The first sizeable chunk of this is reprinted from my own Sunday Morning Coming Down column from 411 (07.18.10). Beats the hell out of explaining this whole situation all over again...
And finally this week, we’ve got a treat for the rasslin’ fans in the house - a bonafide, old-school, elimination-style three-way-dance. Our main event is M.I.A. vs. the New York Times vs. Pitchfork.
The match started with a New York Times piece on MIA that (deliberately, in all probability, since the Times had to print a retraction, but I’m getting ahead of myself) made her out to be a hypocrite. In particular, people latched on to this set of quotes:
“I wasn’t trying to be like Bono,” Maya told me. “He’s not from Africa — I’m from there. I’m tired of pop stars who say, ‘Give peace a chance.’ I’d rather say, ‘Give war a chance.’ The whole point of going to the Grammys was to say, ‘Hey, 50,000 people are gonna die next month, and here’s your opportunity to help.’ And no one did.”
For one, this is where the retraction came in. Appended to the end of the piece now is:
The cover article in The Times Magazine on Sunday profiled the singer and political activist M.I.A. While discussing her efforts to draw attention to the civil war in her home country, Sri Lanka, she was quoted as saying: “I wasn’t trying to be like Bono. He’s not from Africa — I’m from there. I’m tired of pop stars who say, ‘Give peace a chance.’ I’d rather say, ‘Give war a chance.’ The whole point of going to the Grammys was to say, ‘Hey, 50,000 people are gonna die next month, and here’s your opportunity to help.’ And no one did.”
While M.I.A. did make those remarks, she did not make the entire statement at the same point in the interview, or in the order in which it was presented.
The part that begins, “The whole point of going to the Grammys,” up to the end of the quotation, actually came first. The part that begins, “I wasn’t trying to be like Bono,” and ends, “Give war a chance,” came later in the same interview. The article should have made clear that the two quotations came from different parts of the interview.
A retraction is normally relegated to the back pages and therefore mostly overlooked nowadays. It gets too much in the way of a story the writer wants to tell instead of the actual truth and doesn’t sell as well as the rest of the sensationalism does. Nonetheless, a retraction - basically a journalistic admission of guilt - was not only printed but placed prominently at the end of the story online so it can be clearly seen. It’s fun watching a “reputable” (*cough*) source having to admit they fucked up.
Secondly, a quote that tells a much clearer picture was virtually ignored:
“We went to the Grammys, we had the baby and we bought the house,” Maya said as she studied the menu, deciding on a glass of wine and French fries. “A month later, all this stuff was happening in Sri Lanka” — the Tamil insurgency was being defeated amid reports of thousands of civilian casualties — “and I started speaking up against it. And then, within a month, I found out my house was being bugged, my phones were being tapped and my e-mails were being hacked into. I was getting death threats, like ‘hope your baby dies.’ The biggest Sinhalese community is in Santa Monica, people who are sworn enemies of the Tamils, which is me.” She paused. “I live around the corner from Beverly Hills, and I feel semiprotected by Ben and, if anything happens to me, then Ben’s family will not take it. Jimmy Iovine, who runs Interscope, my record company, said, ‘Pick your battles carefully — don’t put your life at risk,’ but at the end of the day, I don’t see how you can shut up and just enjoy success when other people who don’t have the fame or the luxury to rent security guards are suffering. What the hell do they do? They just die.”
This is much more important because, for those paying attention, this just torpedoed Lynn Hirschberg’s (or the Times’s as a whole) entire agenda. The point was to show MIA as portraying herself as a downtrodden speaker who’s life is so rough, yet she lives in a posh California home with her baby and the son of the CEO of her label. See? She’s living the high life! What right does she have to speak about stuff she known nothing about just to be controversial?
Well, for one, she’s speaking about her background and trying to bring attention to those that are suffering where she comes from. Two, she admitted her lifestyle, but still uses her public platform to do some good. I wasn’t aware it was such a sin in this country to use your higher status and wealth to attempt to help others who are unable to help themselves but are still in dire need of it.
MIA responds to this attack by posting Hirschberg’s phone number on Twitter (ha!) and imploring people to “call me [MIA] and let’s talk about the story ;)”. Hirschberg called the move “fairly unethical...infuriating...and not surprising.” And that seemed to be the end of it - until Pitchfork got involved.
At first, Pitchfork took the side of the industry darling they feel they helped create (echoing some of what I thought upon reading the original piece)...
...a correction is a correction, and it does make you wonder if Hirschberg's desire for a strong angle got in the way of her piece's veracity.
(Ulterior crackpot theory I just thought of: Perhaps New York Times columnist and notorious peacenik Bono is behind this entire charade!)
Even more damning was Hirschberg's recent statement to The New York Observer about the part of the piece that depicted M.I.A. as a truffle-fry-eating hypocrite. The writer said, "I don't think the French fries illustrate that much about her character." But, as The Village Voice's Zach Baron tactfully points out, "This statement, of course, is entirely disingenuous-- details like the above are included in profiles precisely because they are assumed to be illuminating, character-wise."
Pitchfork called out Hirschberg on attempting to ruin MIA (which, you notice, she never did answer for) and eliminated her from the match (to take the job of Editor In Chief at W magazine, natch). Once Hirschberg bailed out of the ring, Pitchfork made all niecey-nice with MIA - but the foreshadowing was there...
Will she be able to break free of such online censorship or perish beneath the weight of a mass media conspiracy (supposedly) hell bent on taking her down?! Tune in next time!
A 4.4. That was their score. Seemed kind of odd for someone whose last album they gave an 8.9.
Okay, time out. Let’s look at these a second. From their review of Kala:
If anything, Kala finds her puffing out her chest and asserting herself more strenuously than ever, half-baked agit-prop and all. When she boasts on the stomping, Bollywood-sampling opener "Bamboo Banga" that she's "coming back with power/ Power," you get the sense that by "power" she means "courage of conviction." Regardless of how you square with her politics, her willingness to continue the muckracking is admirable, if not dimension-adding. Don't forget, she's rubbing elbows with the likes of Interscope and Timbaland now; for all the choices she might have made and the audiences she might have aimed at, the fresh-sounding, adventurous, and not-exactly-accessible Kala is the kind of record that obviously demanded a defined personal vision.
And now, from their review of ”Maya”:
It's hard to tell whether /\/\/\Y/\ is half-assed or half-baked. There are certainly a number of good ideas in the mix here, but the execution is lacking. Tracks like "Story to Be Told", "Lovealot", and "Teqkilla" come across like mildly promising demos ready to be edited into sleeker, stronger compositions. Lead single "XXXO" sounds unfinished, as if everyone involved figured they may as well wait around for someone else to make a better remix. Most of the songs are built out of digital clangs and electronic noise
A little later on, same review...
It's not exactly a surprise that M.I.A. would opt to create such an off-putting and anti-pop album at this point in her career. She may be reaching for an interesting and provocative style, but her motives seem defensive in nature-- reasserting her artsy, agit-prop cred not long after breaking through to the mainstream and becoming engaged to the heir of the Bronfman liquor fortune. On a superficial level, /\/\/\Y/\ is a challenge, but it's really more of a retreat. She's shrinking from her chance to engage with a mainstream audience, and refusing to live up to her potential as a pop artist.
...so, what am I to take from this? That if they take the same sentiment they praised her for in one review and break it up in to two parts using slightly different language, then they’re suddenly saying the opposite? Like, she kinda sounds the same as her last album, but they loved her then, so it was okay? And alluva sudden they don’t, so now that exact same sound and approach is suddenly no longer cool and she should be raked over the coals for it?
Something stinks, here. And I’m pretty sure I have an idea of what that smell is - Hirschberg and Pitc--excuse me, Bitchfork being full of their own shit.
Hirschberg has a history of this sort of thing (see: Love, Courtney) already. Hell, both of them do, really - Bitchfork is well-known for (wanting to be) tastemakers. What they say goes, and you’re a Bolshevik weenie if you don’t agree with them.
Their hatchet job even got a mention in Billboard. Good for them, but it’s Billboard who blows a pretty big hole in their idea of being the hipster place for music, as well as Heischberg’s ill-executed “takedown”.
The problem with both of them looking to affect MIA’s career is that it would have to be assumed that, in order to accomplish that, sales of ”Maya” would have to drop like a brick. That’s what determines popularity - the more people buy, the bigger you are. That’s how the game works.
While MIA’s last album, Kala has been certified Gold by the RIAA having sold over half a million units, it took three after its release for that to happen. (“Paper Planes” didn’t take off for well over a year after it came out, and it wasn’t the intended single even when it did.) In fact, Kala’s first week sales were 39,000. According to Billboard, ”Maya” is projected to open with...about 25,000. Not a very big difference, there. Doesn’t look like the rest of the planet hates MIA as much as Bitchfork and Heischberg do, because the rest of the planet cares about her as much as they used to - not very.
