Selfish Musicians

[Kirk Hammett]

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,20 ... =public_js

I don't think it's just Australian bands who sing about themselves either. What a pity more musicians couldn't sing about something good, like Midnight Oil and U2 and Metallica and Black Sabbath and Megadeth (And thousands of other bands of many genres) did! I mean in the end it IS their choice, but I dunno I'd rather write about something to motivate people, whether its a song about being happy and optimistic, or something about getting people to think about the wrong doings of the world. Not that everyone should copy and do that, but it'd be great to have more of them!

[Midnight]

I don't think it's the bands who are losing touch, so much as it's the music industry who are losing touch. I haven't heard much from (for example) Paul Kelly or Don Walker so far this century, but I'd be most surprised if they aren't still writing songs as good as their classics.

And possibly it's also that a lot of the fire that used to be in the rock side of the industry seems to have migrated to the rap and hip-hop side of the industry which is a lot more easily to marginalise, particularly in this hemisphere. It's just that the music I listened to back in high school, 25 years ago, is now the music that fuels "classic rock" radio stations whose programmers are consciously trying to market to the comfortable-and-pushing-forty end of the spectrum; and there's no real place in that demographic for more than a token amount of really exciting and challenging music and lyrics. I spent a couple of years working to a background of such music on a transistor... for example the sum total of Midnight Oil and Cold Chisel on their regular playlist was "Power and the Passion" and "Forever Now"; occasionally they played something like "The Dead Heart" or "Flame Trees" as a sop to their listeners. Unfortunately the only other choices were rubbish talk stations or teenage pop stations... so I tended to listen to one of my own CDs in the office computer CD/Rom drive more often than not.

[Kirk Hammett]

Yeah it says (about the music industry being picky) that in the article, and I agree. They don't market what they don't think will be listened to; I must say the radio lost all interest for me years ago. I don't listen to it much. I do listen to classic rock stations, but as you say, they only do put the best hits.

I hear 'Sultans of Swing' 100 times a day, and 'Walk of Life' (Dire Straits), and a billion other songs that are played nonstop, although the bands released other great songs. I guess it's for familiarity, with the top hits etc, the singles released, but I'd play more obscure things if I could. I'm sure the radio stations would get many listeners. I never hear UFO or MSG though, they miss too many bands out. And UFO -did- have hit singles, I'd be happy with even a damned hit single!

I also stick to my CD's, records, tapes, whatever I have lying around with music on it. I could rant about the music industry but figure you already know the point of what I would say. I've gone off topic but oh well!

I dislike fake music and rubbish like that, and bad cover songs. Okay, hip hop might have been "Hey that is different!" the first time, then when they all copied each other and used fake beats and such, well we all grew to dislike it very quickly. Not to mention all the naked women all over the television screens, Australian Idol, etc. I actually find it difficult to keep up with music today. I have no idea what Beyonce or whatever her name is, sings.

Australian Idol might have one or two good points (Giving them a chance) but at the same time I don't like the fact it caters to only small amounts of music genres, can kill any self esteem a participant once had (Even if they were warned), and well I guess I'm old fashioned but I kinda think touring and struggling to make a name and learning so much from it...it's your constant teacher, and it betters your person, (Well it can do), and you learn what it is to need. Becoming instantly famous...not everyone becomes bad (Shannon Noll is a nice guy) but it's got potential to make you arrogant.

I can't wait to tour because I will do anything to be a musician, I'll eat out of a cat food can (Okay I'm a vegetarian I might have to pass that up!) and sleep on the floor just to get where I wanna go.

Anyway I better go before I continue, I can't really structure my point, I suck at that. I could probably express it as a solo, and not as words.


(This should be in the rant section)

[Searif]

System of a down sings about important things too, its just so poetic that barely anyone notices

[Templar]

Yeah, Sabbath sometimes had good messages in their songs.

Like War Pigs. People who know I'm a devout christian are surprised when they get in my car and hear War Pigs blaring. They ask why I listen to a satanist song. They don't hear the real message. It's talking about them greedy war-loving world leaders and what's gonna happen to 'em when God comes down on Judgement Day.

So at heart it's really an anti-war song.

[Kirk Hammett]

Yeah, Sabbath sometimes had good messages in their songs.

Like War Pigs. People who know I'm a devout christian are surprised when they get in my car and hear War Pigs blaring. They ask why I listen to a satanist song. They don't hear the real message. It's talking about them greedy war-loving world leaders and what's gonna happen to 'em when God comes down on Judgement Day.

So at heart it's really an anti-war song.

I love that song, it's the song I had in mind when I mentioned Black Sabbath

System of a Down are good too!

[Terastas]

System of a down sings about important things too, its just so poetic that barely anyone notices

There are some bands that devote the majority of their writing to protest, but System of a Down is the only good one that I know of. Nowadays when people think of protest songs, the first thing that comes to mind is Rage Against the Machine -- a group that protests nothing. Today's "protest" music is not out to make a point, but to appeal to the angry suburban youth demographic.

The industry itself is really the source as opposed to the bands themselves. I think there's so much emphasis on rap and hip hop because, simply put, the artists are much easier to replace. By hyping them up, they first cater to the "whatever is popular" demographic, then they continue the process until they are overexposed and pushed aside by the next rising star. That way they maintain a gold mine without having to pay superstar royalties.

