From: Brian Phillips (deepbluehalo@earthlink.net)
Date: Tue Nov 12 2002 - 19:45:54 MST
From: "John Grigg" <starman2100@lycos.com>
<<<<Natasha wrote:
Keep the edge, friends. Don't lose it - ever!
Just lose yourself in your own music!
If you haven't heard this sound yet, take a few moments with it.
(end)>>>>
Natasha, I had no idea how hip and "with it" you are! I am thirty-five and
already out of touch in some ways with the "youth" culture. I am going to
have to break down and buy this album.
I personally enjoy Eminem's music and I am very happy(and somewhat
amazed!) his new movie "8 Miles" has met such an onslaught of critical
acclaim. I just have not quite figured out how to convince my employer
(in his sixties) who loves oldstyle doowop and country that THIS is a
movie he should take me to! lol I happen to live in a small town without
any movie theaters. : (
I would love to see someone at the Alcor Conference do a
cryonics/transhumanist
"filk" song of Eminem's very catchy "Without me" tune! Queenmuse could have
done a good job at it.
The lyrics seemed to have been cleaned up a lot for radio broadcast... lol>>
John,
I've already commented to Natasha offlist about the performer in question.
Critical acclaim, the approval of talented artists (like Natasha) and
a horde of b-grade fans doesn't equal worth.
Frankly it doesn't equal much of anything beyond a despicable and
really trashy sort of violent narcisissim.
This is music that makes me check to make *sure* my sidearm is
loaded. I am in touch with the *youth culture*... I'm a 27 yo grad student.
I listen to *lots* of music that never makes it out of mp3s, indie cuts, and
a few select clubs. Body piercings? yeah. Lots of black? uh-huh.
Violent drug-soaked music? you betcha. Fan of the Emster? pardon
me while I retch.
Eminem is a poster child for sociopathic machismo and dysfunction on
a personal and generational scale.
This quite apart from disingenous statements to the effect that we
shouldn't take his music so seriously. Apart from his lyrics, his
life (post-parental) speaks volumes.
Some lyrical flair does not redeem the character of an artist if it's
contemptible enough. Taking a largely talentless genre, populated by
losers and goons, and painting it with one's own episodes of failure,
all the while hurling adolescent insults at anyone who criticizes his
"work" (and I use the term loosely) is frankly the sort of thing one
expects from a pretender.
If anyone would like to listen to some REAL music, and is unable to
find other things beside audio excrement like hiphop, may I recommend
something. Whenever the assholes around me feel the need to play
another trailor-trash biography set to a drum-track by a fag-hating
buffoon I like to listen to this wonderful blind Italian guy named
Andrea Bocelli. In particular there is one track on the album "Sogno"
which is called "Immenso". It will lift your spirit, and grace your ears
with a passion that is unremarkable by hiphop standards. Not
a pregnant 'ho' or a pistolwhipped homosexual to be found. No
mention of lawsuits. Nothing special about ejaculating in the anal
cavities of one's rivals. No mention of one's hate or murder/revenge
fantasies against ex-lovers.
Real musicians don't need that, and if they choose to use it (some do)
they do so sparingly.. for the best effect and impact.
But mostly they don't need it.
"la musica..immenso" works much better.
Eight miles to nowhere,
Brian
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