Rebellion. Lies. The Grammy’s one year ago

Dear Liberation followers,

Last year I started a very short lived blog called Violently Verbose with practically just this entry as its major component. A year later,  I thought I’d share it with you and update on this issue. I hope you enjoy, or at least have a laugh.

In case I offend anyone – I, CM – take full responsibility for it

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Warning: rant of the day is about to begin and its going to get violent

Here goes.

Yesterday I was depressed. Ok fine not depressed, just highly irritated.

No kids not because it was Vday (I’m disgustingly quite a fan – yes you can tease me later, but being French/Italian romance is part of my DNA even if its dreadfully and forcefully cliché)

But because of the Grammys.

The Grammys people, the so called best and most important music awards in the world. I don’t know if you watched. I didn’t. I checked out the summary.

I’ve seen it before though, I use to stay up and watch it as a kid. I already loved music back then. I loved really bad music (I may or may not have 3 Backstreet Boys CDs – come on, I was young, vulnerable, they had a singer who looked like a girl and SYNCRONIZED exaggerated emotional moves and sang truth like Show me the meaning…of being lonely – my god what prehormonal girl doesn’t not fall for that. The fact that 3 out of 5 members had to grow dodgy facial hair to gain credibility should have been a sign but I just didn’t see it.

Anyways so I know what I am dealing with, what I am up against. Commercially crap music wins at the Grammys. I know this. I am prepared for it. And also I went through the phase. I mean at I’m- so-confused-14-year old, and I-desperately-want-to- be-cool-but-fail-hopelessly-16-year old, I was into all that fashionable hip hop. I had a Destiny Child album. Thought that Alicia Keys understood me because she played piano like I dreamed and spoke about being a caged bird. I use to think Black Eyes peas were super cool. I get it. I get why there needs to be different genres out there. I don’t like it anymore. But I can appreciate different genres.I have accepted crappy commercial music as a reality. I get that 30h!3 (seriously people the name?) will get stuck in your head and you will laugh at their music videos

But nothing prepared me for this.

 Song of the year: Lady Antebellum

My first shock was, who the F*&^^%& is Lady Antebellum. So of course I googled it and the relief of knowing who it was lasted 0.000000042 seconds only to be replaced with the absolute need to VOMIT as realization hit me as to what this was.

This is the song!

This is the shit song that won song of the year. Give me Mr Grammy’s number. I’m calling him right now. F*ck it give me his address. This needs to be dealt with.

Now I warn you before I post you the link that all happiness may drain out of you if you listen to this but here it is:

Lady Antebellum – Need you now

That’s right people. We all know it. It was forced on all of us through the shit that is played on the radio. I mean I fully am against the fact that I actually know this song. That I have heard it several times. That I know the chorus.

First of all its country music – if there is one genre that I think could leave this earth and leave it a better place its country music. Taylor Swift go die. Faith hill please join her. But let me try look past this. It’s shit even on country music levels. If you know what I mean. Its just shit full stop.

This! This wins song of the year. I mean I always knew it was going to be a pathetically cliché commercial stuff. But this I was not ready for. Give me Eminem. Give me Rihanna. Give me Jay Z. for crying a fucking hay and horse bucket.

But not this. What does this song have? Good instrumental – no ways. A catchy tune – if by catchy you mean I want to jump off a building and hope nothing catches me on the way down – then yes possibly. Great lyrics – again refer to the VOMIT comment. A good voice – no. no. no. no.

What the hell is it doing winning song of the year. And why did no one prepare me for the degradation of people’s music taste. Do you realize that that video alone was watched 17 billion times. BILLION. There is another one that has been watched 14 billion times. That’s 31 billion times just the two main video clips on youtube (there are plenty more with a ridiculous amount of viewers). I’ve watched it now, (well partly I can’t bare to listen to the whole thing without being violently ill), you’ve all watched it (I apologize deeply and have no idea how to make it up to you).

Why is this crap being spread? Spread and loved?!

I accepted that people mistake their appreciation of what music can do/be and transpose it onto anything on the radio that is easy to listen to. They don’t take the time to develop their own taste. To search for themselves what they like and they don’t like and what there is out there. I have accepted this. People have different interests – music can’t be a priority for everyone. I don’t know anything about sports. I don’t read as much as I should. I don’t judge people who love commercial music (except if they love Nickelback – top 5 artist who should die and their music be erased from history. Of course now with Lady Antebellum at number 1).