I’m not a big MIA fan; that wasn’t the point of this, to come to her defense. I don’t hate her, either, really; I just don’t see what the point of this two-pronged takedown was. The problem I have here is both Heischberg and Bitchfork getting themselves over and thinking they’re a lot more important than they actually are. People desperately trying to use the media to get themselves over is a big pet peeve; that’s why I can’t stand that douchelord Perez Hilton. I’m merely here, to paraphrase Emergency Pizza Party, “to call out their bullshit like I was Penn & Teller.”
I’m wondering if it was even necessary, because their efforts look like they were for naught. All in all, their combined actions seemed, at the end of the day, to do very little for her career one way or the other. Looks like Bitchfork’s supposed reputation of ruining careers with a bad review is a little overblown. And Heischberg simply decided to be a bitch on her way to a career change. Neither, it looks like, accomplished what they wanted to do, and I’m glad for that.
The winner of the match, after last eliminating Bitchfork: MIA.
MIA has stayed pretty much on a rampage (because of all this? If it is, I don't blame her a damn bit). Next target, courtesy of Time Out Magazine (although I couldn't actually find the article...) by way of 411 Music (...but Mitch is normally solid with his sources, so I'll go with what I got), was Lady GaGa:
M.I.A.: ...Oprah seemed like she was giving me the cold shoulder.
Time Out: What do you mean?
M.I.A.: She was with Iman [Bowie]. Iman was always dancing with me, hugging and kissing me, but Oprah seemed really pissed off with me. Also she made this huge speech at the ball praising Lady Gaga and about how she is helping Americans to be the best of themselves. There's millions of other Americans who represent that for me. Is [it] about numbers? About how much you're selling? Is it truly about the journey? Because [Lady Gaga's] journey isn't that difficult: to go from the fucking Upper East Side to a fucking performing arts school and on to a stage at the museum of fucking wherever. That journey's about four miles.
...deeeeeamn. Bonus points for hilarity aside, she raises a point. In her own way, I guess.
You see, I'm no GaGa fan, but I understand and get it. And I have nothing against the fact that, debates about actual talent aside, she's more than willing and able to play the game of media manipulation to the point that she's about the fill the void of next big Pop Superstar. The media's gonna let her do it and planet Earth is gonna stand aside and watch while they're all being played.
MIA, meanwhile, is doing the same, but in another direction entirely. She's looking more and more like this generation's Chuck D. The media is there, for her, to get her beliefs and her character over, but not to play the game of stardom.
At the end of the day, I think MIA will be the more respected but less successful of the two. Lady GaGa has no problem whoring herself out in the name of fame, but MIA's after the integrity vote. The planet is too full of supercilious sheep with short attention spans to care about things like character and integrity. Hell, they think all you need for "character" is a weird outfit once a week.
And THAT is why Lady GaGa will ultimately win the Pop Stardom World Heavyweight Championship, while MIA, though the more respected (and respectable) of the two, will have to settle for the Intercontinental Title.
...and boy, does he ever. This was easily one of the most fun shows I can ever remember going to.
Incidentally, there's an MIA update hitting here soon as well as the stuff I've posted about Nerdapalooza. All sorts of videos and stuff like that. Stay tuned.
Let me translate for you: Next time Janet Jackson flops out a boob or some singer gets a little too excited at an awards show and blurts out a curse word, or two, it won't potentially cost the offending station millions of dollars in fines and fees. Even better, should a DJ for a small college radio station happen to blurt one of the "seven dirty words" on the air, the station won't have to worry about shutting its doors because the fines will drive it to bankruptcy.
Now, I wouldn't expect a free-for-all on prime time television with all your favorite sitcom and crime drama characters swearing like sailors. But what this means is that, if they so chose to do just that, an oppressive government faction can no longer drain the network/station financially in the name of, deciding for the all of us, what's "decent".
One of our major freedoms taken away from us during the Bush Administration has been restored. It gives me a great feeling to know that artists of all sorts - singers, musicians, actors, writers, you name it - can now actually express themselves without fear of reprisal.
To hell with Mel Gibson and how all the tapes of what he said in the privacy of his own home are under public scrutiny (ironic that that fact is totally lost in the story, no?)...this, to me, is MUCH more important than celebrity gossip. The airwaves are actually free again.
I used to think the world was flat Rarely threw my hat into the crowd I felt I had used up my quota of yearning Used to look in on the children at night In the glow of their Donald Duck light And frighten myself with the thought of my little ones burning But, oh, oh, oh, the tide is turning The tide is turning
Satellite buzzing through the endless night Exclusive to moonshots and world title fights Jesus Christ, imagine what it must be earning Who is the strongest Who is the best Who holds the aces The East Or the West This is the crap our children are learning But oh, oh, oh, the tide is turning Oh, oh, oh, the tide is turning The tide is turning Oh, oh, oh, the tide is turning
Now the satellite's confused 'Cause on Saturday night The airwaves were full of compassion and light And his silicon heart Warmed to the sight of a billion candles burning Oh, oh, oh, the tide is turning Oh, oh, oh, the tide is turning
I'm not saying that the battle is won But on Saturday night all those kids in the sun Wrested technology's sword from the hand of the war lords Oh, oh, oh, the tide is turning Oh, oh, oh, the tide is turning
BIG congratulations to Marc on getting the "Best Indie Act" nod from the readers of Orlando Weekly. Very cool. I really cannot WAIT to hit my first Nerdapalooza this weekend...
I think it's documented well enough that I'm not the biggest U2 fan in the world. That having been said, I'm glad Bono's recovering enough to pull this off and kudos to them for rescheduling all 16 dates to make those who spent the money to see them happy by still giving the chance to do so.
"It is clearly stated in Article 5 of the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights that…."
"No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment."
"this was taken from an article by Erik Luna.. "November 1 marked the 15th anniversary of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines. But there were no about"
"celebrations, parades, or other festivities in honor of this punishment scheme created by Congress and the U.S. Sentencing Commission…."
"Instead, the day passed like most others during the last 15 years: Scores of federal defendants sentenced under a constitutionally perverted system that saps moral judgment through its mechanical rules."
First of all, I think she's trying to sound a lot smarter than she actually is. Be that as it may, this child's tantrum offends me. Again, why does she feel she's so different from us? Because she's a "celebrity"? (Famous for what, might I add? Having something resembling a career at some point but ruining that with a drunken bender that's gone on for quite a few years now?)
In response, I could write a column about this somewhere. Or post something here. (Kinda took care of that already, I guess.)
Then the lightbulb goes off. She did this on Twitter. I'm on Twitter, too. Hell, why not just address my concerns directly with her and skip the middle man?
@lindsaylohan If your little rant was abouthttp://tinyurl.com/29kxdyf, that’s not even our country. Ignore the rest of what’s to come...
@lindsaylohan If you’re trying to be some sort of martyr over having to go to jail, however, then would you please. Shut. The hell. Up.
@lindsaylohan Playing the “Cruel and unusual punishment” card is a crock of crap. Everyone else has to do much harsher sentences for DUI.
@lindsaylohan Because you’re a celebrity who used to have a career but now famous for being a spoiled brat doesn’t mean you can’t do time.
@lindsaylohan Playing the victim is useless here, because no one wants to hear it. The only person that victimized you is yourself.
@lindsaylohan If you hadn’t been acting like a drunken slut for every camera in sight, none of this would have happened in the first place.
@lindsaylohan Stop your whining, deal with the issues you caused yourself, shut your piehole, and leave the rest of us alone. Plzkthx.
@lindsaylohan It’s called “taking responsibility for your actions,” honey. Look in to it.
Do I expect this to even reach her, much less go anywhere else? Not really. I'm not even a blip on the radar. I know my place.
Does it still feel good to get it off my chest and have it in a place where the person pissing me off can possibly see it? As "Rowdy" Roddy Piper once told Jesse Ventura about having Hulk Hogan and Andre The Giant both on Piper's Pit, "You damn betcha, man."
Before I get in to the obvious topic at hand, a quick note about why Twitter can be so cool sometimes...
So I’m on break at work and I see a discussion about the World Cup match between Uruguay and the Netherlands. On Twitter, I happen to follow Claudio Castagnoli, one-half of the Ring Of Honor World Tag-Team Champions and an avid soccer fan. This day and age, that sort of thing can be a great and entertaining source of information to follow live, especially for an event like the World Cup. Claudio made a remark about how a Pele kick” brought about a penalty and a yellow card, so, I figured...“What the hell?” Tying in the wrestling angle as well, I replied to Claudio about the irony.
What I didn’t expect was for Claudio to answer back.
