Sometimes ya just can't win
There seems to be a lot more hacker types out there lately. My firewall is always letting me know it has blocked another attempt at accessing my puter. The last few days I seemed to be suffering a virus, as my machine was getting slower and slower.
So when I went to sign on yesterday, I got error messages about trouble with the modem not being able to connect. I ran my virus software, (found no problem) uninstalled and reinstalled my modem, uninstalled and reinstalled my internet provider software, and was still unable to get online. Grrrr.
Ok, time to reformat the hard drive. first, I dragged all of my email and my ISP files onto a DVD, then I went ahead and did the deed. Reformatted the hard drive, reinstalled windows and my ISP software, and I was able to reconnect. Yay. Another problem taken care of.
I consider myself fairly computer literate, and I wonder what the "average" person does when things go awry. If I couldn't fix the thing, I would have tossed it out the window years ago. I have actually helped many people with their computer issues, and I get great satisfaction out of it.
Maybe someday there will actually be such a thing as a user friendly computer.
NAH.
Ramblings about music and more. An occasionally updated soapbox for reporting on my observations of the world around me.
Saturday, October 30, 2004
Saturday, June 12, 2004
American Cancer Society
On Friday, June 4th, the band performed for the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life, which is a fundraiser designed to heighten awareness about cancer and cancer survivors. This is the ACS's largest event, and has been held for the last fifteen years. More details are here: http://www.cancer.org/docroot/GI/gi_1.asp
The relay was held at the racetrack in Greenfield, MA. We set up in the center of the track, and the relay'ers circled us as we performed. The weather was very nice for this event; it was a little bit cool and perfect for walking.
We brought our own PA, which was a good thing as the modest PA that was provided wasn't really up to par. Our PA has quite a bit more power, and that allowed us to be heard at all points of the racetrack. We rocked em for a couple of hours, made some new friends, and got asked to return for next years event.
It's nice to do these benefit gigs as they offer us the chance to perform for lots of different people who might never get the opportunity to see us perform in the traditional places where bands can get gigs. All of the people we talked to were wonderful towards us, and we made many new friends and fans that night.
On Friday, June 4th, the band performed for the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life, which is a fundraiser designed to heighten awareness about cancer and cancer survivors. This is the ACS's largest event, and has been held for the last fifteen years. More details are here: http://www.cancer.org/docroot/GI/gi_1.asp
The relay was held at the racetrack in Greenfield, MA. We set up in the center of the track, and the relay'ers circled us as we performed. The weather was very nice for this event; it was a little bit cool and perfect for walking.
We brought our own PA, which was a good thing as the modest PA that was provided wasn't really up to par. Our PA has quite a bit more power, and that allowed us to be heard at all points of the racetrack. We rocked em for a couple of hours, made some new friends, and got asked to return for next years event.
It's nice to do these benefit gigs as they offer us the chance to perform for lots of different people who might never get the opportunity to see us perform in the traditional places where bands can get gigs. All of the people we talked to were wonderful towards us, and we made many new friends and fans that night.
American Cancer Society
On Friday, June 4th, the band performed for the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life, which is a fundraiser designed to heighten awareness about cancer and cancer survivors. This is the ACS's largest event, and has been held for the last fifteen years. More details are here: http://www.cancer.org/docroot/GI/gi_1.asp
The relay was held at the racetrack in Greenfield, MA. We set up in the center of the track, and the relay'ers circled us as we performed. The weather was very nice for this event; it was a little bit cool and perfect for walking.
We brought our own PA, which was a good thing as the modest PA that was provided wasn't really up to par. Our PA has quite a bit more power, and that allowed us to be heard at all points of the racetrack. We rocked em for a couple of hours, made some new friends, and got asked to return for next years event.
It's nice to do these benefit gigs as they offer us the chance to perform for lots of different people who might never get the opportunity to see us perform in the traditional places where bands can get gigs. All of the people we talked to were wonderful towards us, and we made many new friends and fans that night.
On Friday, June 4th, the band performed for the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life, which is a fundraiser designed to heighten awareness about cancer and cancer survivors. This is the ACS's largest event, and has been held for the last fifteen years. More details are here: http://www.cancer.org/docroot/GI/gi_1.asp
The relay was held at the racetrack in Greenfield, MA. We set up in the center of the track, and the relay'ers circled us as we performed. The weather was very nice for this event; it was a little bit cool and perfect for walking.
