Copyright Alliance (Including RIAA) Sends Ridiculous Poll to Presidential Candidates; Stance on Intellectual Property Enforcement Turns Hella Political
By Hanky Panky on Nov 29 2007
For those smart-but-no-genius students who make it to a university, the California State education system created STAT 100 Intro to Statistics for would-be art and journalism majors as a way to fulfill what would otherwise be a challenging GE math requirement. I took this class two years ago, and if there's one thing I learned, it's that statistics can be manipulated to represent and say whatever you want, and since most people are cheating liars, statistics derived from seemingly innocent polling questionnaires are not to be trusted.
But you didn't have to pass STAT 100 with a C or better to see through the outrageous and innate bias in questions such as "How would you promote the progress of science and creativity, as enumerated in the U.S. Constitution, by upholding and strengthening copyright law and preventing its diminishment?"
This question ACTUALLY appeared on a questionnaire sent out by a coalition of publishing companies last Tuesday. The 44-member, Washington, DC-based Copyright Alliance (made up of such stick-in-the-mud hoity toities as RIAA, Viacom, Microsoft, Walt Disney and the Motion Picture Association of America), sent the questionnaire (along with a letter which can be viewed and criticized here and here) to 17 Democratic and Republican ‘08 presidential candidates, requesting their responses by January 7 in order to inform "the creative community and public at large where our presidential candidates stand on copyright and artists' rights."
Can you see me waving the pirates' red "BULLSHIT!" flag right now? I'm waving!
According to RIAA chief Mitch Bainwol, "When Americans vote, they are making decisions about the values important to them. And one of those values must be a commitment to creativity."
As if sharing copyrighted musical content was a malicious act intent on smiting the despised value of creativity.
"Haha! I've just uploaded an album to my blog because I hate music and the artistic community at large," says the malevolent, digital pirate.
As the questionnaire continues with "How would you protect the rights of creators to express themselves freely under the principles established in the First Amendment?" one gets the feeling that generous, music-loving pirates are being vilified as freedom haters. Which they may well be.
You hating haters, you know who you are. Shame on you.
Tonight Let’s All Make Love in… Providence? Silversun Pickups U.S. Tour Begins!
By David Nadelle on Nov 28 2007
“I am the Greatest. I said that even before I knew I was.” -- Muhammad Ali.
You see it happen in sports all of the time: parents, coaches, and the media bully kids into becoming sport-saving phenoms. When they inevitably fail to deliver the goods, their careers are dead before they had the chance to see their balls drop or boobies blossom. You see it in music too. While the really talented musicians grind away for that super-slim chance of actually earning a living making music, there is a new hotter-than-hot-shit band (who are actually cold-shit, not hot-shit) who are given unwarranted, deity-like status in every conceivable media outlet every day (including pimping from those old-timey street urchins with their body placards). More often than not, these superclowns actually realize their dreams of releasing an album, and after getting a quick whiff of unearned success, they slink back to resume their lives working in stores, of both the retail and convenience variety. It is the way it goes, and unfortunately it happens so much you start dismissing any young band that gets a bit of press. It's like, "I've been burned too many times in the past, so I think I know better, and now I think I know exactly what I’m getting into and run off quickly in the opposite direction at the first sniff of misdirected hype." It’s sad to be such a curmudgeon, but it’s true.
Silversun Pickups are a band that I saw in and on every magazine and website this year and thought they might be the latest targets of hastily handed-out plaudits. But I couldn’t dismiss them as pretenders after experiencing their wonderful Carnavas album (Dangerbird Records), and I’m not the only one apparently. The band is having a hell of a year and are being treated to much-deserved attention from everyone, everywhere (although I haven't seen any body-billboards guys around). If hearing their fabulous full-length tutorial, their half-length lesson in kickassity called the Pikul EP (out in 2005 but just re-released in the UK), and reading my 10-cent words here aren’t enough to convince the saps that SSPU are poised to hit the big leagues with a oversized can of wallop ass, a quick glance at the tourdates below reveals the undeniable proof: amphitheatres!. Ooh la la... rock stars!