Holy. Crap. This is a guy who not only happens to produce some work inside of a wrestling ring that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed, but has traveled worldwide to build a pretty nice fanbase in doing so. And he actually took the time out to respond.
THAT’S why Twitter, for all the flak it catches, can be very cool. To have someone at whatever level of fame that you’re a fan of respond directly to you in seconds flat is damn cool no matter who you are.
Anyway, on with our regularly scheduled program...
It took me a good while to finally get in to MMA. It’s becoming all the rage now, and I’ll probably be accused of “jumping on the bandwagon”, but there are reasons (the title of this piece notwithstanding) that I’ve come around. First, some history...
I’ve definitely been aware of MMA (and the UFC in particular) since the early-mid 90s. I’d heard about it and tried liking it that long ago, but it actually bored me. Over the span of a decade, I’d tried again and again to see the appeal, but I simply couldn’t. And the reason lies in the fact that I can describe every fight I’d seen in that time (which were, admittedly, a couple handfuls, but the fact remains):
Two dudes throw punches that don’t land
They hug
Stop, drop, and roll
One ends up on top of the other
The guy on top punches the crap out of the one of the bottom until the bottom guy taps out
...and that was it. After seeing that exact same fight with different people involved each time for ten years, I had no interest in seeing the same thing over and over again. Is that a fair representation of what MMA was? Not really; it’s probably just what I happened to see each time. I’d kinda followed the sport by reading about it when something caught my attention and, once in a blue moon, seeing a fight that held some interest (more on that in the first bout of UFC 116), but I still wasn’t completely sold.
Fast forward to July 3, 2010. UFC 116 was on the lips of the planet because Brock Lesnar was returning to the Octagon to face the undefeated Shane Carwin for the Undisputed World Title. Being a diehard wrestling fan and all about some Brock when he was in WWE, I decided to give in and give it another chance. Whether the stars were aligned just right or I happened to see what I needed to see...either way, it finally happened..
I already know people will hate my guts because of the notion that “Lesnar got me in to UFC because he was a rassler,” and I’m cognizant enough of what I read to realize that they hate Lesnar because of that, so I realize I’m facing an uphill battle already. At least, I would be if I cared about that sort of thing - or if it were actually true. But the fact that Lesnar was a rassler and that’s why I got in to it...while that’s part of the story, it’s only a small part.
I saw the fight at UFC 100 against Frank Mir. I’d also read about how Mir verbally denigrated Lesnar’s chances to the point where he really pissed Lesnar off. This is a guy that, not only keeps freezers (plural) of meat from animals that he shot and killed himself, but that gets flat-out scary when he’s angry. He also gets motivated like you wouldn’t believe, which led him to pounding Mir in to ground chuck and keeping his title. Lesnar also loves to be hated. While he doesn’t feel the need to constantly play the heel, per se, Lesnar is a guy that will feed off of negative emotions and turn spite in to a weapon. Once again, ask Frank Mir - and the fans that Lesnar rubbed the wrong way after the fight when he rubbed that win in all of their faces.
It was Lesnar’s toughness, motivation, and fearlessness at turning the sport on its ear by becoming one of its greats that started getting my attention. Hell, if Lesnar had never even met Vince McMahon, that kind of attitude - and the charisma and determination he showed in beinga huge success despite becoming the poster child for everything that’s “wrong” with MMA - would have won me over.
Now, Lesnar was coming off of a year out of the game. Divertuiculitis (which I’ve had, and it’s not even remotely close to fun, trust me) had taken the Champ down and, after a long recovery and many questions about his health and his ability to get back in the cage, the stage was set for UFC 116’s main event.
But first, there were several other bouts to get to. Figuring I was already investing this time, effort, and money in to watching for what may well could have been a 30-second fight, I had the perfect opportunity to give the UFC - and MMA as a whole, really - another chance and take in the whole show. Right off the bat, I was rewarded with seeing Seth Petruzelli nearly getting his arm broken.
Yeah, that sounds a little mean. There’s no way to sugarcoat it, though - if there’s a guy I want to see get his ass kicked in this particular realm, it’s Seth Petruzellu. The problem I have with Petruzelli goes back to the EliteXC fight with Kimbo Slice. Not because I was all about some Kimbo; he was cool for a minute until it was clear he was in over his head when it came to the actual art of combat. (Although any guy willing to parlay that image of badassery in to a role in a Nickelodeon TV movie earns a little credit for maybe not taking himself as seriously as others did.) I’ve no heat with Petruzelli for beating Slice in under 30 seconds, it’s what the fool did afterward. His very first interview after that fight was with a morning radio showright here in Orlando where he admitted (starting at 1:50:14) to the fact that he was paid not to shoot on Kimbo so he could basically be fed to him. That comment began an investigation by - and, soon enough - in to - EliteXC that ultimately led to the promotion shutting its doors for good. Reader’s Digest Condensed Version: By being an idiot not keeping his yap shut, Petruzelli started the ball rolling on the end of a viable MMA promotion. Good job, genius - was it really necessary to talk about how the fix was in while putting yourself over?
So, Petruzelli lost. And I was happy. But that’s not to take anything at all away from his opponent, Ricardo Romero. Making his UFC debut, Romero put on a clinic and, for the first time in over 15 years since I had become aware of UFC, opened my eyes to the idea of using any sort of strategy to win one of these fights. The art of fighting had finally become apparent when Romero let Petruzelli throw several bombs, took every one of them so that Petruzelli would tire himself out (and that was AFTER Romero had his jaw broken), and then went after the exerted arm (that had to be at least a little sore after throwing eight minutes worth of punches) and bent it damn-near backwards to win the fight.
In that moment, the possibilities of UFC were wide open. The presentation already harkened back to a time when pro wrestling, from a standpoint of a quality product if not so much popularity, was at its best. Two guys have an issue - even one as simple as both of them wanting to make their way up the ladder and having to go through the other guy to do it. Exploit that issue, hype it up to the point where I can’t wait to see these guys go at it, turn them loose and give me a realistic, believable 1-on-1 contest that I’m satisfied to have seen and felt was worth the time and money I spent to see it. That, before the word “entertainment” became involved and the action was almost a hindrance to telling some sort of story, was what made pro wrestling great. That is what UFC has harnessed, modified, remastered, and presented to a public that is hungry for it. My hat’s off to them for the presentation - always has been in that respect - but it was great to know that the product itself had actually come to the point where it matched the hype surrounding it.
I saw more examples of this as the show went on. I saw Gerald Harris wear Dave Branch down far enough that he could knock Branch out cold with a spinebuster slam that Arn Anderson would be proud of. I saw Stephen Bonnar go all out in the names of redemption and survival, bleeding like a shotgun victim after a relentless onslaught by Krzyzstof Soszynski only to finally exploit an opening by a frustrated Soszynski and save his career. I saw a hungry - check that, famished Chris Leben step in the place of established superstar Wanderlei Silva two weeks after his last fight and make Yoshihiro Akiyama give up after being hit harder than any man should be able to take because he saw his opportunity to grab the proverbial brass ring and subsequently challenge Wanderlei to cement his place in history. I was thoroughly enthralled by many examples of MMA at its best, and all that was before the fight that led me herein the first place!
Brock Lesnar was set to claim his title - or attempt to - against a man that was 12-0, had never had a fight go past the first round because he set land speed records beating his opponents senseless, and was so nearly physically identical to Lesnar he could have been a clone. Because dyed-in-the-wool MMA fans hated Lesnar `(because, God forbid, a ”fake” fighter had learned the discipline and shown the will and heart it took to get there in the first place), no one really reacted to the fact that this was a man who had no business even stepping in the cage in the first place because of a seriousness illness. The feel-good story of a tried-and-true comeback was largely ignored, but that suited Lesnar just fine. He wasn’t going in to kiss babies and be the “good guy”. Nor, as viewers learned, did he ever set out to be the stereotypical pro wrestling “villain” that his post-UFC 100 interview portrayed. Lesnar, then, simply had a problem with how inferior Mir treated him and set about the task of making him eat his words in the form of a 4XL glove. This time, Lesnar had no ill will toward Carwin or anyone else.
Mission accomplished. Lesnar hung in there during Carwin’s opening salvos. He absorbed and, when necessary, evaded Carwin’s best shots to tire him out. But this wasn’t as simple as a “wear-him-out-and-finish-him-off” fight - Lesnar surprised Carwin and everyone else by going for - and then getting - a submission win. Afterward, Lesnar’s humility was on display in a radically different post-fight interview from the one he gave at UFC 100. Lesnar didn’t want to be the “heel” or throw in people’s faces that he was a “rassler” that made good because the fans didn’t want him to. Lesnar simply, and graciously, wanted his spot at the top back and to prove he was worthy of being there. It seemed that Lesnar had learned a lot in his time away from the Octagon...