We brought our own PA, which was a good thing as the modest PA that was provided wasn't really up to par. Our PA has quite a bit more power, and that allowed us to be heard at all points of the racetrack. We rocked em for a couple of hours, made some new friends, and got asked to return for next years event.
It's nice to do these benefit gigs as they offer us the chance to perform for lots of different people who might never get the opportunity to see us perform in the traditional places where bands can get gigs. All of the people we talked to were wonderful towards us, and we made many new friends and fans that night.
My trip to the The Academy of Music
The Academy of Music, located in downtown Northampton, MA, is a wonderfully restored movie theater. It has a cool vintage vibe, and the architecture is very eye catching. I really like how the place ids laid out, and there are some very nice private box seats along the walls.
On Thursday night I had to opportunity to see myself playing guitar on that very screen as I had a part in the new movie about Roger Salloom. This was my first time appearing in a movie, well, in a "real" movie, anyway. I don't think my many appearances in home videos qualify. Over the past four years, Roger has hired Janet Ryan and me to augment his band during his annual concert at the Pines theater in Look Park in Northampton. We rehearsed for the shows in an old mill in town where a couple of guys repair pianos. As I walked into the piano factory building, I noticed the film crew setting up extra lighting in preparation for the days film shoot, and I thought to myself, yeah, that is interesting. As we ran through the material that we would perform at the Pines Theater show, I noticed one of the camera operators was swinging a camera in my direction, and as my solo slot in the tune came up, I saw the red light on the camera illuminate. The timing was perfect, and I was pretty animated during my solo. I played well, too. I had wondered if my scene would actually make it into the movie, or end up on the cutting room floor, and to my great amusement, I filled up the screen about one half hour into the movie. Janet Ryan was featured singing one of her great original songs, and then I got to rip a cool guitar solo.
The movie was well done, and paced well. There were many shots of Northampton, MA, and a lot of locals made it onscreen.
All in all it was a great experience to be involved with the movie.
I found this promo piece in the Greenfield Recorder newspaper.
Thanks Sheryl.
ROGER SALLOOM
by Sheryl Hunter
Local singer songwriter Roger Salloom has a long list of
accomplishments to his credit and he's now about to add movie star to
the list.
Salloom, a resident of Northampton, is the subject of a new
documentary film by award winning filmmaker Chris Sautter of
Washington D.C. The film is titled "So Glad I Made It: The Saga of
Roger Salloom, America's Best Unknown Songwriter." It will make it's
area debut at the Academy of Music in Northampton on Thursday, June
10 at 7 p.m.
The film, which was shot mostly in the Northampton area in 2002,
follows Salloom as he decides to revive his career after giving up on
the music business for some 20 years. The movie also looks back on
his days as a folk singer in Worchester and his life during the
late '60 music scene in San Francisco. Back then, Salloom fronted a
psychedelic band that shared the stage with Santana, Van Morrison and
Love. He later went to Nashville where he worked as a songwriter and
briefly played with the remaining members of Credence Clearwater
Revival, released an acclaimed album, and ultimately ended up in
Western Mass. raising a family.
Local viewers will enjoy the movie not only because Salloom is
well known to music fans here, but the film also includes plenty of
area shots including scenes at the studio of WRSI (93.9 FM) and the
Daily Hampshire Gazette. Local blues singer Janet Ryan also makes an
appearance.
Sautter chose Salloom as subject for this film because he knew
him when they were both students at Indiana University in the
late '60s.
"In those days, Roger Salloom was a charismatic folk singer
turned rock and roller who was hailed as the next Bob Dylan," said
Sautter.
Sautter's first film, "The King of Steeltown," won "Best
Political Documentary" honors at the New York International
Independent Film Festival in 2001.
Salloom said, "America's Best Unknown Songwriter? I am not sure
what to say about that but it makes me feel great. It is an opinion
and if enough people have it then democracy-in-art works its miracle
again. All I know is that I am a very good songwriter, some days it
feels that that is all I know!"
