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So. A few days ago, energised by the news that the Super Furry Animals had a new album out in August, I decided I'd write a post about how amazing the Super Furry Animals are. I even started it, I started it with this quotation -
"People who talk about revolution and class struggle without referring explicitly to everyday life, without understanding what is subversive about love and what is positive in the refusal of constraints, such people have a corpse in their mouth."
Raoul Vaneigem
- and at the time, though I really love this quote, I thought isn't this a little bit passe, a little bit too obvious a quote to go with what I was going to say - and I was reminded that years ago, it was just after the second album was released, i had written quite a lot on SFA, attempting to work out my political position through the skewed version of everydayness represented by them - and I still have those writings somewhere, but I'm not going to get them out and go over them, not because I believe them to be hopelessly naive or anything, but because I think it will inevitably lead to nostalgia, that the writings will have taken on an existence over and above their abstract musings and that I will not be able to escape this if I were to pick them up - I was reminded that I had also used this quotation at the time, as if the quotation was now embedded in my idea of SFA - but doesn't the quote sum up the idea of SFA : the (theoretical - how many times does anything escape the theoretical to become practical?) subversion, the romance, the idealism, positivity, possibility, simplicity - all deeply entrenched in the world of the quotidian.
So I start writing the piece, and I don't get too far - why? because i started listening to the albums and I stopped writing because I was too busy listening, too close to the listening to write. And then ... and then ... and then I started listening to the new Battles album ... and then ... the new Justice album and the post was forgotten for a few days - started contemplating a Battles post, started contemplating a justice post (then decided I should maybe combine them two posts, for the two albums seemed to inform each other - they both seemed to be taking prog rock ideas and updating them - perhaps update is not the word, updating being what The Mars Volta do, keeping essentials of prog but updating the rock whereas Justice especially (but Battles too) drop the rock but lay ideas of prog onto other genres - listening to the Battles album I wondered about the possibility of watching the Wizard Of Oz with it as the soundtrack - so much like the Floyd did it remind me, but also it summoned, in places, to my mind very strong images of the Wizard of Oz - there was a Yellow Road running through it...) - until today, today when I remembered what I was in the middle of ... but, realised, I had lost the desire to finish it, lost the direction of the post, couldn't remember why I was writing it. This isn't to say that I had fallen out of love with SFA, but...
What I had been writing in the original post was that there was a certain quality in SFA which allowed them to escape nostalgia. I suggested that the danger of thinking of the bands of our youth ten years later was the possibility that one's memories of the time would make one mistaken about the music, that the music and the memories were inseparable, the Rosy fingers of memory making rubbish music sound good
-at work they always have a radio station on which plays old tunes pretty much constantly and so many times I hear a tune which transports me back and I think I love the tune, but i really don't, I love the times I had while the tune was playing. More striking is the way even the most awfully sentimental and just plain bad sad song can move deeply when it brings back memories of a love gone wrong. How can one judge the worth of a song in such circumstances? -
I had argued (in my original post) that a song like Ice Hockey Hair which has so many memories of the girl I loved at the time, so many times in the pub together putting it on the jukebox, at home together, lipsynching it, feeling it, soundtracking our lazy days together, still managed to transcend the merely nostalgic. It had a certain quality (which I was arguing was inherent to SFA rather than in my own mind) which allowed it to escape, which allowed it to still sound/feel fresh today, feel like it was the first time today. I argued that this was due to a certain future tense, a looking forward in SFA that didn't tie it to the present, didn't root it in time but made it timeless -
of course this isn't to say that SFA do not sit in a precise time, far from it, for aren't their songs completely of their time? Which is to say they include contemporary references ("Hanging out with Howard Marks", "Wherever I lay my Phone (that's my home)" etc.), they do not attempt to hide the time they were created to create a false timelessness. And isn't this how great art becomes timeless - it takes contemporariness and makes it eternal (and here again we are mixed up with the everyday because of course what separates us from people who lived a hundred years ago (or ten years ago) is the nuance of our everyday life rather than the bigger picture, which remains essentially the same)? Could one argue that the opposite, the ignoring of the contemporary in an attempt to create eternity fails because it is it becomes too ideological - it refuses change, refuses progress - like capitalism it posits itself as natural, immovable?
- SFA are both of the present but looking to the future. But this is only on the one level. And it was here that I realised my problem with writing the post lay. The fact that I was drawn to the same quote to introduce my thoughts on them ten years (?) apart was possibly not just caused by my lack of imagination. What if it was caused by a lack of imagination on SFA's part? Which is to say, is there any surprise in an SFA album anymore? The problem is not one of content but one of form (if the two can be so separated, but anyway I'm not sure the content is as inspired as it used to be, perhaps more formal experimentation would lead to a return to more interesting content): the music fits the blueprint (SFA) too well. There are no surprises anymore.