...and he’s not alone. I was at a point of being a fan of Lesnar’s, but not MMA, to the point that if Lesnar wasn’t involved, I wasn’t interested. I do have to thank him, though, for getting me interested on a full-time basis - and leading the way to many other competitors that have much to offer themselves. Brock Lesnar may have brought me here, but it’s guys like Stephen Bonnar, Chris Leben, Gerald Harris, and (you damn betcha) Ricardo Romero that have convinced me to stick around a while.
Not having known much about Robert Pollard until very recently (thanks again, Marc!), I'm still excited to hear this. Hell, if Pavement can get some play for reuniting, then GBV certainly deserves it.
Apparently, reports have surfaced that one of Brown's bodyguards slipped him some special eyedrops not before the performance itself, but right before he went to sing "Man In The Mirror". You know, the part where he started blubbering like a baby. Not only that, but Brown's friend, R&B/Hip-Hop singer Lloyd (umm...who?), said in an interview with Rap-Up.com that--well...
"He's back with a vengeance...I think that they're gonna find a place in their heart for him again...I told him man, you gotta get up there. You gotta CRY, you gotta really show your heart to the world."
For the defense...or so it would seem, but these almost says more than the previous statements about the whole mess...Lloyd issued a statement recanting his comments that were about three times as long as the comments themselves. And, of course, the reports of the bodyguard slipping him the eye-drops have been denied in two reports. One comes from Brown's camp, which--DUUUH. What do you expect them to do, admit to it?! Take a close look at who's reporting that, though, because the second report comes from...
Addressed in Round 1 was how all the video of this simply...vanished. Come to find out, the videos went away about the same time the report about the eye-drops surfaced.
Still want to think this is a shoot? That's certainly your prerogative. You're also welcome to think that Marc Almond was the first guy to sing "Tainted Love", that Styx's Caught In The Act is the greatest concert film ever, and that Mel Gibson loves him some Jews.
Okay, let me admit I'm not the biggest Smashing Pumpkins fan in the world. By any stretch. Especially now that the band may as well be called the Billy Corgan Experience.
That having been said, I've always believed that, for any show, any given attendee should take in to account who they're going to see and what they should expect out of the performer. Conversely, it is the performer's job to entertain their audience and to put on a worthy performance for those who spent the money and took the time to come see them.
Corgan and his band, by all accounts, lived up to their end of the bargain. The audience, it seems, did not.
Am I surprised to see this sort of thing out of a "hipper-than-thou" crowd that feels they're entitled to give the performer a hard time simply because they went out to be seen? No.
Does it bother me that the set had to be cut short because of selfishness and a much-inflated sense of self-importance out of those involved? You're damn right it does.
Despite how I feel about the Pumpkins or about Corgan, this really bothers me that even he was treated so rudely by a crowd that was too concerned with its own image rather than shut up for two seconds and...here's a novel thought...pay attention to and maybe enjoy the show they paid to see.
A note before going on: After a well-deserved facepalm, I should probably apologize. About a week ago, I set the ‘ground rules’ for this blog. After seeing the last few (non-Examiner-related) posts, a statement I made jumps out at me:
Oh, and I’m not the type to post a lot of pictures for the attention-span deficient. Sorry, but you’re going to actually have to read.
So, what do I go and do? I put up several posts that are almost all pictures. Good job, genius.
I can excuse two of them. In fact, I’ve gone back and renamed them to do just that. I figured out how to update this thing directly from my phone. And yes, I’ll be using that quite a bit. The other was more of a gag than an actual post for the wrestling-savvy among you.
But still, I went back on something I said and I don’t like that. And an apology is in order for such, so I apologize. When I’m writing, I try to refrain from dumbing it down, and, to me, that’s what a gaggle of pictures do. I don’t like feeling I’m catering to the ADHD, blink-and-you-miss-it-because-it’s-so-much-easier-than-thinking crowd, but sometimes a picture says a lot. So, I should rephrase that to read:
If you’re lucky, I’ll throw in some pretty pitchers once in a while, but for the most part, you’re going to have to read.
There, now I feel better. Now, with that off my chest, it’s time to dig in to a perfect example of where this Blog got its name...
I was all set to look at the Chris Brown Incident objectively. In fact, I even kept the original title to this post based upon simply seeing the video of--
Aw, son of a...Viacom already got to it. Great, now I have to use the *official* video for--
Whoa. It’s not even on BET’s site? Something strange is going on here...
...and now that I’ve had a chance to look in to this a bit, it doesn’t surprise me in the least. See, when this all blew up, reaction was split 50/50 between, “You know, Chris has been through a lot, he’s paying tribute to his idol, it all just got to him, he’s human just like everyone else, maybe it’s time to forgive and forget,” and “Are you bloody kidding me? This has ‘PR masterstroke written all over it, this isn’t even genuine, he’s only trying to save his career.”
Looking at most places online - even among ”reputablesources” - everyone is split as to whether this was a Work or Shoot. One thing was for sure, over a returning Kanye West (who did a LOT less and still hasn’t been forgiven), Prince being handed a (LONG overdue) Lifetime Achievement Award, and the return of (wait for it...) El Debarge (and the idiot that called him a legend has a little something coming his way in a day or 2), what everyone was talking about is Chris Brown. And, for once, his name isn’t proceeded by, “the clown that made his MMA debut against his girlfriend in a moving Porsche.”
Whether this was real or staged, the performance had already done its job. Chris Brown is back on everyone’s lips, and this time it’s in a positive light. And, of course, many are either too willing to see a happy ending to think they’ve seen a miracle or dumb enough to believe that they’re not being played to play right in to what they’ve been fed.
Me, I almost bought it for a second. Without being able to see the video very clearly, I couldn’t tell one way or the other. I was honestly torn on whether we had witnessed a sincere music moment or not--
--until I saw this. “This night saved my life, and my career”? Does that not sound a tetch too calculated?
If you’re the type that think Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag (Lord and Lady Douche) are actually splitting up and that Lindsay Lohan has any desire to go clean, then it probably doesn’t. A lot of the reason the pop culture now kowtows to the lowest common denominator is, simply, because it can. Why try to reach out to and enlighten an audience when you don’t have to? Hell, why not completely hoodwink them with a “performance” that features a singer “spontaneously” breaking down, snotting and bawling so badly that he can’t even finish the performance while the camera knows exactly where he will be and when so it can follow his every “emotional” move?
Sorry, I’m a little smarter than that. I’ve seen from the inside the miracles that PR people can construct and calculate. And America just fell for another one. It never gets old, especially if your prey is still so gullible.
Chris, I’m not falling for this one. What you did to Rihanna aside, I can’t stand some fool putting on an obvious show and trying to tell me his emotion was real when it’s not. The first thing on your mind is saving your career - and the pathetic thing is, you probably succeeded because the fans you wanted to like you again have a reason to. And they’re too stupid to see that you played them like so many of the girls you sing about.
So, to quote the late Ric Flair--wait, he's still alive? Oh, hold on, then...to quote "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair, "Tell your story walkin'."
Oh, yeah - if I have to spell it out for you, the answer is “Work.” Totally. I just hope that enough people think the same thing to give this jackass a one-way ticket to Celebrity Rehab in about 5-7 years.
"True love" lost on a reality show expressly designed for that purpose...and it's big news when it doesn't last because the love of fame was probably more important? And you wonder why I ask the question...
As I write this, I’m listening to my guest appearance on The Real Congregation (airing every Tuesday morning from 3 am to 6 am on WPRK 91.5 FM Winter Park, FL, The Best in Underground Radio, in case you’re wondering). Before anything else is said or done, I owe a HUGE thanks to Marc (with a C) for having me on the show. I had a great time on my radio debut (!) and I still feel a little humbled by the experience. As I told him as we were leaving the studio, the best I could have hoped for was not sounding like an absolute fool – and I think I accomplished that, so all in all it was a pretty good experience.
And while we’re on the subject of Marc (with a C), I HIGHLY suggest picking up a copy of his compilation, RetroLowFi: Ten Years of Marc (with a C). The link provided could score you a vinyl pressing, which sounds great. Because it’s vinyl. And it’s Marc. If you prefer CD, those are available, too. Either way, getting to know a great musician, superb songwriter, and awesome performer is well worth the spare change.
With my thanks given and that off my chest, it dawns on me that, after last night, a few people may be coming here after we talked about the Blog. Granted, there’s an idea of what to expect in the bio to your right, but a little more explanation may be in order.
(On a personal note, I have to admit I’m actually not too comfortable putting myself over like this, which is what a lot of this entry feels like to me. That strikes me as weird that I feel like that in just explaining myself, but I feel it’s a necessary step before I really push this thing down a hill and watch it roll where it may. I have to take the self-congratulations with the self-deprecation and just deal with it, so this is an exercise for me as well.)
