my.first.blog™

Well, I can't believe I am doing this, but here goes; my first blog.
I have been thinking about doing this for a while, but just hadn't gotten together the energy to really think about it before. If anyone is ever going to read this, then I suppose I will have to update it on a regular basis. That is quite a responsibility if you think about it. Well, at least the world will finally benefit from by genius.

For my first mental dump, allow me to expound on the wonders of the pop music industry, and its relation to the collapse of the western world (I do believe there are other contributing factors, but for the moment pretend that there are none). I was just listening to a new band the other day, and it reminded me how frustratingly hard it is these days to find any music with good solid lasting quality. It used to be that you could go online and download a selection of music till you found something that was worth going out to buy. When 99% of the stuff out there has ZERO replay value, it really causes you consider what you spend your money on. Now that the wonderful MPAA has started having a fit, I would no longer consider it a safe thing to be downloading large amounts of music, even if it is just for sampling. Granted, you can go on iTunes or MSN music and buy the individual songs you want to listen to, but that still leaves you out quite a bit of money if you are doing a serious search. In the past few years I have had to rely on what others have told me is good music. Fortunately I have surrounded myself with friends that all have good taste (except for one or two that like country, but even they differentiate between old and new county, with new country being worthless drivel).
To make a long story even longer (which is useful since I still haven't gotten around to my point): WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THE MUSIC INDUSTRY?!? Why are they must they capitulate (look it up) the current standard of pathetic talent? Mindless America plays whatever the radio stations tell them to play, so there is no reason for the record companies to put out any effort to find musicians that have worthwhile talent. Granted, there are still a few bands out there that have done some amazing work; Evanesence and Hoobastank come readily to mind. They both have very talented main vocalist, and the chord progressions that they use tend to be a little more thought out than your average pop singer's repetitive banter.
What does it take to produce a viable record? Sex appeal. What else can it be? It certainly isn't the awe-inspiring lyrics. A record with a truly talented artist would have the three following attributes: deep lyrics; mathematically complicated chords; skilled musicians, especially the lead vocal. Look at Craig's Brother, they meet all of the above requirements. I could listen (if that link doesn't work, go to http://www.amazon.com and search for Craig's Brother Homecoming, click on the third link down, and then scroll down to the song, "sorry") to them for days. The lead vocalist uses his voice as if it were just another instrument in the band, and blends perfectly with everything single note. Another amazing band is Good Charlotte (GC). GC has some of the best lyrics out there right now.
Ok, onto my real point; teenagers (or even younger) do not have solid inspiration to perform to a higher level. Speech patterns and word comprehension has gone down the drain in the past couple of decades. Where do teenagers get their role models for these two things? From the record industry, and their peers. Where do their peers get it? From the record industry. If you listen to any teenagers conversation (or even anyone else who has grown up recently), you cannot help but notice how simple they are. As C.S. Lewis mentions in "Surprised by Joy", it is to the world's benefit if we were to use more complicated words in every day conversation. Simplicity drags down intellect when used consistently in all conversation. This is completely typical in American culture at this time. Recently I was reading a book written by a bloke in England, and I was astonished at the number of words that he used in common speech that were not known to me. What has happened to our culture? The music industry is destroying any ability we have to think on our own, or to stand up for good quality. Look at the spate of special interest groups that are constantly dividing our governmental processes. Ninety-nine percent of the arguments out there are founded in ignorance, by people who listen to what they are told, and do not do research on their own. My current favorite is the drive to give illegal aliens drivers licenses. Who in their right mind can possibly think that is a good idea? For starters, THEY ARE HERE ILLEGALLY!!! "Oh, I know, I think it would be fun to give legal status to invalid foreign residents. Just think of all the money we will make from our increased constituency", one lawmaker was heard to say. The only thing that can stop this rapid decline is if the people of America stand up to our governmental figures, and demand that good and useful laws be created, instead of allowing the people who want to make money govern our country. However, this will never happen. Why? Because the music industry has destroyed our ability for independent thought.

Well, that has been on my mind for a while, and now you know. Remember, knowing is half the battle. Stand up for Democracy, and go out and buy good quality music. If you can't find some, start small with something classic like Mozart, or Beethoven, or Handel. Once you have done that, sit down and think about what it means to better yourself, and be glad that you have by listening to that music. Once your euphoria is over, go out and yell at your local senate rep, and tell them that you demand that they do their job and create laws that serve to benefit you, the TAX PAYER.


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