And the simple solution presented itself to me: the solo projects ruin the band. The solo projects are where the excitement lies, where they are free to experiment, just plain free. SFA have become like wikipedia - where all the individual inputs lead to an anodyne final version.
The radio station i'm forced to listen to at work is currently loving the new Mika single. I, it must be said, am not. "Big Girls (You Are Beautiful)". Hmmm. I have a few questions that I want to pose based on listening to this song over and over (like three times a night they play it) and attempting to think the pain away:
1) The marketing angle? Is this song just some cheap attempt to get in on some of the burgeoning "big girl" market action? I'm suggesting some cynical ploy whereby mika (and/or advisors) sat and wondered how to corner the saturday-night-cheesy-nightclub-loving crowd: "So, we have a load of overweight woman dancing to any old rubbish and a load of pissed up blokes trying to score with anything that moves, how on earth do we get them to join our project, noting, no offence, your peculiar, how do i say this, feyness?", "do we need these people?", "Need? Need is strong, but this a HUGE demographic, please ... pardon that almost unintentional gag. Seriously though, this is the demographic that still actually buys cds, we ne... could do with their love", "well I guess I could write an uptempo dance number about dancing itself, has that been ...", "I've got it! uptempo dance number, fine, but uptempo dance number about how great fat birds are!!!! "Are you sure?", "Yes! It's genius. The girls love you, for obvious reasons, you make them feel good about themselves, plus, the lads get into it because they have a way into the fat birds' knickers, and this feeling they carry through, still humming your tune on monday morning, when they decide to, get this, actually BUY THE CD!!", OK I'll buy into that. Just give me a moment ... need to get my artists head on ... how can i do this with artistry, integrety and subtlety ... let me think ... ummmm, fat girls ... no, too obvious ... YES Big girls, that the word! Big! 'I love Big girls', that's what I can call it ... too unsubtle? ummm, I know 'Big Girls you are beautiful'", "Brilliant! you've done it again. This is gonna be huge" (Everyone rubs their hands together and licks their lips, dreams of martinis by the pool...)
2) I thought Mika was gay? I mean, fair enough, i got this info off Perez (and yes, I do read other websites, honest), but it is, after all, his job to know this shit. This obviously ties in with question one, because it becomes even more insane if he actually doesn't like big girls in that way (though I should probably admit here that I haven't actually listened with anything like attention to the lyrics, maybe he sings of a more pure love, and here I imagine the opposite of the more homoerotic passages of Walt Whitman; the abstract, pure love in Whitman as (official) heterosexual coming over as gay - in Mika, (officially, or whatever (the argument would be that in celebrity culture only the rumour is ever taken to be 'official')) this pure love is hetero), and with question three...
3) Is it possible to imagine a song entitled "Big Boys (you are Beautiful)" about fat blokes? By either a male or a female? It's imaginable as the title of a song about muscley blokes, or big cocked blokes, but fat blokes? I'm not even sure it's a possibility that it could be released as something tongue in cheek with a video of disgusting (and they'd probably be represented as working class) sweaty and hairy topless blokes eating burgers etc. I somehow think not...
I haven't given this a lot of thought, maybe there's a song already existing like this, but I can't think of it and this lack of male version leads us nicely to question four...
4) Why celebrate fatness? And i'm sure there's a load of people saying that because there's so much pressure on women to conform to an image of the perfect woman as thin anything that redresses this balance has to be a good thing. But that's not it is it? That would be "Girls, you are beautiful", woudn't it? Irrespective of size I love women, that would be the message wouldn't it? And a good message too, I imagine.
Except the modern version of this would have to be "Girls, you are beautiful, unless you are pretty thin, and a model, OK?" The only size woman it is now acceptable to slag off is thin women. And I don't really think that this point needs a whole lot of commentary, so obvious is it, all I will say is that it seems a little bizarre, given the huge amount of time the government spends telling us to exercise, eat healthily; and the proposals to ban the advertising of "junk food" on childrens tv; and the pressuring of food manufacturers to "traffic light" their products, that they should a) at the same time tell us it's great to be fat; and b) not use these very thin people as examples of model citizens.
The singer and “songwriter” just posted the following message Tuesday on her official blog:
“Hey everyone.