Before getting to the nut of this thing, the bio states that I’ve done this sort of thing for a combined ten-plus years. And that’s completely true. I’ve done quite a few-—hell, a lot of interviews, feature pieces, news bits, you name it. I’ve covered a large bit of ground in my decade of experience, and I’ve loved every bit of it. And yes, I plan on continuing all of it.
First: the title of this particular post is somewhat of a misnomer. I don’t really get Frequently Asked Questions. Hell, I don’t get many questions, period. I’m used to asking them. It suited what I wanted to do, though, because it gives the impression that it’s a catch-all for what you can expect from the Blog from this point forward.
Let’s start with the aforementioned bio. The whole idea behind this was a revulsion and ultimate rebellion to being force-fed mediocrity and expected to fall in line and accept it all as gold. After a little prompting from Marc, I decided to let that side of me out in public to terrorize the countryside simply because I can’t hold stuff like that in. For good or ill, I have to say what I feel. If it offends you, fall back in line and pretend Lady GaGa is actually doing something new like everybody else.
Before you do, though, I have a very clear point to make: if something I say does offend you when I’m calling out idiocy, then you’re probably the person I’m actually after. I’m a HUGE proponent in the idea of thinking for yourself and not repeating what everyone else loves because, God forbid, you be labeled as weird, strange, or, my personal favorite, “creepy”. The ills of Political Correctness and how it has bled in to popular culture to completely destroy the idea of anything original or new is what spawned this thing in the first place and pervades a LOT of my everyday thinking. Consider this the warning show across the bow. It’s the only one you’ll get.
Oh, and I’m not the type to post a lot of pictures for the attention-span deficient. Sorry, but you’re going to actually have to read.
Second thing is you’ll notice not a lot of four-letter words to be found here. Yes, that’s deliberate. Anybody can curse. It’s easy. I pride myself on making a point and dressing people/situations down without being profane in the least. Or, as my wife puts it, “cussing somebody out without cussing them out.” Not only that, but I like the idea of offending people not with language, but with subject matter. And no, talking about Perez Hilton posting pictures of an underage singer without her underwear on and then putting Olympic athletes to shame by backpedaling his way out of being charged with child pornography is not what I consider offensive subject material.
Which brings us to number three: If you came upon this because you typed “pop culture” in to Google hoping for the same sycophantic gossip everyone else is spreading just to get readers, you’re in the wrong place. The only thing you’ll hear me say about clowns like Perez Hilton is how ludicrous they are in thinking they actually matter just because many are too dumb to realize the celebrity he cares about the most is himself. The fact that he even became somewhat famous and that he’s able to make that 15 minutes last forever because people are too dumb to ignore this loudmouth makes me want to puke up every chocolate cake I’ve ever eaten. And that’s just a small (but obvious) example of the absurdity I’ll be calling out here.
Leading right in to number four: this will not be an all-negati—hold on. I really need to emphasize this one. THIS WILL NOT BE AN ALL-NEGATIVE BLOG. I may have quite a bit of venom to unload, but it’s not all I am. Besides, that gets a little boring, too. There’s plenty of stuff out there I absolutely love, and I’m a firm believer in praising right moves as well as damning wrong ones. So, between the two, expect to gain a lot of insight to my overall tastes if you’re paying attention.
Five. There will be links to my stuff on Examiner.com, 411 Mania, as well as wherever else I may pop up. I would like this to be not only a place to be myself, but a place to archive my writings overall. It also gives you more of a complete picture, because this vein of writing overall is my passion, and they're just as much a part of that as this is.
…all of which, 1000+ words later, is a way of saying something I probably could have done in a paragraph. Did I say I feel weird about talking about myself? I meant it, really. It was necessary for me, though, to go through all that trouble to explain that this is me being me. For better or worse, ‘til death do I part, if I am to have a voice at all and be myself on a planet that seems to frown on that sort of thing anymore, this is the place I have to do it. And yes, it is something I have to do.
Besides, if douchenozzles like Perez Hilton can become famous doing this sort of thing, who am I to shy away from simply picking my own little corner of cyberspace to talk about what I want to?
I can officially add VH1 to the list of networks that can, to paraphrase the incomparable Ice-T, “suck the sheets up my buttcrack.”
It happened during their “100 Most Shocking Moments In Music” countdown show. Chris Jericho was hosting, which was, admittedly, a reason to tune in. And I love these sort of countdowns. The ones that E! does about Hottest this, that, or the other…not interested. Good music countdowns? Ones about, you know, what VH1 is about (or so I thought, but I don’t want to get ahead of myself)? Sure, I’m game. So, I settled in and caught it from #30.
Ball one came from seeing the Rolling Stones/Altamonte debacle at #22. Really? The incident that marked the end of an era of music that produced some of the most notable work in history didn’t even crack the top 20? The skepticism set in, but I was still willing to play along.
Strike one came in seeing the commercials for new shows on VH1. Remember the thing about VH1 being about music? Yeah, forget it. I learned – and maybe I’m late to the party here – that, except for special occasions, VH1 apparently gave that up. “Dad Camp”? “The OCD Project”? What the hell does any of this have to do with music? I was crestfallen that the last bastion of music on basic cable was about to go the way of the dinosaur. I turned to my wife and said, “My God, VH1 is turning in to MTV.”
Time for a sidenote. For those that don’t remember when MTV was more than “The Hills” or “Laguna Beach” or whatever crap is on there now, this is not a good thing. This is the channel that once revolutionized music. Because of that, this is the channel that the world of music revolved around for a long time. MTV used to matter. Now, no matter how many Heidi Montags they give us (along with Douchelord Supreme Spencer Pratt), they can no longer make that claim. And to see VH1 going that route is truly a reason to mourn.
Strike two came with another commercial – this one, at least, for a music-related special. I’ll give them that little credit. The special, however, is about Bret Michaels. As a guy that covered his health issues in detail for Examiner, this may sound a little strange coming out of me. But, let’s face facts here for a minute: aside from making this generation’s panties wet when they were teenage girls (and how he did that IN FULL FRICKIN’ DRAG I still have no clue to this day), Bret Michaels has contributed the square root to diddly-squat to music. Period. For each “Every Rose Has Its Thorn”, there’s a “Don’t Know What You Got (‘Til It’s Gone)”. For every “Talk Dirty To Me”, there’s a “Seventeen”. Nothing groundbreaking, nothing no one else didn’t do first, not even anything original. There is NOTHING that Poison – or Michaels – did that contributed anything to the lasting legacy of rock music. Anyone who cons themselves in to thinking that because he’s had a hard time with his health lately is nostalgically delusional.
As far as his health goes, you’d think a guy who’s fought with diabetes and has now had two serious health scares involving his brain would stop to take it easy for a minute. Instead, this clown sees this as his last five minutes of fame! He admitted that his doctors didn’t know he would show up on the “American Idol” finale to perform. Of course they didn’t, because they would have asked him, “Dude, is pushing yourself to sing that lousy ballad really worth risking your life?” Now, he’s back on television after hobbling out to become the new Celebrity Apprentice. Again.
The sad thing is, once he drops dead, everyone will rally around how great and important he was to music when that theory was already shot to hell two paragraphs ago. Every one of them will also overlook how much of an idiot he was for pushing himself back in to the limelight when he was literally risking his life to do so and hail him as a hero or a survivor. He’d actually be a survivor if he just stopped for a while, made sure he was healthy, and then resumed his career when he’s in better shape to do so. But, like every other rube that can’t stay out of the spotlight (once again, Montag, this has you written all over it), he refuses to do so.
Strike three – as in you’re out, and what finally pushed me to renounce VH1, even as a credible source – was their #1 pick for Most Shocking Moment In Music. SPOILER ALERT: it was the death of Michael Jackson. An incident not even a year old and, considering all the troubles he’d had post-trial and the fact that it’s out now that he was eating Prozac (among MANY other things) like the Foo Fighters ate Mentos, they still had the audacity to call “shocking”. Meanwhile, John Lennon, who was gunned down out of nowhere, was relegated to #2.
There’s no tirade about Jackson to be had here, because it’s already been done. I’ll snatch a few paragraphs from it, though, to basically illustrate what all the talking head comments on the show were about (and probably why he made top spot):
Then a funny thing happened. In the midst of a comeback staged because Jackson had found a set of financiers to bail him out of his personal debt, Jackson blindsided his fans and foes alike with the ultimate career move – he died when no one saw it coming. No one even knows how yet, let alone why. Maybe the stresses of a life no one would wish on their worst enemy. Or years of prescription medication abuse (to which Jackson himself has admitted to several times) catching up to him. Hell, between the debt and facing a world that hated his guts, it may well have been deliberate. Putting aside a lot of unanswered questions, the world stopped for a moment and realized that an immense talent had left this earth, never to be heard from again.