We were once teasing a friend for reading shitty girly romance books. And another friend said, you know what we are wrong, we shouldn’t be judging that. At least she invests into reading, and she likes it. And that’s what matters. Reading shouldn’t ever be a bad thing. I guess it should be the same about music.

What should matter is that you are passionate about music. Not the genre. And most of the time I really try stick to this…

But everyone should have enough scrapped up gathering of common sense to listen to that and say this is shit.

But moving on.

Then something good happens.

Arcade Fire – the Suburbs – wins album of the year. And I go: Fuck that is great. An indie band winning. Seriously. A highly talented indie alternative band winning.

Most people ask me what music I like – I say Indie – and pull that face where they don’t have a clue what that is and they have no idea how to rightfully react. And then Indie wins. And I think that’s incredible. In fact this may even make me forget the above vomit inflicted pain because I am so happy. I set aside that they would never be my pick (High Violet by the National, Mines by Menomena, Go by Jonsi, Sun by Caribou just to name albums from last year on the top of my head). That this is not even their best album. And I think wow what a recovery.

But then I see this on my friends fb and I just want to punch someone in the face

Lack of valid opinion write your name down here

you know what, stuff all you ignorant people. You haven’t heard a song, you haven’t taken the time to look outside of you’re here-you-go-like-this-music now world (this is the food you must eat and the toilet paper to wipe your predictable ass with once you are done) and YOU are going what the hell. I don’t know this music, I haven’t heard it in my car on my shitty radio so it must be bad. I am the centre of the universe so if I don’t know it how can it be good.

Most of the comments aren’t – I listened to it and it was shit – what is going on. It was I don’t know them so it must be shit. WHAT FREAKING IGNORANT ARROGANCE. You twats. They rather have an excuse of an artist like Katy Perry (also known as biggest sell out easy win option in the world – use every cliché guy’s fantasy of two hot girls kissing to crack the music industry – please go all the way and become a porn star rather! Leave music to the talented)

Their comment is that they are ugly. Well f*ck you. Yes they are not the most beautiful people. But they are cutely nerdy, quirky and original. Sincere. God what is that word in the commercial music industry. Sincerity. Versus the vomit your food to stay skinny, cover yourself in bling, wear sunglasses at all times, convince every one that you are having SO much fun in the club at all times, cover as little as possible, or make sure you have as many women wearing as little as possible around you alternative.

My my, some real people. Some people that you can actually relate to, and that you don’t have to change yourself into some messed up retard to feel connected to. How messed up as that.

Lady gaga came in an egg. A fucking egg. WHAT ON EARTH PEOPLE. And we think this is cool. She wins loads of attention by doing this. She makes all kinds headlines. SHE SELLS RECORDS. Why? Cause she acts like a retard. She spends god knows how much on the most ridiculous outfits (she once rocked up in a dress made entirely of uncooked meat – meat people – meat- as in chopped up bloody pieces of animal – and this was somehow cool – what the hell is this going to). I mean at least be cliché and spend it on some help the world, save small African kids program and make a video about how generous you are.

I’m not saying that I haven’t danced to one of her songs in a club and had fun, I’m saying don’t you dare insult real people who concentrate on making really good music and and not their pathetic fake look instead.

Because these days if a group of sweet original nerds (I love nerds) rock up on stage and are GENUINELY themselves. Genuinely happy. Then who are these freaks? Isn’t being genuine the most important thing in life? Actually just being yourself and being proud of it. Isn’t that what we should be encouraging. They will probably take the cash and invest it on making better music. You see they can actually play instruments – remember what those are.

They existed back in the day when musical talent counted. When what music you made mattered over what you look like.

The reason Arcade Fire did so well is that they cleverly commercialized themselves launching this cool music video on google chrome (the wilderness downtown– coolest most interactive video in the world to date. Hands down. ).

They promoted their music by making you feel something emotional about something personal to you (your home town). THAT’S WHAT MUSIC SHOUD BE ABOUT. Great talent and a personal, real, genuine connection. Not people making crap music and selling it by pretending they are super cool.

So what do you do? What can you do? You write a violent rant and hope one person will read it. Maybe 5. Maybe 10. Maybe 100. Maybe even get 31 billion views (hey if the crap that is Lady Antebellum can do it competition doesnt seem to be tough). And they will think, wow maybe I should not just listen to what is on the radio. Maybe I should try out these talented bands that spend more time in the music studios than in the gym.

And maybe next Grammy’s indie will win song of the day too. And more people will rejoince in it.

Just maybe.

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