Wow! What an enthusiastic defense of capitalism!
My only concern is:
vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv
I had a discussion with a local radio DJ about local music once. She
insisted that I should support local artists. They were apparently worthy of
my support just because they were local and had no steady contract. My
reply? If they were worthy of my financial support, they would not be local
anymore
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
That one does trouble me a little. Such an argument would prevent any artist
from escaping their 'local' status if they fail to attract the favour of
major recording companies.
I'm bemused by the faith placed in the talent scouting process.
It's hard to argue that these labels are genuinely thorough in sourcing new
talent.
Outside the A&R offices of most record companies, there's a dumpster full of
demo cassettes and CDs from unknown artists, most of which weren't even
listened to. Meanwhile, Miss Molly Mediocre gets a deal because she gives
good head to the A&R guys and knows the best coke dealers. Her singing is
OK - reasonably marketable - can be turned into viable product - but not a
patch on other (more ethical) women whose brilliant recordings go into the
dumpster without even 5 seconds of listening.
Another tack - Ireland is a place which passionately supports local
musicians. I wonder if U2 would have ever shot to prominence if they'd
started out in the USA.
----- Original Message -----
From: "W. Eric C. Ferguson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Cc: "wrath" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Tuesday, May 08, 2001 12:47 PM
Subject: RE: [freenet-chat] Artistic Remuneration
> --
> Music makes people better human beings. NOT pop music , not commercial
> music. Serious art music. Not your crap Madonnas, Michael Jacksons,
> Stings, Eminems, Smarties, House, Garbage, Paul Ankas, Frank Sinatras,
Perry
> Comos, I could go on and offend a lot of people. What I'm talking about
is
> what many (most) people call "snobbish" "elitist" music. Mozart, Beethove
n,
> Mahler, Bach, Brahms, Debussy, Ravel, Rachmaninov, Shosta... Chajkovskj,
> etc. etc. Most are dead anyway.
> --
>
> While I do not enjoy any of the artists you mentioned (except a little
> Sinatra now and then, and Sting's lackluster performance in Dune) I think
> your sweeping indictment of the first-world population is quite ignorant.
It
> is impossible for anyone to logically declare that any piece of
> pop/commercial music has not added something appreciable to either society
> as a whole or to an individual. What about the self-destructive junkie who
> later finds comfort and inspiration (possibly artistic!) in mass-produced
> christian music? Given the population of the world, I would wager to say
it
> has happened at least once. What about the stressed college student
> (possibly a classical music major) that lifts their spirits by listening
to
> a poppy, upbeat, cookie-cutter SoCal ska band? Are either of these
examples
> 'bad' or 'worthless' because they do not occur with your musical
preference?
> Why should every piece of music have to have a profound
> mental/psychological/spiritual effect on the listener anyway? I would
assert
> that music of any genre that has a non-destructive effect on the listener
is
> a positive thing. And no, music that maintains the status quo is not
> destructive. The status quo, us 'greedy, selfish, and totally normal human
> beings' make it possible for people such as yourself to lounge around
> expressing your brand of art and music by supplying the economies of the
> world with goods and services.
>
> --
> I have been a professional musician for it seems very many years now. I
> have not become a sell-out (in both meanings!) like Vanessa May, Bond,
Nigel
> Kennedy, etc. etc. etc. I have been true to my discipline, true to my
art.
> I have never gone after MONEY. Not like the likes of Richard Stolzman and
> others who chase the rich and powerful win competitions and prizes and
kiss
> the arses of those who would give them money to perform. No, not me.
> --
>
> Yay. Every dollar you do not have is one I can get. Why does not 'selling
> out' make your music any more important? Why does not pursuing commercial
> success heighten your positive effect on society? Einstein did incredible
> work as a patent clerk and then went on to get paid for similar work. Did
> this somehow invalidate his previous work? Did it make his theory of
> relativity less influential to the world of physics because later he made
> money? I think not.
>
> --
> I have nothing but contempt and pity for the rich and famous
celebrities.
> They have nothing to offer. They are always in the press and the media.
> But why? There's nothing to tell, nothing to learn.
> --
>
> Now I am going to make a broad generalization based upon my experiences. I
> know your kind. You and many like you are the same. Once, perhaps years
ago
> during your youth, you enjoyed having your peers and authority figures
> (teachers, parents, etc...) applaud your musical efforts. As you matured
you
> found yourself struggling to compete with other musicians of your age and
> eventually found comfort in the delusion that you were superior because of
> your relatively obscure taste in music. That then matured into a mental
> shell as you found yourself unable to succeed against your peers. You
> continue it to this day because it is your defense. It is a defense
against
> any sort of criticism about your absolute failure as a true benefit to
> society. It is a defense against the general view of society that you are
an
> arrogant, eccentric prick who does not have enough talent to succeed
> commercially so you go around claiming to be 'fucking the system because
it
> sucks!."