Then, the world did something equally strange. It forgave him. At long last, everyone believed his stories of being abused as a child, and how he was just a simple kid at heart who only ever wanted to laugh and play with other kids like he never could when he was a child himself. Everyone talked – after 18 long years – about how talented of a musician he was, and how that gift and the music it produced would never be forgotten despite the fact that it had been almost two decades since anyone thought to remember that fact in the first place.
Phrases were thrown around the internet like how "THE DEATH OF MICHEAL WAS LIKE 9/11 EVENT IN WORLD TRADE CENTER". And that was just the beginning, as those very same people that mocked and condemned the one-time King Of Pop now stood among those who voiced their desperation and sadness that Jackson had suddenly passed away. Hands were held and people sang the praises of one of the greatest careers in music history and bemoaned the star-crossed life that Jackson lead, feeling pity for the man they had once derided so openly.
So, basically, because America is alluva sudden in love with Michael Jackson again, he makes top spot. Not because, in taking the context of their countdown literally he deserved it (once again, Lennon’s death and a few others – like Kurt Cobain – came as more of a shock than this), but because everyone would have been mad if he didn’t.
I’m sorry, I’m not buying it. I don’t like being told how to think and feel. Between that and the fact that this is all coming from a trusted source for music yet another reality channel, VH1 and I are done. Thank God.
In a few days - once we relocate to the heart of Disney (no, seriously) - this Blog is about to undergo a complete transformation. The Examiner posts will probably still be there, the stuff to the left won't probably go away...but the content is about to a drastic turn. Hell, even the name will change (although to what exactly I haven't decided yet).
I'm tired of a LOT of things. I'm not talking about personal life or anything of that nature. As I told my friend Marc (this is where my wife would say, "With a C?" and I would answer "Yeah, him"), there's too much BS going on in the world of pop culture - and music in particular - that can no longer go unchecked. SOMEone has to call this stuff out. And, well, if no one else is going to do it, it may as well be me.
Consider this a mission statement, then. Or a renewal of purpose. Or something cheesy along those lines. It'll take me a bit to get back up and running after the move, but I already have the first piece planned.
In the meantime, to mark the occasion, reprinted below from 411 Music is the entire Remixing The Industry feature that appeared last November. Slightly edited for form, this was conceived as one big piece that was broken in to four parts for easier consumption and continuity purposes:
You're welcome to click and peruse if you don't want to digest this whole thing in one shot. And I won't be mad if you do. However, if you'd like to see it as it was intended, feel free to keep reading for an idea of what you're in for from here on out.
As Professor Griff intoned at the beginning of It Takes A Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back, "Consider yourselves...WARNED!"
"Remixing The Industry" by: Michael Melchor
Paul "Skratch Bastid" Murphy comes from the "Golden Age of Hip-Hop" generation. Those of us from back in the day remember what Hip-Hop was like when Gods not only walked the earth, but they spoke to us. Every chance they got. With M.C.'s on the microphones and, most times, a DJ behind them standing between two turntables creating music and beats out of carefully selected vinyl.
Of course, that was the tactic that got Hip-Hop in legal trouble at one point. "Sampling" was known as stealing, but anyone who truly knows sampling – both when they hear it and how to do it right – knows there's a true art to recycling old music to create something entirely new.
Anyone who's ever heard it knows that Sean Combs's (It's easy to lose track of which variation of "Daddy/Diddy" he's using this week) tribute to the Notorious B.I.G., "I'll Be Missing You", is lifted straight off of The Police's "Every Breath You Take". Different key and slight tempo change be damned. Now then, quick quiz: Remember Naughty By Nature's "O.P.P."? Any guesses on what song was used to create that one? The sample of the Jackson 5's "ABC" is near-genius in its use to create what became one of the signature party anthems of the 1990s.
That in and of itself should be enough evidence to know that Skratch Bastid understands that art form like very few others. A good look at his "favorite things" could be considered exhibit B. Skratch Bastid fondly remembers when DJing was so new that the legal system had no idea what to do with it. He remembers when turntablists hadn't become programmers and those that constructed beats were known as DJs, not "producers". He remembers how pioneers like Eric B, Terminator X, Jazzy Jeff, Kid Capri, and so many others transformed a turntable from a means of enjoyment to one of creation.
Skratch was also lucky enough to have a mother that encouraged his new discovery-cum-passion. As we talk on the phone during a brisk October afternoon, Skratch explained, "I took a particular interest in DJing and my mom told me to go into a DJ battle that she saw advertisements for. I was like, ‘no, no, I'm not ready', but my mom kinda pushed me in to it and I placed third at the age of 16. I got with all the older people in the scene and started doing DJ battles. It all comes down to that push to be heard – I traveled to America and across Canada a lot battling all over the place, and those battles is where I started earning my name in North America. "
Truer words have rarely been spoken. Skratch has placed 2nd twice in the Canadian DMC Championships. He's won the Montreal Underground DJ (MUDJ) title two years running in '06 and '07, as well as being a three-time Scribble Jam Champion in '04, '06, and '07. You've seen Eminem's 8 Mile, right? The rap battles he got in to and finally won? That was Scribble Jam. Now Imagine Em with a turntable and you have an idea of what we're dealing with.
Of course, showmanship has a lot to do with it as well. Very few DJs are willing to go the extra mile that Skratch does at around 4:12. The raw talent of someone who loves an art form and the willingness to be the type of performer to wear that passion on his sleeve has launched Skratch in to collaborations with some of Hip-Hop's finest, such as Nas, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Ludacris, Mix Master Mike, Ice-T, DJ Premier, Modeselektor, The Tragically Hip, and Russell Peters.
To add to that list, Skratch is flipping the script a little by inviting others to join his parties as well. Take the upcoming "Skratch Bastid Presents" showcase as an example: not only him, but Scratch (from The Roots) and DJ Starting From Scratch in a "3-man live tag team event" that Skratch plans on doing quarterly, though maybe not necessarily with the same people.
Of the "Skratch Bastid Presents" series, Skratch says, "What I wanted was a collaborative night. It's not just me playing records – it's a collaborative experience where we just go on stage and see what comes out of it. The first one is 2 DJs and Scratch, the beatboxer from The Roots. The idea behind that is, all of us with our musical knowledge and experience, just going up there with a couple things in mind and building off of each other and see what the crowd is feeling. Scratch is a very DJ-minded beatboxer; through our rehearsals, it's amazing what he was coming up with. I just want to create a different experience rather than just going to the club and hearing the DJ play tunes. Have it DJ-oriented, but take it to another level that's not—it's a DJ show, but on another musical level that people can enjoy and feel even like they're seeing a live performance."
Definitely an atypical approach to a DJ show – and one that might even work. The idea is catching on, if his Facebook page is any indication. That attitude carries over in to the way he does business like it does with a rapidly growing number of artists today.
Of course, in his line of work, it somewhat has to lest we go back to the discussion of legality and red tape. In light of that, even if Skratch were offered the supposed "golden ticket" of signing with a major record label...
"The way I see it now, [record] labels can help you take it further only at a certain point. They don't even have time to develop an artist. You've got to do a lot of that on your own. From the results I've gotten, it just takes some work on your end. If you've got a good thing going—hell, you could have a quirky little thing going and, as long as it‘s popular like your son dancing or something like that'" he trails off, laughing. Then, "If you've got a good thing going nowadays, it's not so hard to get it out there. If you have a good product and people want to check you out, then the power is in your hands. I've had a lot of fun doing that and it will continue on. I'm no marketing major, but I do know there's a lot of power in the hands of the artists these days, and that's a good thing."
Of course, the new way of doing music business is a greater benefit for the artists – namely, more money by cutting out the middle man and more control by eliminating the need to have a boss that dictates how your product and career will be handled. Another key component of seems to be in not only what's in it for them, but for their fans as well. Skratch confirms, "If you go about including your fanbase in what you do and give them love, they'll give back to you. People know when you're giving them something, so if you give them something, it'll come back to you eventually – be it monetarily or in longevity or at the shows. People want that connection, and there's no easier time than now to make that connection with your fans."
On his own power, his "mixtape" releases – more literal for a DJ, as you can imagine – have done quite well. Filling up the length of an entire CD, his albums are continuous, uninterrupted flows made up of some of the best party jams and funky diversions recorded in the last 30 years. His ear for great music is nearly unparalleled, and his aptitude for working that into newer music is second to none. Of course, there are t-shirts and other items that also make up some of the financial end.
At the end of the day, as an independent artist perpetuating an art form that was thought dead and gone as recently as earlier this decade, Skratch Bastid is making his name and music heard through his God-given ability, hard work, and sheer resolve. Not only that, but he's also making enough of a living that he can turn his dream in to his "day job" without having to depend on the formerly-tried-and-true label system (that a surprising number of artists still think they can't live without). And he's not the only one. One artist in particular was already part of the major label system at one point – only to walk away willingly.
