album (love the song “Questions”).
Then Mike Huthcens died. And I no longer have any of thier CDs. And I have no plans of ever getting them again. I think if I were just being introduced to thier music right now, I wouldn’t think too much of it. I’d probably think of them as a fabricated band whose commercial succes belies thier mediocre talent, kind of like the modern day “Linkin Park”.
That having been said, I was a fan at one time, and no matter what I may think of them now, I still give them some respect for the role that had while I was forming my musical tastes.
So on some basic level this really pisses me off.
“Reality television” can bite my fucking ass and go to hell.
Ron. (I mean, come on, Dave Navarro??)
(*)Hence the title of this entry, for thos of you who don’t know.
May 26th, 2005 at 9:17 am
I was a fan of INXS too, on about the same level as you. I had a cassette at one time and really liked it. I don’t really understand the popularity of nine out of ten of these so-called “reality” shows, either. Or maybe, I don’t want to understand it, because I don’t like some of what it reveals about our culture and times. Why do you think it is that the idea of this particular show bothers you so much?
May 26th, 2005 at 3:37 pm
There’s a a couple of factors influencing my reaction here. First and foremost I have a disdain for reality programming in general. That having been said, I do watch American Choppers from time to time and I like the audtion episodes of American Idol, I think they’re hilarious. But I can’t stand the actual show itself once the real competition begins. Other than that I think that every new reality show idea that comes along is just so much pandering to the lowest common denominator. I’m also not a big fan of replacing a member of a band (especially a lead singer) who has died and keeping the name of the band. I recently saw a DVD of LA Woman in Concert, by the Doors. I believe Jim Morrison was on the cover. And the description on the back was something like: “this is the concert that never happened, but now you can see it”. And what they did recently was get that guy from the Cult (Ian Astbury?) to come in and do all the singing since Jim Morrison happened to be dead since, I dunno, 1973. When the Doors were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the remaining Doors (Manzerik, Krieger, and Densmore) performed a few songs with Eddy Vedder. I admit that I thought this was pretty cool. What isn’t cool is taking someone else to completely fill the role and go on tour with the remaining geriatric members and somehow pretend that [i:d039b7f1b9]this is how it would have been all along. [/i:d039b7f1b9] Having replacements in bands is not always wrong. Depends on the band. I guess Van Halen is Van Halen whether its Sammy Hagar singing or David Lee Roth. But if the remaining members of Nirvana were to go out and get someone to replace Kurt Cobain, it would not still be Nirvana. Some bands agree to part ways and leave the name with some of the other members (like Pink Floyd, or Creed). Some bands, when a member dies, stay together but under a different name (Joy Division–>New Order). I guess there’s different ways to go about replacing and absent band member. But not on a freaking reality show. Hosted by no less than the media whore that is Dave Navarro. That is so disingenuous. And disrespectful. It’s also one thing to assemble a boy-band or a hip hop act using a reality program (as in Making the Band I and II). I could care less about that. But I don’t think it should be done with a pre-existing band that has a history and a pretty well established following.
But hey, it may turn out to be pretty good after all, right? Ron. (Doubts it)
May 26th, 2005 at 7:33 pm
The youth irate Deliberate Fascinate Deviate Reinstate Liberate Liberate Liberate Liberate Though at the moment, I could not care less even if they got Eminem to replace the singer. Its all ancient history now. Water under the bridge.