Piracy

I pirate...


I do, I pirate lots and lots of music.
I do it and I believe that not only am I helping these artist but I am helping "educate" my friends.

The way I see it is this:

I get music from the internet, from various sites and I dont pay for it.
I also get music from Music stores, which I obviously pay for. The discs I buy are inevitably, old favourite bands as well as new little bands who really need all the help they can get.

So I have music. some of it paid for some of it not.

Then what do I do with it?

I give it away, I give it to friends, and other people I respect in order for them to learn a little bit about what I like .. and LOVE.

Then they give what they love to their friends etc etc

Where do artists make their money. I mean famous ones that actually make a decent living from music, the ones who put their music out there. They make it from concerts, not from CD sales.

I alone have created a passion for The National with at least 50 of my friends, of which I would say ten have bought an album (I have bought all of them) and about 15 have gone to see them live, excluding myself.

This is the modern advertising, this is the future.

Word of mouth is the most powerful tool for promotion, what I do... is even better than that.

Sure, some people disagree, the law for one. But I love music so much and I think what I do is a good thing.

Brr

Official ....

Facebook update: Soandso McNodody has invited you to join The Official Site to Remove Julius Malema as the Head of the ANCYL


... you to join "If we get 1 quatrillion members bob Mugabe will resign as President of Zimbabwe"


WTF is this shit.

Seriously, what a load. Does anyone actually believe that if they join these groups, that they'll somehow be making the world a better place?



Just like Bono. Which brings me to this ultimate wanker. Bono a man who insists the population of Ireland must give away their money to nameless African Leaders, but lives in a Tax Haven.


I am losing focus.


If someone sends you an "Official" facebook group invitation that is not started by some wank shit like Xfactor or Kazakhstan's Got Talent (I might join that actually)

Dont fucking join it, its shit, it makes you look stupid

Look at the picture, it has this "Rainbow Nation bullshit" attached to it, with those black white coloured indian hands all together looking like they are having some sort of RA RA RA chant.

"Julius out he's a bad man"

"ON 3"

"JULIUS OUT HE'S A BAD MAN"

"Well done team rainbow"




Fools

I hope Colin and Lauren Daniels' marriage didnt fall apart

I did an odd/creepy thing.

I went for a run a few months ago and found about 40 dvd's lying naked in the road.

Now the chance that they would be cool, is almost zero. Its like Demetri Martin Says "finding something in your hair is never going to be a good thing, its not like its going to be a treat or something"

They all had the same Print on the surface of the DVD:
Colin & Lauren Daniels
22nd March 2009
Wedding DVD

Each line had a different font, which a major pet peeve of mine. But, it was pretty cover and she looked hot, so I thought I'd take a look.

Facebook stalking is one thing. Watching a perfect strangers dvd. Thats fucked up!!

Anywho, nice flower arrangement. But seriously making the photos into a video. That sucks. Leave them as jpegs, that way people can delete all the photos of other people and just keep the ones the like.

Also. Music was Mediocre.

Barry Louis Polisar - All I Want is You
Amelie
David Gray - Now and Always
Some dodgy Piano Guitar Duo
A really nice French Song
Mama Cass Elliot - Dream a Little Dream of Me

Actually, its not that bad, I think I am so negative because she reminds me of my brothers AWFUL ex girlfriend... and she is a giantess
The Groom wore a beautiful tie

hopefully tossed away dvds dont mean a tossed away marriage.

Interpol

Interpol have a new song!!

Its called Lights, its the first single from their unreleased new album.

Slow, and steady. Very much like Wrecking Ball or Lighthouse.

Download it for Free from their website:

http://www.interpolnyc.com/

Artistic Integrity Part TWO of TWO

Lets consider the past, when artists had “sponsors” or “patrons”

Almost any artist in the past you can think of made something “for” someone because they paid them.
Its an extraordinarily difficult argument as, we would not have mozart had the Royals of Austria and a number of patrons not paid him to do his Art. Also backing the theory of backers being good is that, as artists get wealthier they get to choose who sponsors them and who is the KFC of their time.

Still, I cant help thinking that the sponsors of these modern day “Artists” are of such a low caste that it makes the artist look a putz.

Compare Lady Gaga and Die Antwoord.

