"The Loved, The Forgotten & The Worthless" 7/9/06

Honestly, what is going on with music these days? People these days, with values and beliefs? As everyone knows musical trends change with the weather, but why and how? What leads someone to decide the next trend? What made the kid in Hurley shirts and Dickies, who listened to Good Charlotte and Blink 182 turn their back, put on eyeliner, their 8 year old sisters pants, and listened to Avenged Sevenfold records? Are we so desperate for acceptance that we are willing to not accept ourselves in order to belong? Do we so need others approval that we hide what makes us tick for some attention?

I can't count the number of people who have told me "I listen to everything, but I hate emo, pop punk and country and the only rap or hip hop listen to is 50 cent. You don't listen to everything, stop trying to be cool and say you do. People go through music like Bush goes through dumb ideas, almost like a band or CD has an expiration date. What happened to Face To Face? What happened to The Ramones? (I know what you're going to say about the Ramones, but save it, because hardly anyone mentions them when rifling off their favorite bands) what happened to Counting Crows, everything you know you love, or loved at one point? Your life is too full now? Music with a message is gone; we're in the era of mass marketing appeal and gimmicks. Boy Sets fire put it best when they said "Ideals Don't Sell." It's a sad but true fact that rings even more true with each passing day.

Everyone is so eager to jump on anything that's different because perhaps it will make them just that much more acceptable and cool to know about it before someone else. Take Gnarls Barkley for example. Don't get me wrong, its good shit and I dig it, but doesn't it seem like the second coming of Outkast? A skinny guy, a fat guy, falsetto singing and a strange fashion sense? Finch was a second rate Glassjaw and they were a Deftones knock off. These days, much like old days people take what is given to them as being cool and alienating everything else. Image is everything, which leads me to my next issue....

I hate that fucking bass player from Fall Out Boy! He is the epitome of what is wrong with music, let's ignore the fact that he is a very poor bass player in a platinum selling band, he's "pretty" which is why he's popular. Ever notice he is the main focal point in ALL of their videos? He's the one doing interviews, he's in front of all the band shots, he's by himself in Teen Beat or Tiger Beat or whatever that prepubescent dribble is. Taking naked pictures of himself and using it as promotional material for a band on his label, giving his roadie his bass, and having the roadie play while he grabs the mic, screams, and jumps around like a chimp on crack. This is why people will gobble up whatever he says! Granted he is using his voice to preach anti homophobia and anti racism and sexism, but it all seems so contrived like its scripted and he's being "punk rawk". Dude I have a wake up call for you, you're a fucking bass player! Not a front man! Leave that to the Stump. Take some bass lessons, get some clothes that fit, and use your billions of dollars to buy a fucking clue!