The film will be followed by a question and answer session with
Sautter and Salloom. Tickets are $7 in advance and $10 at the door.
They are available in advance at State Street Fruit Store and the
Academy of Music Theater in downtown Northampton, and Cooper's Corner
in Florence. Presented by Academyarts, the proceeds will be split
between the Northampton Arts Council and the Academy of Music Theater.
Copyright c. 2004 by Sheryl Hunter.
The Academy of Music, located in downtown Northampton, MA, is a wonderfully restored movie theater. It has a cool vintage vibe, and the architecture is very eye catching. I really like how the place ids laid out, and there are some very nice private box seats along the walls.
On Thursday night I had to opportunity to see myself playing guitar on that very screen as I had a part in the new movie about Roger Salloom. This was my first time appearing in a movie, well, in a "real" movie, anyway. I don't think my many appearances in home videos qualify. Over the past four years, Roger has hired Janet Ryan and me to augment his band during his annual concert at the Pines theater in Look Park in Northampton. We rehearsed for the shows in an old mill in town where a couple of guys repair pianos. As I walked into the piano factory building, I noticed the film crew setting up extra lighting in preparation for the days film shoot, and I thought to myself, yeah, that is interesting. As we ran through the material that we would perform at the Pines Theater show, I noticed one of the camera operators was swinging a camera in my direction, and as my solo slot in the tune came up, I saw the red light on the camera illuminate. The timing was perfect, and I was pretty animated during my solo. I played well, too. I had wondered if my scene would actually make it into the movie, or end up on the cutting room floor, and to my great amusement, I filled up the screen about one half hour into the movie. Janet Ryan was featured singing one of her great original songs, and then I got to rip a cool guitar solo.
The movie was well done, and paced well. There were many shots of Northampton, MA, and a lot of locals made it onscreen.
All in all it was a great experience to be involved with the movie.
I found this promo piece in the Greenfield Recorder newspaper.
Thanks Sheryl.
ROGER SALLOOM
by Sheryl Hunter
Local singer songwriter Roger Salloom has a long list of
accomplishments to his credit and he's now about to add movie star to
the list.
Salloom, a resident of Northampton, is the subject of a new
documentary film by award winning filmmaker Chris Sautter of
Washington D.C. The film is titled "So Glad I Made It: The Saga of
Roger Salloom, America's Best Unknown Songwriter." It will make it's
area debut at the Academy of Music in Northampton on Thursday, June
10 at 7 p.m.
The film, which was shot mostly in the Northampton area in 2002,
follows Salloom as he decides to revive his career after giving up on
the music business for some 20 years. The movie also looks back on
his days as a folk singer in Worchester and his life during the
late '60 music scene in San Francisco. Back then, Salloom fronted a
psychedelic band that shared the stage with Santana, Van Morrison and
Love. He later went to Nashville where he worked as a songwriter and
briefly played with the remaining members of Credence Clearwater
Revival, released an acclaimed album, and ultimately ended up in
Western Mass. raising a family.
Local viewers will enjoy the movie not only because Salloom is
well known to music fans here, but the film also includes plenty of
area shots including scenes at the studio of WRSI (93.9 FM) and the
Daily Hampshire Gazette. Local blues singer Janet Ryan also makes an
appearance.
Sautter chose Salloom as subject for this film because he knew
him when they were both students at Indiana University in the
late '60s.
"In those days, Roger Salloom was a charismatic folk singer
turned rock and roller who was hailed as the next Bob Dylan," said
Sautter.
Sautter's first film, "The King of Steeltown," won "Best
Political Documentary" honors at the New York International
Independent Film Festival in 2001.
Salloom said, "America's Best Unknown Songwriter? I am not sure
what to say about that but it makes me feel great. It is an opinion
and if enough people have it then democracy-in-art works its miracle
again. All I know is that I am a very good songwriter, some days it
feels that that is all I know!"
The film will be followed by a question and answer session with
Sautter and Salloom. Tickets are $7 in advance and $10 at the door.
They are available in advance at State Street Fruit Store and the
Academy of Music Theater in downtown Northampton, and Cooper's Corner
in Florence. Presented by Academyarts, the proceeds will be split
between the Northampton Arts Council and the Academy of Music Theater.