Chad Bromley, more colloquially known as Apathy, was a member of the Atlantic Records roster. Yet, no record came of it and now he's a free man. The air had to be cleared – in public, if you will – as to what exactly happened between he and Atlantic as we talk. The response from Apathy was somewhat amusing:
"Nothing. That's the point – that's the reason why I left. There was really nothing going on and we couldn't come to terms. We couldn't decide on what to do. That wanted me to do a whole bunch of funny shit that I wasn't willing to do, they weren't giving me answers, and there was no definitive timeline, so I was tired of spinning my wheels and dealing with them. Eventually, I asked for a release and got off the label."
Many lamented what a damn shame it was that Atlantic – a major label with major resources that's able to get virtually anything done for their artists after 50-plus years in existence – could be so stupid as to let one of the hottest, and arguably best, rappers actively in the game today simply walk away from them.
Studying at the sonic temples of the masters since he was young, Apathy understands the true spirit and style of the art of the rhyme. Born of that knowledge and infatuation of the genre, Apathy combines a razor-sharp flow with a commanding voice and sense of urgency not heard since the days of Chuck D, Rakim, and KRS-One. To describe his style in detail—well, yes, this has been done before, but it bears repeating since it's the most effective demonstration:
Whether that's a freestyle or not is immaterial. Three different speeds, zero mistakes. Perfection on a mic. More evidence is presented to the jury when I bring up to Apathy how I first heard of him and subsequently became a fan almost instantly: the "Personal Jesus" freestyle off of Where's Your Album?! (the title, a direct reference to the Atlantic debacle). To that, Apathy chuckles, "I love that ‘Personal Jesus' one, too. That was important for me to really kill it with the flow on that beat, too. That's one of the ones where you hear it and you want to go crazy. When you get a beat with a dope pattern like that, that's like catnip for rappers. Just makes you want to go on there and attack and kill." More proof that radio rappers and other Hip-Hop artists at the service of VH1 and other corporate outlets that want to boast about "real Hip-Hop" need look no further than Apathy before they check themselves in a mirror and try again. Maybe.
As Eazy-E would have put it, It's all about makin' that GTA. And Apathy is far from lazy in that respect. In addition to his newest album, Wanna Snuggle? hitting the stores (and getting a ton of rave reviews since its release, with many – including this site - calling it the best Hip-Hop album of 2009), Ap has followed that right up with the new album from Get Busy Committee, featuring he and Ryu (Styles Of Beyond). There is also a new one due before year's end from Army Of The Pharoahs. Early next year should see new albums from Ap's main crew Demigodz as well as solo material from fellow Demigod Celph Titled. This is also doing a ton of production work, including a spot on Cypress Hill's album due next year. And did we mention Ap is already working on his next solo album to boot? In giving us all this info, Apathy laughs at his near-suicidal work schedule. "I stay busy, man! I'm constantly working all the time."
Under the control of a larger label – or most any label, for that matter – Ap's output would be about one-fifth of what's listed above. However, Ap has a system in place to take getting his name out there to a whole new level. "I wouldn't say [Demigodz Records] is necessarily a label," explains Ap, referring to the umbrella that newest album, Wanna Snuggle? was released under (with most of the aforementioned projects to follow). "It's just a means of us putting it out – Demigodz Enterprises. We have a digital account so we can put things on iTunes, we have a distribution route with traffic, so it's just a way of us putting it out. We don't really take it seriously, like ‘we're gonna have our own label'; under that name, we might start one in the future."
Ap continues, "The thing that's great about that is that we can put out whatever we want. We're in charge of whatever we want. We only have to answer to ourselves; we're our own bosses. And if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. That's always been the best thing for us – it's always been the most lucrative. When you're in control of your own business and you're in control of things, you have no one to blame but yourself. It also motivates you to work harder."
He's even kind enough to offer some thoughts on the state of the industry, including a little advice: "Labels are dead. They have terminal cancer – it's only a matter of time. Labels might be good for somebody that doesn't know how to do a Goddam thing, but if you can do it yourself and you have the ability and you can manage that, you should definitely be putting out records by yourself. You make more money, you have more creative control, and nobody's trying to micro-manage you."
On the other side of that coin, however, is the fans' involvement. Apathy states, "It's very important for people to understand that this is a crucial time for fans to support the artists. If you're a fan of these artists, this is the time for the artists to prove themselves. If you're not supporting them, you're proving to the world that these artists are no good. You're saying, "Hey, I'm not gonna buy these guys' stuff. I'm not gonna support them.' You can't download and say, ‘Yeah, the album's hot, I love it – I download everything you've got'. There's no proof of incentive for us to continue to do it. That's why a lot of people would quit. It's a time where it is definitely more important than ever to support artists that you feel. Even when people say, ‘Ap, I'd rather buy the CD from you at the show than in the store so you can get the money' – no, I get the money anyway! It's very important for the stores to see that this guy sells because, if you don't buy the CDs in the stores, they're gonna be like, ‘we're not gonna carry your CDs in the store because they don't sell. No one's buying them!' "
If his ever-growing reputation as one of the finest around – both in front of the mic and behind the boards – is any indication, then Apathy is certainly handling his business the right way. Once again, he's another artist that does this for a living without having a corporate sponsor, boss, or thief to answer to. Because, as his own theory states, he simply can. It's that easy anymore. And his fans are behind him enough to make it work, like others still that have walked their own path – such as Tom Shimura – known to a wide audience as Lyrics Born.
Lyrics Born has to be quantified as "Hip-Hop" if he’s required to be fit in to a particular genre at all. Not due to a contractual issue or threat of death or anything – simply because "L-Beezies" is about much more than just rap.
Lyrics Born clarifies during our conversation that this is a lifelong pursuit. "I think from a very early age, I think I knew I always wanted to be some sort of artist or some sort of performer. It wasn't until I first heard Hip-Hop that I knew what type of artist or what type of performer I wanted to be. I think, once I heard it, I got into it. And then Hip-Hop, in turn, got me into all these other kinds of music."
And a hell of a performer he's become. Not a single crack or falter in his voice. He didn't even cheat by changing the key of the song. And, as you can see by rolling with a live band, there are no pre-programmed beats or tracks to be had. Not many in today's fast-food Hip-Hop culture can go out on stage and kill with no safety nets or crutches.
In talking about the live band, Lyrics Born seems even ballsier. "Well, mostly because I wanted to grow. It was never my goal to be just a Hip-Hop artist. At that time, the confines of the genre were pretty much dictated by sample use. If we're gonna move forward and I'm gonna grow and move my music forward – as well as the music forward in general – then I just have to get beyond those limitations. That's what made me get into music was live musicians, both on the road and in the studio."
Outside of The Roots – another Hip-Hop act that's made its name on ability, ardor, and an adventurous approach to the genre – there is virtually no one in Hip-Hop that crumples up the antiquated mindset of what's "expected" and throws it in the trash like Lyrics Born. Race not even being an issue, his music is simultaneously loose in its feel and tight in its construction. He can – and does – cover just about any subject matter you can think of, including love. It's not all an act (unlike even so many R&B singers) or a shallow attempt to look like a well-rounded performer. He actually is one.
You'd better believe that same mindset that permeates his music also presents itself in his business sense. Looking at YouTube channel, scrolling down the About Me section on the left-hand side is the following: Lyrics Born has been one of the most licensed hip-hop artists in the world, with placements on Diet Coke, Motorola, Nokia, and Vans commercials, TV shows such as "Entourage", "Six Feet Under", "What About Brian", "Gossip Girl", and "Gilmore Girls", films like Michael Mann's "Collateral" and Justin Lin's "Fast And The Furious: Tokyo Drift", and videogames by EA Sports, 2K Sports and Atari. He has had sponsorships with Puma, Adidas, Diesel, and Evisu. Certainly sounds like any other Hip-Hop artist out there – except when you realize that Lyrics Born did that all on his own. No label, no middle-man negotiating all this for him, just him. Having that kind of control, he feels, is vital not just to his career, but his situation as an artist in the world of the web 2.0. "I've supervised, 'A&R'-ed, and executive produced every album I've ever done. The people I work with trust me enough to do so," he proclaims.
With Lyrics Born, however, the question of whether or not he's with a major label is a moot point. What matters is how he's presented and being able to be the performer he wants to be. "You know, I never cared if I was independent or on a major [label] or...none of that ever mattered to me, as long as I can make the records I want to make," he declares. "If a major label came along and said, "Hey, we want you to sign this deal", my first question is, "okay, but can I still make the record I want to make?" If they said that was cool, then okay, I'm down. And if an indie did the same thing, I would say the same thing to them."