I wanted to take this time to thank you, my fans for all your undying support. You have been amazing and i can’t express how much i appreciate it. Thank you all so much. I am so proud of this record and grateful for the response it has been getting from all of my fans. You made it go 1!!
also, there is another great record i’ve been listening to lately. And i want you all to hear it too. The new SUM41 album called Underclass Hero comes out in 1 week on july 24. You can hear the whole album now for free here:
http://www.mtv.com/music/the_leak/sum_41/underclass_hero/
my favorite songs are “With Me”, “Walking Disaster”, “Best of me” “Confusion and Frustration”
It rocks you have to check it out. And of course you can also check out myspace.com/sum41 for more info.
Thank you all again, you mean so much to me.
Avril Lavigne"
If it wasn't for those oh so humorous and "unexpected" quotation marks around the songwriter this would be (and in many ways still is) quite a bizarrely non-insulting story for Perez writing on Avril. Even the picture is, well, relatively non ruined by insulting white marks:
What is wrong with him today, is he ill?
Less than a month removed from her sojourn in a Los Angeles lockup, Paris Hilton is itching to make the transition from jailbird to songbird.
"I'm already working on my new record," Hilton tells E! Online. "I've been in meetings with Scott [Storch] and we've been working on it."
Hilton's debut album, entitled simply Paris, debuted in August 2006. Released via her Heiress Records and Warner Bros., the album opened at number six on the Billboard 200 and sold more than 600,000 copies.So there.
The Matrix issued the following statement regarding their work with Avril Lavigne on her debut album 'Let Go' on Tuesday (July 10):I saw this story in only one place. I don't go looking, I just have my usual feeds looking for news, but the negative stories about Avril's alleged plagiarism etc. normally come to me from two, three or four sources, so why was this defence of her pretty much ignored? Media bias?Seeing old and long finished business between Avril and ourselves dredged up as a means to challenge her artistic and writing talents in a matter which, at arms-length seems transparent and opportunistic at its best characterization, has found us feeling the need to make a single closing statement as to the events of long ago which are now being given new life and, to our view, improperly used and characterized.
The single core matter between ourselves and Avril where we were not happily in-sync, derived from a few comments released in the press which snowballed and found themselves creating personal issues in an extremely harmonious relationship where theretofore were none. They ultimately placed personal matters where it was hard for both sides to let business to just be business. An initial comment by Avril, which derived from an unhappiness with a part of a business and not creative equation, started the years-old chain reaction. We then felt the need to defend ourselves and something that was a minor matter became fanned into a major one by parties other than ourselves and Avril.
When comments were made some five years ago to Rolling Stone magazine, we were viewing to defend The Matrix's songwriting credibility and involvement, which had been presented and characterized to us as being under attack. People were suggesting a sizable variance between what we experienced to have taken place in the writing of the works and representing us as unfairly insisting on more of a songwriter percentage than we should. We were very much hurt to think anyone would accuse us of taking credit for more than we were due, much less someone whom we found ourselves so close with and supportive of. The whole matter caught us off guard and was disappointing. We are personal friends with everyone we have worked with -- from Jonathan Davis of KORN to Ricky Martin to Jason Mraz and Shakira -- and we've never had any so-called differences with any of them as to the fair allocation of song splits. Our music is our life and it's all personal. It's where we live. We always put our hearts and respect into what we do both in and out of the studio.While we stand behind our work and belief that we were both supportive and fair in our interactions, it pains us to see that now these provoked and youthful words of both sides from interviews of over five years ago are being used to kick Avril and validate another's case of her not being a writer or talent. Despite any varying perspectives on how we wished to allocate our mutual writings, we had a fabulous and unique experience with Avril, who was then a 16-year-old rapidly growing songwriter with tremendous raw talent. The songs were conceived on piano and guitar by four people: The Matrix (3) and Avril. And to be clear, Avril was instrumental in the songs' creation. We were all very close during the making of the record. When it became a huge hit, people who were not there at the time of the making of the record decided to draw and put forth in the press their own conclusions as to how creativity took place. This continues.
We remain big Avril fans both musically and personally, as well as very much recognize and believe in her and her talents. We wish her much continued success and know her talent will shine through these matters and long beyond.
Best,
The Matrix
As PerezHilton.com pointed out earlier, a good portion of Avril’s song I Don’t Have To Try off her new album sounds almost identical to the song I’m The Kinda by electro-pop-punk princess Peaches - off her brazilliant 2003 album Fatherfucker.
Lavigne won’t be able to say she doesn’t know who Peaches is!