Copyright c. 2004 by Sheryl Hunter.
Sunday, March 21, 2004
The Movie Theater
In the city I grew up in there were three movie theaters. Every weekend I would gather together a few coins and run downtown and get in line for the matinee. I seem to recall most of the movies were in the cheesy horror movie vein, still the title of the movie mattered not. It was the whole "going to the movies" experience that I enjoyed as much as the actual movies themselves.
I remember that those lines were quite long, and sometimes the person selling tickets would slam the little window shut as they yelled, "ALL SOLD OUT." We would then run to the next theater that was located two blocks away, jump into that queue, and await out turn at the ticket window.
I really enjoyed the movie theater: It was comfortably air conditioned against the summer heat, the lights were always kept mysteriously low, and one could really experience the escape that moviegoing was. We had no video games, computers, VCRs, etc back then, hell, even television was limited to five or six channels, and that was only if you lived in an area that had a decent enough flat space so you could tune in your TV antenna. The movie theater was inexpensive big time fun for me.
After forking over the right amount of coins and getting the ticket, I would proceed into the lobby where the doorman would rip the ticket in half and allow my entry. On the walls, enclosed in huge glass cages, were the promotional posters for the current movie, and more posters of coming attractions. The images on those posters always caught my eye and my attention, and I eagerly awaited the next weeks posters.
Looking around the lobby one would notice the candy stand down at the far end of the room. Back then the popcorn was always popped right on location on the day of the show. Nowadays they pop the popcorn somewhere in middle America and ship it to the theaters in huge plastic garbage bags. Bleaah! Nothing beats the taste of freshly popped popcorn. I still enjoy it to this day.
Let's look in the counter, through the smudged glass, where you can spy Good N Plenty, Junior Mints, jujuB's, and lots more. A few more coins later, and I am armed with ample goodies and head off to the soda machine. The soda machine was very tempramental, and often did its thing out of sequence. Here's how it was supposed to work: you pointed the dial at the flavor of soda you wanted and inserted the appropriate number of coins. A cup would drop down, soda concentrate followed by water came next, and lastly you got a few ice shavings to keep it cool.
Unfortunately the darn thing worked correctly less than fifty percent of the time: usually the cup came out last, after the soda and ice had nicely decorated the front of the machine and the floor in front of it. If you complained to the manager, he usually laughed and said something like"You tried to buy a soda? Bwa Ha Ha, get outta here kid, ya bother me." Important life lessons presented at an early age.
Ok, now well provisioned, I headed into the theater proper. going from the brightly lit lobby to the near total darkness of the theater made me instantly blind. I couldn't see anything for a few moments, so I hung back as my eyes adjust to the low level of light.
Ok, I can see now. Let's try to locate the usher. I have to find out where the usher is hiding, so I can then plot my route to the closed off balcony. The theater manager always kept the balcony closed until the entire lower section of the theater had filled up, because keeping it open all of the time would increase the theater's cleaning bill.
Some kids are yelling at each other in the front row. Off goes our little movie version of the police, Mister Usher. Because I could see where he is headed, I could now sneakily access the balcony. Yeah! Up the stairs to the lobby, and then through more doors to the tippity top of the balcony we go. I have to be careful not to get caught up there, as they would toss me right out on my ear if they catch me in the restricted area.
Once in the balcony, I have to choose my perch properly. The lighting created lots of shadows and bright spots, and it was to your advantage to find a dark section from which to view the feature.
After spending a lot of my formative years in the movie theaters, I thought it would be a great life experience to actually work in the movie house. One spring day I opened up the local newspaper and spied an advertisement for an usher at my movie theater! I hopped on my bicycle and flew down there that day. After fibbing about my age I got the job! I was now a movie theater usher. Little did I know that there were a lot of behind the scenes activities for which I was responsible. In addition to controlling noisy kids in the theater proper, I was also expected to sell candy, change posters weekly, and also to change the marquee before every new show started. It was a lot of fun doing the marquee, as you got a box full of letters and a hand written note from the manager with the correct layout for the new movie. I remember doing things like putting my name on the marquee, putting up my favorite movies instead of the current movie, and generally having fun.