>
> --
> Jnr. gets paid for destroying the shakey flimsy reputation of the USA by
> screwing Kyoto and the world just so he can pay back the people he owes.
> --
>
> Hate to bust your bubble there chief, but the only people who give a
flying
> fuck about this are environmentalist wackos and crazy musicians in Sweden.
> The 70's brought us environmental lunatics raving about global warming,
> global cooling, and the complete end of all the world's oil supplies.
Guess
> what! None of this has happened. We are obviously not out of oil as we
just
> keep finding more. Global warming? Not quite. Satellite-based temperature
> measurements between the years of 1979 and 1997 demonstrate a decrease in
> average global temperature of .1 Celsius. Balloon-based measurements
during
> these years correspond, showing a decrease in global temperature of .2
> Celsius. Most 'global warming' fanatics rely purely on computer-driven
> models and temperature measurements taken in or near cities. Such
> ground-based measurements are faulty due to the 'urban island' effect. No
> one in the USA really gives a damn about what other nations think of them.
> We have money and missiles. It is just lovey-dovey nice-nice chittity-chat
> 'love me for who I am' rhetoric after that.
>
> --
> I'll tell you something. If I were a terrorist, I would bomb the
recording
> industry.
> --
>
> You would have to have money first to do that. At least enough for the
bomb
> + FedEx.
>
> --
> I would Nuke Columbia Artists and all those phoney worthless parasites -
the
> artist agents and managers.
> --
>
> Thank god you are not going to target Sony first. I just could not live
> without the next Mandy Moore release. Besides, I thought you respected all
> human life? "Believed in the brotherhood of man and woman who was ideal
> enough to respect all people," or did I misinterpret that?
>
> --
> I would feed Ex Lax to Pavarotti and set the world's opera houses on fire
> for destroying music.
> --
>
> Cool. Now all the world's free spirit artists, freed from the oppression
of
> some major American music labels, can not even perform in the great halls
> because of your Kaczinski-wannabe efforts.
>
> --
> I will never buy pay for a record, CD, tape recording. And I make my
own
> recordings. People are invited to buy it from me, but if they bootleg it
or
> "steal" it , I say "Great! Keep it up!" I'm all for it.
> --
>
> I think it would be hilarious if someone stole your music and/or lyrics
and
> used them for commercial gain. I cannot imagine how you would not feel a
> little pissed about this, even if just for a second. What else do you
create
> that people can steal from you? I could really use some modern art to
spruce
> up this capitalist stronghold I live in.
>
> --
> Now, you might say that I am cutting my own throat. Well, well, well.
What
> difference does it make?
> --
>
> Fame. Fortune. Stardom. Recognition for your accomplishment. Fair pay for
> work. The ability to provide well, even after your death, for a wife.
> Clothing. Food.
>
> --
> No recording company, agent, etc. has ever done anything for me. I
know.
> I have given ALL OF THEM many chances to take me on. All have refused.
> Fuck them all.
> --
>
> I had a discussion with a local radio DJ about local music once. She
> insisted that I should support local artists. They were apparently worthy
of
> my support just because they were local and had no steady contract. My
> reply? If they were worthy of my financial support, they would not be
local
> anymore.
>
> --
> If I want a recording I go out and get it. I don't pay for it. I refuse.
> --
>
> Cool. Theft! I think it is so pure of you to COMPLETELY SCREW an artist
you
> appreciate out of ANY reimbursement they might get by your legal purchase.
I
> know that I view anyone who steals one of my products as the driven snow,
> purest of the pure, plying their illegal trade because they do not like
the
> system and want to bring love, happiness, and joy joy joy to the world.
>
> --
> The Beatles got 1 penny an album.
> --
>
> So?
>
> --
> Who got all the rest of the loot?
> --
>
> The people who flew them around playing concerts. Their families. The
> people who assembled their stages and sets. Their families. The people who
> made their instruments. Their families. The people who promoted them to
> radio stations. Their families. The people who produces/mastered/edited
> their albums. Their families. The people who employed all of these people.
> Their families. The governments. All the people who lived in the countries
> where they performed or sold albums. Damn. The record company did horde
all
> that money!
>
> --
> Sure, Paul is/was the richest man in the business. What was it, �26
> million a year 15 years ago.
> --
>
> I guess those pennies really do add up. I should clean out my sofa.
>
> --
> He can't even read music!
> --
>
> So?
>
> --
> He's been on an ego trip for decades. Good for him. He's no great artist
> either. But as for myself, I don's care anymore. I satisfy my own high
> standards and serve the muse.
> --
>
> Yep. Thievery, elitism, arrogance, malice, violent tendencies, ignorance,
> disrespect. Quite the lofty goals there, St. Bennett!
>
> --
> Fuck the rest. If the world rejects me, fine. I refuse to stop. I
> refuse to give up. I know that what I do is sincere. If it's any good or
> not, that's none of my business. I just do it.