The July issue of InStyle magazine features a section on “What Rocks Their Worlds.” Seven music celebs pick their top 5 favorite, MOST INFLUENTIAL songs.
Well, guess what’s number one on Avril’s list on p 137 (see the scan above)? Yup, Peaches! And she name-checks I’m The Kinda!!!!
Guess Avril was really influenced by Peaches. A LOT!!!
The first 20 seconds of Avril’s song are a carbon copy - musically and thematically - of the Peaches track.Brilliant.
There is, thankfully, a link provided to a side by side comparison of the tracks.The alleged song thief does it again!
We try to avoid her “music” as much as possible, so we didn’t catch on to this until it was just pointed out to us.
It has been brought to our attention by an astute reader that the beginning of Avril Lavigne’s song I Don’t Have To Try - off her new album The Best Damn Thing sounds IDENTICAL to I’m The Kinda by a true Canadian artist, Peaches - off her album Fatherfucker.
The first 20 seconds of Avril’s song are a carbon copy - musically and thematically - of the Peaches track.
Razorlight frontman Johnny Borrell was furious about the way that the band were treated at Live Earth.I'm now really unhappy that Microsoft wouldn't let my browser take full advantage of their viewing software and so I ended up missing the whole thing. What a line-up they obviously had. If Razorlight only managed to make the very bottom of the bill, imagine the quality they must have had near the top.
The singer was already annoyed that his group were third on stage at Saturday's Wembley Stadium gig, but the final straw came when their set was interrupted by sound problems.
A source told the Daily Star: "Johnny was kicking beer cans behind the stage in rage, ranting that Razorlight should never have been on so early. He regards them as one of the best bands in the country and felt that should have been reflected in the set.
"It didn't help matters that there was a technical failure during their set, which saw him walk off stage to personally correct it. He is a consummate performer. He takes his job very seriously and was gutted that the fans weren't getting the performance they had planned to give. When their in-ear monitors refused to work it meant Razorlight couldn't hear each other on stage, so they didn't know if they were in time or in tune with each other."
NEW YORK - A lighter and paper shredder helped make Mika Brzezinski the symbol of television journalism's guilt trip about Paris Hilton.
Brzezinski used both to destroy a script calling for her to read about Hilton's release from jail on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" program recently. Part serious, part an act, it has become an Internet sensation. More than 2 million people have watched a clip of the incident, around 10 times the number who watched it live on TV.
Apparently, she's not the only one sick of the socialite.
"Among journalists it touched a nerve because I think we're tired of pretending this is important," she said. "We also know that, deep down inside, our viewers know that we don't believe this is news. They can't. They can't think we're that dumb."
She attracted the world's attention. Brzezinski's gotten over a thousand e-mails, and was named "woman of the week" by a British Web site. She's been invited to address a media symposium in Scotland. The New Zealand Herald hailed her: "Deliberate or not, there is no denying the incident struck a chord with viewers the world over. When it comes to Paris, we've all had enough."
It may be a coincidence [pigs may be flying], but three days after the incident MSNBC told Brzezinski that she'll have a regular hour to anchor the news each morning.
Television ratings aren't the only proof that reporting on Hilton is like eating junk food — you know it's bad for you, but you do it anyway.
which of course means - it does now.Britishness does not normally involve snitching
Sir Alan added that he "hated" the expression "war on terror", saying it was "totally wrong" for the current situation.
"It's not like a war in that sense at all. It demeans the value of a war and it demeans the value of a lot of things," he told the paper.
I listend to the rubinoos version of i wanna be ur boyfrend the chorus has one line thats sort of similar but its gay and it sounds nothing like Avrils and at least i laugh with Avril in her song unlike the Rubinoos i laugh at them cos its so stupid. U ROK AVRIL!!!You ROK as well.
To my dear media, friends, and fans,
You may have heard some news that two guys who wrote for some band from the 1970s I have never in my life heard of called the "Rubinoos" are trying to sue me. They have a song called "I Want To Be Your Boyfriend" that has no musical similarities to the song "Girlfriend" that Luke Gottwald and I wrote together. They claim that a small part of the lyrics are the same and are saying that I took these from them. I had never heard this song in my life and their claim is based on 5 words! All songs share similar lyrics and emotions. As humans we speak one language.
Off the top of my head, two other songs that I can immediately think of with this type of lyric are "Hey, hey, you, you get off of my cloud" by the Rolling Stones and "Hey little girl I want to be your boyfriend" by the Ramones. Simply put, I have been falsely accused of ripping their song off. Luke and I have done nothing wrong and there is no merit to their claim.