I had keys to the building and pretty much had the run of the place to myself, which I enjoyed immensely. This theater was originally a vaudeville theater, and there was a full compliment of dressing rooms under the main stage. One of the first responsibilities I had was to take a box of lightbulbs and go into every dressing room and see what I could find. I took a three foot length of iron pipe, a big flashlight, and the box of light bulbs, and off I went, exploring old eerie memories of a bygone era. I would kick open the door, shine the flashlight around to locate the light fixture, and change the bulb. I found lots of very old things, like old uniforms. posters and clothing. I gave them all to the manager. I was a good teenager.
I found some great memories in those dressing rooms. I found original King Kong and Fay Wray posters, which I presented to the manager. He looked especially pleased with me, and said that my current job was a lock. Years later I found out that those old posters were extremely valuable! Had I known that THEN, I might have put a few of those posters away for my future. Oh well...
The manager had a buddy who was a contractor, and he was hired to refurbish the aging theater. I got hired as his go-fer, and really enjoyed the work.
The theater had a plaster and wire lath curved ceiling that was surrounded with spotlights. Most of the bulbs had burnt out over time, and we had to replace them one by one. It was a lot more work that I though it would be, as we worked on a forty foot ladder, and we had to move it every few feet to access the next light fixtures. We also got the curtain running again, and we hooked up a stereo system to play music in between movies. We pulled out every other row of seats to allow a lot more legroom. We were building something that was ahead of it's time, and we were proud as we completed each section of the work.
Kids need good honest work. It feels good to have pockets lined with hard earned spending money when you are young.
In the city I grew up in there were three movie theaters. Every weekend I would gather together a few coins and run downtown and get in line for the matinee. I seem to recall most of the movies were in the cheesy horror movie vein, still the title of the movie mattered not. It was the whole "going to the movies" experience that I enjoyed as much as the actual movies themselves.
I remember that those lines were quite long, and sometimes the person selling tickets would slam the little window shut as they yelled, "ALL SOLD OUT." We would then run to the next theater that was located two blocks away, jump into that queue, and await out turn at the ticket window.
I really enjoyed the movie theater: It was comfortably air conditioned against the summer heat, the lights were always kept mysteriously low, and one could really experience the escape that moviegoing was. We had no video games, computers, VCRs, etc back then, hell, even television was limited to five or six channels, and that was only if you lived in an area that had a decent enough flat space so you could tune in your TV antenna. The movie theater was inexpensive big time fun for me.
After forking over the right amount of coins and getting the ticket, I would proceed into the lobby where the doorman would rip the ticket in half and allow my entry. On the walls, enclosed in huge glass cages, were the promotional posters for the current movie, and more posters of coming attractions. The images on those posters always caught my eye and my attention, and I eagerly awaited the next weeks posters.
Looking around the lobby one would notice the candy stand down at the far end of the room. Back then the popcorn was always popped right on location on the day of the show. Nowadays they pop the popcorn somewhere in middle America and ship it to the theaters in huge plastic garbage bags. Bleaah! Nothing beats the taste of freshly popped popcorn. I still enjoy it to this day.
Let's look in the counter, through the smudged glass, where you can spy Good N Plenty, Junior Mints, jujuB's, and lots more. A few more coins later, and I am armed with ample goodies and head off to the soda machine. The soda machine was very tempramental, and often did its thing out of sequence. Here's how it was supposed to work: you pointed the dial at the flavor of soda you wanted and inserted the appropriate number of coins. A cup would drop down, soda concentrate followed by water came next, and lastly you got a few ice shavings to keep it cool.
Unfortunately the darn thing worked correctly less than fifty percent of the time: usually the cup came out last, after the soda and ice had nicely decorated the front of the machine and the floor in front of it. If you complained to the manager, he usually laughed and said something like"You tried to buy a soda? Bwa Ha Ha, get outta here kid, ya bother me." Important life lessons presented at an early age.
Ok, now well provisioned, I headed into the theater proper. going from the brightly lit lobby to the near total darkness of the theater made me instantly blind. I couldn't see anything for a few moments, so I hung back as my eyes adjust to the low level of light.