11.28.07 - Providence, RI - Lupo’s
11.29.07 - Richmond, VA - Toad’s Place
12.01.07 - West Palm Beach, FL - Sound Advice Amphitheatre
12.02.07 - Tampa, FL - Ford Amphitheater
12.04.07 - Charlotte, NC - Amos’ Southend
12.05.07 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
12.06 07 - Mesa, AZ - Mesa Amphitheatre
12.12.07 - Chicago, IL - House of Blues
12.13.07 - Austin, TX - Emo’s
12.14.07 - Grand Prairie, TX - Nokia Theatre
12.15.07 - St. Louis, MO - The Pageant
12.16.07 - Duluth, GA - The Arena at Gwinnett Center
Sparks to Perform Their Entire Catalog Live, Album by Album; A Very Small Portion of the Public is Staggeringly Excited, Another Very Small Portion of the Public Is Making Fun of Them, Everyone Else Is Sorry But Would Really Like Us to Keep it Down
By Joe B. on Nov 28 2007
It seems like everyone who has ever heard Sparks in my company either immediately “get it” or wish they could gouge their eardrums out. I love Sparks. Many upstanding, educated people do not. Thurston Moore is on my side, while reports suggest Kim Gordon is not. In spite of the fact that many modern experimental bands would kill for such a crowd response, Sparks has always struck me as a band that deserves a second (or third) look.
It’s probably not intentional (it actually strikes me as one of the less histrionic things the Mael brothers have ever done), but nothing screams “Look at us!” quite like performing all 20 of your studio albums in order over 20 nights.
Halfnelson, Woofer in Tweeter's Clothing, Kimono My House, Proaganda, Indiscreet, Big Beat, Introducing Sparks, No. 1 In Heaven, Terminal Jive, Whomp That Sucker, Angst in My Pants, Outer Space, Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat, Music That You Can Dance To, Interior Design, Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins, Plagiarism, Balls, Lil Beethoven and Hello Young Lovers will be performed in that order at London’s Islington Academy this May and June. The 21st and final night of the band’s residency will see them performing their as-yet-untitled 21st studio album.
A Small Aside: There used to be a video on YouTube of Sparks performing live on some television show hosted by Danny DeVito. They performed “Mickey Mouse” and the performance was preceded by a hilarious, DeVito-flabbergasting monologue about how mice are “usually known for ingesting massive amounts of saccharine for laboratory experiments, but sometimes they manage to break into show business.” The video in question is perfect and can no longer be found. If that video can ever be tracked down, many points will no doubt be scored for the side of me, Thurston Moore, and Sparks.
Snoop to Release New Album; Will 2008 Be the Year of the Dogg?
By Josh Fenderman on Nov 28 2007
It may be Dr. Dre's mug in the iconic Zig Zag logo on the cover of The Chronic, but it was the introduction of Snoop Dogg that catapulted that album into the hip-hop hall of fame. One of the best summer cruising albums of all time, you're just as likely to hear it pumping out of an open window this summer as you were in 1992. While Dr. Dre is most relevant today behind the boards, Snoop has continued to release a steady stream of albums since his solo debut, Doggystyle.
This March, Snoop Dogg will release his tenth proper album. Titled Ego Trippin, the album is preceded by the new Shawty Redd-produced single, "Sensual Seduction." The single is available now on iTunes, and the video will premiere November 28 on MTV.
Being a good journalist, I figured I'd plunk down the $0.99 for "Sensual Seduction," so I could better let you know what to expect from Calvin Broadus this time out. But after a quick run-through of the 30-second preview, I decided a buck was asking too much. Snoop Dogg takes rap's most recognizable flow through the vocoder, and here's what comes out: "So she can get a sensual seduction/ So I can get a sensual seduction/ So we can get a sensual seduction."
One of the main gripes against Snoop as a serious rapper is that, in 15 years and 10 albums, he has never come close to eclipsing his debut. And if this 30 seconds is any indicator, Ego Trippin will fall far short as well. But, such as his collaborations with Pharrell, Snoop has emerged from the haze a number of times since he was top dog. So there is a chance you will catch an unmistakably laid-back verse from Snoop's new album wafting out of a car window in the summer of 2008.
Richard Buckner Advises On My Exes Over Cold Turkey Sandwiches, Tours
By The Friz on Nov 28 2007
After months of efforts, I’ve finally dragged Richard Buckner, large-palmed troubadour, into the kitchen to explain my situation. I had arranged for plates of Thanksgiving leftovers, now nearly a week old, to compensate the singer for his time, and I explained that I was sorry to keep him. His hands grabbed the cold turkey sandwiches, topped with dripping cranberry sauce, like so much desert enveloping a forgotten ancient settlement. I plop a lump of potatoes and stuffing on his plate, and as I begin, he eagerly devours their crumbly contents.
“So it all started back in high school...”
Some hours pass. Through the tale, his expression moves from disinterested to curious to emotional to agitated to gleeful to solemn and somewhat unreadable.
“So, my new theory is that it’s all about control, but you know, I think I kinda get off on it. Is that wrong?”
Buckner looks up. He’s discovered the pumpkin pie I had been hiding in the fridge. It’s nearly gone.
“In my book... no... can you pass the gravy?”
Get some gravy and slop on all the fixings at these Richard Buckner tourdates:
* Blind Boys of Alabama