> --
>
> Good! That's the way people achieve greatness is by not letting themselves
> get taken down by those who would stop them. But eventually great people
> must accept that the world operates the way it does and no one man is
going
> to change it tomorrow.
>
> --
> And I refuse to be beaten and destroyed by the world and his brother.
> --
>
> No one is out to get you. You are more of an obstacle to yourself than
> anyone could ever be. Your deep-seated hatred for so many things mundane
> will damage you, your art, and your psyche beyond the dreams of any
> hell-fueled record company and their demonic pawns.
>
> --
> The human species is extinct anyway.
> --
>
> I apparently did not get this memo. Please fax it again so I can be
advised
> of my extinction.
>
> --
> But I rejoice because homo sapiens will never be allowed to destroy life
and
> the universe. Evolution and Mother Nature forbids it.
> --
>
> Actually, I think physics forbids it. We cannot create a great enough
force
> to destroy all matter, at this time. Gaia, Mother Nature, and the Goddess
> all take a back seat to force.
>
>
> --
> You slammed the door in my face. You refused to even give me half a
chance.
> --
>
> You met Bill? Cool!
>
> --
> Enough of this rant. Fuck you all for having no respect for art, for
> artists, for musicians, for poets, for painters, for actors, for writers,
> for humanity. Fuck you all for not respecting the teacher. Fuck you all
> for not respecting the nurse. Fuck you all for being greedy, selfish, and
> totally normal human beings. And fuck you for getting us extinct.
> --
>
> Damn right. Fuck you for not respecting humanity, the human condition, and
> our predispositions. Fuck you for not respecting the cooks, programmers,
> tire changers, sales clerks, musicians, video game designers, presidents,
> janitors, engineers, hairdressers, and doctors who are doing the best they
> know how to. Fuck you for thinking that you are better somehow because you
> have decided to not even attempt to better society. Fuck you for deciding
to
> play your pathetic music no matter what effect it has on anyone. And fuck
> you for even thinking anyone gives a fuck about your pointless, hateful,
> non-constructive rant.
>
> --
> The arts may be dead, but I fight on.
> --
>
> Go perform your bullshit music. I am the person you hate. An _American
> Capitalist_, born and bred. I am greedy. I didn't even finish college
> because I couldn't wait to earn money. I do not even donate to organized
> charities! I run my own business so I can get the lion's share of the
> profits. I pay private industry as little as possible for the parts I buy
> and charge the municipalities of America as much as possible for my
> products. I maximize my tax gains. I listen to mass-market talk radio. I
> watch mass-market television. I listen to mass-market music. Want to know
> what is in my paid-for CD player right now? Chemlab, Nine Inch Nails,
> Birmingham 6, KMFDM, Sisters of Mercy, and Aphex Twin. I paid cash money
for
> every one of these CDs. Why? Because I enjoy them and feel like I should
buy
> the artists behind these bands a $.03 piece of bubblegum or however much
> they get for all they have endured to make this music. I read popular
> authors, not classics. I can not tell the difference between works by any
of
> the authors you mentioned earlier. So I am contributing to the downfall of
> society and the extinction of the human race, right?
>
> Wrong. You want to know what I do? I design equipment to clean water. My
> business and my employees build them and sell them. That is right, a
> business actually dedicated to cleaning the environment that you and I
live
> in. My products remove all manner of waste, industrial, municipal, hazmat,
> lowrad, biosolids, fecal materials, etc... from the water that will be in
> your shower and kitchen faucet two months from now. I so wish I could sit
> around on my ass all day and write music, but instead I am out busting my
> buns to make cash money while convincing my customers that they should not
> be introducing so much waste into the environment. I feel
ABSOFUCKINGLUTELY
> FABULOUS about getting paid for it. I've purchased three cars, a
motorcycle,
> and two boats with my hard-earned American dollars! It's the height of
> self-indulgence. My computer is a home-based godbox. I take my girlfriend
> out to $150 dinners. I lend my friends money to buy all manner of consumer
> goods from all over the world. And every last penny of all this money
> eventually finds its way to hard working people who deserve to be paid for
> what they do. Japanese engineers at Honda built a motorcycle to do 186mph
> and I paid them for it. Taiwanese technicians maintained the robots that
> made my motherboard and I paid them for it. American machinists ground the
> crank in my Buick GN and I paid them for it. Trent Reznor makes one
helluva
> CD and I paid him for it. And every last one of these people I dealt with
> and their families ate off the money that myself and others like me gave
> them.
>
> So fuck you.
>
> --
> W. Eric C. Ferguson
> Owner, PressTech
> Belt Press Design and Manufacture
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Chat mailing list
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> http://lists.freenetproject.org/mailman/listinfo/chat
>
_______________________________________________
Chat mailing list
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://lists.freenetproject.org/mailman/listinfo/chat