Ok, I can see now. Let's try to locate the usher. I have to find out where the usher is hiding, so I can then plot my route to the closed off balcony. The theater manager always kept the balcony closed until the entire lower section of the theater had filled up, because keeping it open all of the time would increase the theater's cleaning bill.
Some kids are yelling at each other in the front row. Off goes our little movie version of the police, Mister Usher. Because I could see where he is headed, I could now sneakily access the balcony. Yeah! Up the stairs to the lobby, and then through more doors to the tippity top of the balcony we go. I have to be careful not to get caught up there, as they would toss me right out on my ear if they catch me in the restricted area.
Once in the balcony, I have to choose my perch properly. The lighting created lots of shadows and bright spots, and it was to your advantage to find a dark section from which to view the feature.
After spending a lot of my formative years in the movie theaters, I thought it would be a great life experience to actually work in the movie house. One spring day I opened up the local newspaper and spied an advertisement for an usher at my movie theater! I hopped on my bicycle and flew down there that day. After fibbing about my age I got the job! I was now a movie theater usher. Little did I know that there were a lot of behind the scenes activities for which I was responsible. In addition to controlling noisy kids in the theater proper, I was also expected to sell candy, change posters weekly, and also to change the marquee before every new show started. It was a lot of fun doing the marquee, as you got a box full of letters and a hand written note from the manager with the correct layout for the new movie. I remember doing things like putting my name on the marquee, putting up my favorite movies instead of the current movie, and generally having fun.
I had keys to the building and pretty much had the run of the place to myself, which I enjoyed immensely. This theater was originally a vaudeville theater, and there was a full compliment of dressing rooms under the main stage. One of the first responsibilities I had was to take a box of lightbulbs and go into every dressing room and see what I could find. I took a three foot length of iron pipe, a big flashlight, and the box of light bulbs, and off I went, exploring old eerie memories of a bygone era. I would kick open the door, shine the flashlight around to locate the light fixture, and change the bulb. I found lots of very old things, like old uniforms. posters and clothing. I gave them all to the manager. I was a good teenager.
I found some great memories in those dressing rooms. I found original King Kong and Fay Wray posters, which I presented to the manager. He looked especially pleased with me, and said that my current job was a lock. Years later I found out that those old posters were extremely valuable! Had I known that THEN, I might have put a few of those posters away for my future. Oh well...
The manager had a buddy who was a contractor, and he was hired to refurbish the aging theater. I got hired as his go-fer, and really enjoyed the work.
The theater had a plaster and wire lath curved ceiling that was surrounded with spotlights. Most of the bulbs had burnt out over time, and we had to replace them one by one. It was a lot more work that I though it would be, as we worked on a forty foot ladder, and we had to move it every few feet to access the next light fixtures. We also got the curtain running again, and we hooked up a stereo system to play music in between movies. We pulled out every other row of seats to allow a lot more legroom. We were building something that was ahead of it's time, and we were proud as we completed each section of the work.
Kids need good honest work. It feels good to have pockets lined with hard earned spending money when you are young.
Frank Zappa interview
Frank Zappa: I tend to view the whole thing as a conspiracy. It is no accident that the public schools in the United States are pure [naughty bits deleted]. It is no accident that masses of drugs are available and openly used at all levels of society. In a way, the real business of government is the business of controlling the labor force.
Social pressure is placed on people to become a certain type of individual, and then rewards are heaped on people who conform to that stereotype. Take the pop music business, for example. Look at the stereotypes held up by the media as great accomplishment. You see guys who are making millions of dollars and selling millions of units. And because they are making and selling millions they are stamped with the seal of approval, and it is the millions which make their work quality. Yet anyone can look at what is being done and say, "Jesus, I can do that!" You celebrate mediocrity, you get mediocrity. People who could have achieved more won't, because they know that all they have to do is be "that" and they too can sell millions and make millions and have people love them because they're merely mediocre. And that is reinforced over and over and over.