I was sent a music video done by Lady Gaga and Beyonce. Telephone I think it was called.
I was watching it, as it was kicking up a stink for being “...a disgrace to feminism” which was utter tosh. Its a cool video. However every time you see a phone it has a Virgin Mobile Screen shot.

Its awful and I cant help thinking that its unnecessary for a couple of musicians who are that wealthy to sell out.

Followed by Die Antwoord who are currently taking over the world as “real South Africans”
I do not enjoy their music but I do have respect for them despite their Ad-Alignment. They live their Characters. Its a double edged blade, I find their dedication impressive but pretentious in its existence, the only thing keeping them from being “sell-outs” is their dedication. You can see how I could become confused with my own opinion.

So that said, I think the conclusion of the argument (I can do that, its my blog) is that it is very difficult to discern between being corporate wankers and ... not being corporate wankers.

Its safer to not have adverts using your Artistic image. But if you have to, please, dont promote a goddam fast-food chain.

Also, have some taste and dont listen to bloody Parlotones.

Jesus, if you think that its great that SA music is getting some airtime overseas, maybe consider the impact of these talentless fools. Send Kobus instead. At least then they'll think we are hard as fuck.

Artistic integrity Part ONE

Artistic integrity in the modern age

What does it mean and is it different from the past?

I have been having this discussion recently with a friend. It was a difficult question to answer and it started because I insulted The Parlotones.

It stands that I still think they are a bunch of sell out wankers with a penchant for 13 yr old girls and “ladies with cats”


An excerpt from a recent news site:

"Ending their year on a positive note, South African alternative rock band, The Parlotones has nabbed yet another lucrative deal. This time, the Johannesburg-based band has signed a deal that sees fast-food chain KFC funding the production of their new music video."

lets grab some words from that:

"positive note"
"ALTERNATIVE"
"Lucrative deal"
"Fast-food chain"

and a sentence

"funding the production of their new music video"

I refuse to be apologetic about this.

They are evil corporate shills, they are not artists and they and their fans deserve each other.

So they sold their souls to KFC for a the opportunity to film a music video... and I assume a great wad of cash. They have in the past sold their slutty souls to a number of different corporations. Fuji and Multichoice come to mind.

Now this friend said that it was not a problem and that I am just sensitive because I do not like their music. This is true, I do not like their brand of Pead-Oedipal Pop. However I think I would have had a little sympathy had they not been in a KFC ad.

There is little good to be said for artists in advertisements, as far as I am concerned. If you are in an advertisement, you lose your artistic licence. You have sold your image for a few bucks.
The difference between me (who has been in a few commercials as a “model”) and them is that they have sold “themselves” they have sold their identities to the highest fast-food bidder.

Why is it that they have aligned themselves with that brand of cultural barrenness? Couldnt they have pursued ... I dont know ... something with value to them as artists?

Maybe they could have gotten their manager (who I think is Kahn himself btw) to approach ... gosh this is difficult. There is almost nothing that they can go for considering their image. Maybe cat sellers.

The make Pead-Oedipal Pop and the Kahn wears fucking emo make-up. Its difficult to approach rolex isnt it.

That said, is it acceptable if the “artist” does a promo for a brand he/she considers appropriate to their “brand”? I dont know that it is. I am NOT an artist so I dont suffer from artistic driven poverty, but I think that if you sell your soul to the highest corporate bidder. Then you are no longer an artist, but a product aligned with that particular corporation.


According to “friend” and this was a spectacularly stupid statement . “That is like saying a sportsman is not a sportsman if they are in an advert”

Insanity, a sportsmans ethical code is on the field of their play. Not in the public realm. That statement is a no go.


... Next, Die Antwoord, Lady Gaga and Mozart

O Fortuna

So

O Fortuna by Carl Orff. I suggest the BBC philharmonic.
Listen with headphones. I highly highly recommend this as the music has many little nuances that you will need to hear.

1:36 the main chorus starts with MASSIVE drums, its great. really great with loud speaker
then finally at
2:12 the final drum plays and its like thunder, beautiful.

Please do listen

I really wanted to play this song for you guys somehow. Alas there are no (none that I can find anyway) widgets that work properly.

I might just pop the Amazon one on, even if it only gives 30secs, at least it'll give an idea of the awesomeness of this track