Fortunately for him – and so many others that are able to see the power of immediately dispersing information to the entire world with just one click – he has no need to even entertain the idea. "I think we live in a great time right now where artists have that choice if they so choose to. With the way the internet is now, if you want to self-release your own music, you don't need the labels anymore. It used to be that the labels held the keys and were the gateway to your dreams, but it's not that way anymore. You can self-distribute. There are companies out there that will distribute your music for you, as-is. It's not the same as it once was; the companies don't have that kind of control anymore like they once did."
Lyrics Born continues, "The internet is great; it's a powerful tool. I'm just trying to harness it and be able to use it to express my passion and what I'm about and my story. It's just my point – all these tools, all these things are available to all of us. I'm just trying to take advantage of it."
Taking advantage of the internet is something Lyrics Born has excelled at almost as well being an exemplary performer. The latest example is his LBFM player on his website. A media player, according to LB, features not just his own music but the music that influenced him to do this sort of thing himself. Not many people take that extra step, but it should be clear by now that Lyrics Born isn't "many people".
As his latest album, Everywhere At Once still going strong, Lyrics Born has two singles fromhis new album already making rotation. LB even gave us a quick progress about As U Were: "I'm almost done; we're looking at a first-quarter release in 2010. Right now, I have about 12 songs mixed; I'll probably do a few more and then we'll take it from there."
With his music about to shine once again and his voice being heard in other places (like Cartoon Network's Friday night block, "You Are Here!"), Lyrics Born shines like few others. Paralleling the few in his category, though, he does it with heart and proficiency instead of hiding behind a corporate machine that excels in disguising the weaknesses of its artists (which can hit astronomical numbers if hearing the radio is any indication). It's actually refreshing to know that the corporate machine hasn't gotten a hold of him and tried to ruin what he does best. Others have lived through that very tale to fight another day. One stands out as not only a musical legend, but one who pioneered this entire movement as a defiant response to a debilitating system.
Yes. The rhythm, the rebel.
If anyone is familiar with the freedom granted to artists by the internet, it's Public Enemy's Chuck D. After the controversy he's seen and the battles he's fought, Chuck D has become the prime example of using the world wide web to forego the archaic system of the way things were done and furthering your career and message on your own power.
Still, in an exclusive interview done for this feature, we couldn't help but discuss some of the "old days". In particular, the subject of VH1's recent "Hip-Hop Honors" show spotlighting Chuck's old stomping grounds, Def Jam records, came up. "It was cool," said Chuck of being a part of the show. "Seeing Rick [Rubin] was really good. It's funny – you see a lot of the guys that took that corporate money, and then you see the people that didn't get the money all come together in a room. It's real funny because guys the guys that run Def Jam have turned in to the same rich guys that we all rebelled against," he chuckles.
As much of a mixed reaction as the move has caused, then, it makes perfect sense that Chuck would turn to a company like SellABand to not just promote, but be an instrument in letting the fans fund the next Public Enemy album. It has nothing to do with the group being strapped for cash or pulling a desperate publicity stunt, as many have accused them of. "I admired SellABand and what they were doing in Europe. In the United States, we've tried to emulate their message and the way we do things on a much smaller scale. At the same time, I wanted to take their system and see if it would work with something I already have – like Public Enemy. The difference with using SellABand for Public Enemy – we know we can make a record in our own studio on our own. We don't need any financing. I think, if anything, each and every song on this next record will be a collaboration. I think those collaborations for the fans would be something they would not get if we were to do an album on our own. If we're doing a SellABand record, we have to present something a little different than we would do on our own. I think that's what SellABand makes possible."
Chuck goes on to open up the possibilities wide. "Let's say we do an album with 10 different collaborations with different artists. This way, the fans can add their input in and we can bring 10 different collaborators to the table and give the fans what they actually want. SellABand will work differently for Public Enemy than they would a smaller artist."
To put things in their place in the "big picture," Chuck sums up: "Under the traditional way, a record label would pay you to do a record, you know? Under this way, we can say, ‘you want to see us with this artist or that person?' We're looking at this project as being revolutionary and experimental. I think this is showing the music business that this is taking baby steps toward eventual sponsorship that well help an individual – or a big company or a small company – further their brand."
As of November 2, the SellABand venture has raised $59,625 toward the fan-funded and fan-centric record that P.E. is putting together. Those baby steps are happening one foot in front of the other. For all the critics that have taken Chuck to task for this venture, the fact that Chuck is as revolutionary of a thinker as he ever was should have been at the forefront to begin with. Of course, those criticizing are probably playing right into the hands of the media and its perpetuation of "fast-food culture" by assuming there was no more to this than the band "being broke." And, quite frankly, if they had known how Chuck carries himself as an artist and forward thinker for any length of time, they should have known better.
But then, this is far from the first time that Chuck and the rest of Public Enemy have been at the center of condemnation and disagreement. From the lyrics to "Welcome To The Terrordome" sparking protests about the name of Jesus Christ to videos depicting the FBI gunning down a black family in their own home and the assassination of the (fictional) Governor of Arizona, Chuck has weathered the war like few others have. Many in his boat would have tucked their tail between their legs and gave up, but Chuck still fights on in the name of Power To The People.
He can also see the bigger picture better than many his field can. In observing that image, he sees Hip-Hop as it is now in dire straits. "The genre of Hip-Hop that people say is so big has serious structural issues. More like a lack of structural issues. Like I said, I just came from the Hip-Hop Honors and a lot of the new artists buoyed by corporate money and saturated radio have undershot their integrity and dedication to the art form that they're not even exciting the crowd that they do have. I have grave concerns over the buoyancy of Hip-Hop over the last 10 years. If it's not financed, it ain't stayin' up, you know? The concerns are not just in the area of records and record companies, but the radio stations and BET have done such a terrible job—they're limiting what the art form can do. They put it in a box. Therefore, the young demographic only follows what's in that box that's now being dictated from radio and television. At the end of the day, because of that, I have grave concerns over whether rap can hold itself up."
Chuck touches on other artists coming up without using the old system, like Skratch Bastid, Apathy, and Lyrics Born. What's needed for artists like that to get their due, Chuck says, is a system supported by fans of the genre – and music as a whole. "Every artist [like that] wants a support system that can take the cream of the crop and the artistry and magnify it. If you can magnify it and dignify it at the same time and build a structure to support whatever it becomes as long as they keep those two aspects in mind. Right now, you ask younger people and older people about what their attitude is toward what they're seeing. It might not be ‘Hip-Hop is dead,' but a lot of people say that what they see is uninspiring. If somebody like Public Enemy and The Roots are blowing somebody away on stage and somebody like a Rick Ross is not, there are grave concerns. The only way a lot of artists are big is through repeated radio play. Artists can go the independent route, but that has to be supported. If it can't be supported on television and the radio that the masses of black people are watching and listening to still, then you tell me how it's going to be supported.
"In rap music and Hip-Hop, the infrastructure has been lacking severely because, in the beginning, when rap music had no support system, it helped create its own. It's own alternative was created because that was the only way to catch it. Now that there's a limited view, you have a situation where other people dictate, what deserves to be heard and what doesn't. Who makes those decisions over that pecking order has affected the music more than ever. That's where it's at. If what I just gave you seems complex and you see the mental level it takes to see where this business is at, of course they keep everybody infantile. Then you'll never understand the problem. I just think the methodology involved in all of this is a little crazy and out of whack right now."
Fortunately, the future of the art form isn't a blank slate where the future of the genre should be. For every bland record and performance out there, there is still hope and promise that the music will not cease to exist. There are still explosive performers and scorching beats accompanied by incisive rhymes that harken back to the days when the art of Hip-Hop wasn't so stagnant. Chuck D continues to put the people and fans first in letting them dictate what they want and to have those days back. Others have followed suit, abandoning the corporate power structure in favor of bringing a new life to Hip-Hop. A new inspiration and passion that others are catching on to.
If those "baby steps" of going through ventures like fan-funding and giving the people what they want instead of what they're being force-fed continue, the movement will then begin to crawl. Then walk. Then finally run. All it takes to bring Hip-Hop back to another "Golden Age" – this time, to stay – is to stray outside the confines of the usual outlets and search for music that inspires rather than settles for being played in a nondescript background. As a man who has done this for over 20 years, Chuck is qualified to lead the way down the path that the other artists discussed this week are traveling as well. All we have to do, in turn, is follow them and discover a world outside of what's forced on us. A world that we, the fans, will ultimately control.
There are several people I owe thanks to in putting this together. The four artists that took their time to talk with me, for one. Much appreciated. Also, the behind-the-scenes work of Morgan Steiker, Matt Conaway, Justin Berger, and Jolyn Matsumuro for their patience. And finally, to our man in Amsterdam, Grimmy Acosta, who named this piece and pitched in on some editing.