Rock bands are harder to just systematically recycle, except when it comes to punk and/or chick rock bands like Blink182. Their easier to replace since the average chick rock guitarist only knows three chords, and there's so many songs about dating, graduating and playing XBox because it appeals to the target audience, and the average chick rock lead singer is barely over the legal drinking age.

[Kirk Hammett]

System of a down sings about important things too, its just so poetic that barely anyone notices

There are some bands that devote the majority of their writing to protest, but System of a Down is the only good one that I know of. Nowadays when people think of protest songs, the first thing that comes to mind is Rage Against the Machine -- a group that protests nothing. Today's "protest" music is not out to make a point, but to appeal to the angry suburban youth demographic.

The industry itself is really the source as opposed to the bands themselves. I think there's so much emphasis on rap and hip hop because, simply put, the artists are much easier to replace. By hyping them up, they first cater to the "whatever is popular" demographic, then they continue the process until they are overexposed and pushed aside by the next rising star. That way they maintain a gold mine without having to pay superstar royalties.

Rock bands are harder to just systematically recycle, except when it comes to punk and/or chick rock bands like Blink182. Their easier to replace since the average chick rock guitarist only knows three chords, and there's so many songs about dating, graduating and playing XBox because it appeals to the target audience, and the average chick rock lead singer is barely over the legal drinking age.

Chick rock lead singers anger me to no end; and the male bands who back them are no better; in this world, sex sells. It angers me because as a girl I don't want to ever be like that. I refuse to dress like a slut onstage, and I am a lead guitarist, I am a good player, (not arrogantly so, but I can play) and I can play anything a guy can play, finger length or no, I can get around that easily.

To get bands who protest, you have to go to older bands. Some of those bands are still going. It depends on the era; there's Vietnam protesting and war protesting, and theres nuclear war protesting, and also other issues like domestic violence and such.

It's true what you're saying. Such a pity because I want to make it in the music industry but naturally, playing the sort of music I play, it won't be appreciated by the radio (some of my solo stuff might be, well...haha, not mainstream radio, since it's more akin to folk with solos, but most of my stuff is odd styles). I don't play death metal or hardcore, I don't like the 'hardcore' (that term confuses me) movement much, or the emo; around here, everybody wears music shirts these days and they don't even listen to the bands they wear (A friend of mine proved that point). It used to be hard to get one. I used to get stared at for wearing one a few years ago, although not many people have leather jackets .

I think I'll produce my own stuff. Or join a band that produces their own stuff. But unfortunately that takes money and I'm not rich. I don't write lyrics, but I write stories with my music. Unfortunately no one really knows what the solo means...just whether it's sad or not, even though I'm story telling with the music, (solos, riffs, orchestras, drums, bass, whatever's in it in the end).

[Terastas]

Umm. . . *blushes* Actually by "Chick rock," I was referring to groups like Blink182. Bands like that used to be called punk rock, but nowadays people try to differentiate between classic punk like Green Day or Offspring, and bands that are typically girls-only in terms of their fan base like Blink182, American Hi-Fi or Bowling for Soup. Those bands are very easy to replace.

Thank you for reminding me about death metal though -- those are a dime-a-dozen too. Again, it started with plenty of bands that were the real deal like Marilyn Manson, Disturbed and (surprise surprise) System of a Down, but the average death metal singer doesn't even sing; they think they can get by with nothing but devil-growling.

That's why there are so many. The true consumers want the real deal, which is why some bands -- even some originally intended to be generic clones (Linkin Park, for example) -- have survived much longer than intended. There is money to be made with the real deal, but there's even more money to be made with the next big thing because everybody wants to be the next big thing and will work for less to get there. That's why they want generic dime-a-dozen performers like rappers, hip-hop artists and three-chord rock bands; because the great majority of them will overexpose themselves and fall obscure to the next rising star before they can even release a second album.

[geekboy1500]

okay...

Not all rap is bad, im sure that not that many people will agree with me, but i have always thought that [modern] indie rap is better than SOME old stuff. However U2 expresses their protests in a slightly more subtle way than say.. Green Day

In any case i would have to agree with the fact that the industry has been overrun with crappy rap-hiphop-"soul" [not real soul, imitation soul] -blah rock bands

this is kind of a vicious cycle and we need another Beatles band to break the mold.

[Kirk Hammett]

There are a lot of bands who call themselves 'rock' when they are not rock. Rap was talented once, but it's just been copied and redone. Rap is talent, it's the music that goes with it that tends to suck (Except Rage Against the Machine and some Chili Peppers is rap too). And also the disgusting lyrics that some rap artists use.

It's okay, yeah I guess they do all have female fans. How disgusting is it to go to a 'rock concert' and see hundreds of girls with nothing but belts...oops, are those actually skirts? It's irritating! I go there to see some good bands, and I get sniffed down at because I'm not

a) a kid
b) wearing a mini skirt
c) rooting for their punk bands
d) squealing and hugging and kissing all my friends

Dear god, if this is what has happened to the music scene...frankly I don't stand a chance in the mainstream eye, and care, I do -not-.

We can tell I'm in a really bad mood I'm gonna go make a rant.

[Terastas]

okay...

Not all rap is bad, im sure that not that many people will agree with me, but i have always thought that [modern] indie rap is better than SOME old stuff.

Some rappers are good, but the majority of them are no different from the next guy; for every Everlast, there are a hundred Kevin Federlines. Consumers are interested in two things: what's good, and what's new, but since performers that are good will generally expect a bigger percentage, the industry would rather stick with what's new.