Few people who do anything excellent are ever heard of. You know why? Because excellence, pure excellence, terrifies the shit out of Americans because they have been bred to appreciate the success of the mediocre. People don't like to be reminded that lurking somewhere there are people who can do some [naughty bits deleted] that you can't do. They can think a way you can't think, they can dance a way you can't dance. They are excellent. You aren't excellent. Most Americans aren't excellent, they're only OK. And so to keep them happy as a labor force, you say, "OK, let's take this mediocre chump," and we say, "He is terrific!" All the other mediocre chumps say, "Yeah, that's right and that gives me hope, because one day as mediocre and chumpish as I am I can..." It's smart labor relations. An MBA decision. That is the orientation of most entertainment, politics, and religion. So considering how firmly entrenched all that is right now, you think it's going to turn around? Not without a genetic mutation it's not!
Reviewer: If you would focus on the message of pop music for a moment, what do you see as the issues of the 1980's that music can address today?
Frank Zappa: It can address anything it wants to, but it will only address those topics that will sell. Musicians will not address topics that are controversial if they want to have a hit. So music will continue to address those things that really matter to people who buy records: boy-girl relationships, boy-boy relationships, boy-car relationships, girl-car relationships, boy-girl-food relationships, perhaps. But safe. Every once in a while somebody will say "War is Hell" or "Save the Whales" or something bland. But if you talk about pop music as a medium for expressing social attitudes, the medium expresses the social attitude perfectly by avoiding contact with things that are really there. That is the telling point about the society that is consuming the product. If society wanted to hear information of a specific nature in songs, about controversial topics, they would buy them. But they don't. You are talking about a record- buying audience which is interested in their personal health and well-being, their ability to earn a living, their ability to stay young at all costs forever, and not much else.
54 was much to soon for FZ to leave us...
Frank Zappa: I tend to view the whole thing as a conspiracy. It is no accident that the public schools in the United States are pure [naughty bits deleted]. It is no accident that masses of drugs are available and openly used at all levels of society. In a way, the real business of government is the business of controlling the labor force.
Social pressure is placed on people to become a certain type of individual, and then rewards are heaped on people who conform to that stereotype. Take the pop music business, for example. Look at the stereotypes held up by the media as great accomplishment. You see guys who are making millions of dollars and selling millions of units. And because they are making and selling millions they are stamped with the seal of approval, and it is the millions which make their work quality. Yet anyone can look at what is being done and say, "Jesus, I can do that!" You celebrate mediocrity, you get mediocrity. People who could have achieved more won't, because they know that all they have to do is be "that" and they too can sell millions and make millions and have people love them because they're merely mediocre. And that is reinforced over and over and over.
Few people who do anything excellent are ever heard of. You know why? Because excellence, pure excellence, terrifies the shit out of Americans because they have been bred to appreciate the success of the mediocre. People don't like to be reminded that lurking somewhere there are people who can do some [naughty bits deleted] that you can't do. They can think a way you can't think, they can dance a way you can't dance. They are excellent. You aren't excellent. Most Americans aren't excellent, they're only OK. And so to keep them happy as a labor force, you say, "OK, let's take this mediocre chump," and we say, "He is terrific!" All the other mediocre chumps say, "Yeah, that's right and that gives me hope, because one day as mediocre and chumpish as I am I can..." It's smart labor relations. An MBA decision. That is the orientation of most entertainment, politics, and religion. So considering how firmly entrenched all that is right now, you think it's going to turn around? Not without a genetic mutation it's not!
Reviewer: If you would focus on the message of pop music for a moment, what do you see as the issues of the 1980's that music can address today?
Frank Zappa: It can address anything it wants to, but it will only address those topics that will sell. Musicians will not address topics that are controversial if they want to have a hit. So music will continue to address those things that really matter to people who buy records: boy-girl relationships, boy-boy relationships, boy-car relationships, girl-car relationships, boy-girl-food relationships, perhaps. But safe. Every once in a while somebody will say "War is Hell" or "Save the Whales" or something bland. But if you talk about pop music as a medium for expressing social attitudes, the medium expresses the social attitude perfectly by avoiding contact with things that are really there. That is the telling point about the society that is consuming the product. If society wanted to hear information of a specific nature in songs, about controversial topics, they would buy them. But they don't. You are talking about a record- buying audience which is interested in their personal health and well-being, their ability to earn a living, their ability to stay young at all costs forever, and not much else.
54 was much to soon for FZ to leave us...
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