And slap in the face #2
I was going to be the bigger person and not reply when I read Chantal Kreviazuk's article in Performing Songwriter magazine. Now that all the media have caught on to her little interview, I need to speak. Chantal's comments are damaging to my reputation and a clear defamation of my character and I am considering taking legal action. Chantal has accused me of taking a song idea from her because I happen to have a song on my new record with the same title.
For the record, I wrote a song with Evan Taubenfeld which coincidentally has the same title as a song Chantal had sent me a few years ago. Our songs have no similarities and opposite meanings, i.e. different lyrics, different melody, different genres. In Chantal's own words "the only similarity is in the title." I originally wrote this with Evan for his record and I ended up with it. Funny enough when I decided to put "Contagious" on my album we had to change the words from "she" to "he" in order for it to work on my record. There are hundreds of songs out there with the title "Contagious," 75+ on iTunes alone.
Chantal has also made false accusations about my writing skills. I am so over this topic. This letter is not about this. I am not going to sit here and defend my writing skills. I don't have to prove anything to anyone. I know who I am and what I have done and accomplished and no one can take that away from me.
My decision to discontinue working with Chantal after co-writing together on my second record was simply based on the fact that we had no hits together. That is why her name is not on this record, despite her numerous attempts to be included, which were always denied. From my perspective this is a clear case of bitterness. Chantal is upset that she didn't get to be a part of my record. She did email me after the article came out apologizing and I forgive her but I have to put the truth out there so my fans are not confused by these false accusations.
Let it be crystal clear that I have not ripped anyone off or done anything wrong. I have never had to deal with anything publicly like this and surely never wanted to. I do not deserve this negative press and attention. I take pride in the songs that I write and appreciate the opportunities to work with some great writers and musicians.
My fans have been so dedicated to my music and it is because of them that I have this amazing career. Thank you again to my fans for continuing to be so supportive. This is a very positive time for me in my life. I have a very successful career and I feel very lucky to have accomplished all that I have. I am so thankful every day.
I would like to say more but my lawyers have advised me not to. Why is it when you get to a certain level people want to attack you?.... and now I have said my peace.
You used to host your own TV talk show. Considering all the hype surrounding the Paris Hilton interview and the jockeying to score the first one, would you have gone for a chance to talk to her?
I was in an airport [last Wednesday] when that whole Paris Hilton interview was going down. I was watching "The Situation Room" and they were talking about this interview that hadn't happened yet and then counting down to it. I'll never watch CNN again.I mean it. I think something's happened to news and entertainment. News has become entertainment. They don't give you what you need, they give you what you want. And entertainment has taken a turn, too. People aren't much interested in virtuosity. They just want to feel better when they watch something and that changes it all. So I don't know, maybe that's why Broadway was so great and I'm going to Vegas.
Having listened to the song, which you can hear here, it seems to be that the Rubinoos are trying to claim ownership of the phrase "Hey (hey) You (you)", coupled, admittedly, with the word "x-friend". Which, and i'm no musicologist sounds like a pretty dubious idea, and frankly as The Rolling Stones were using the "Hey (hey) You (you)" refrain in the mid 60's actually sounds like the Rubinoos are, frankly, taking the piss. I'm not accusing them of plagiarising The Rolling Stones, just suggesting that it's a fairly standard rock phrase which evades ownership.Canadian punk princess Avril Lavigne is being sued by U.S. songwriters who claim her smash hit Girlfriend sounds suspiciously like a track they took up the charts in the 1970s.
Lavigne's manager, Terry McBride, said the pop starlet is one of several people named in a lawsuit filed July 2 that alleges striking similarities to the 1979 Rubinoos song I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend.
WE just did a story with Avril Lavigne, whom you wrote with ...I think this is one of the good things about Avril, that there is some fuzziness about the songwriting, it allows her to escape from the preposterousness of the "singer-songwriter" position, which is all about Authenticity and Soul man. I like the snobbish beginning here "Avril, songwriter?" Beautiful. I also like the fact that she hasn't heard the song she suggests Avril stole. She's read the title. And now she's accusing her of stealing the song. Insane and so precious. Like no one thought of calling a song contagious before. And again the snobbish and precious ending, which pretty much means MY art is pure - Avril's isn't. I am above calling lawyers. Though not above flinging accusations of plagiarism about on the basis of a song title.
I find it funny that it's in Performing Songwriter. I mean, Avril, songwriter? Avril doesn't really sit and write songs by herself or anything. Avril will also cross the ethical line, and no one says anything. That's why I'll never work with her again. I sent her a song two years ago called "Contagious", and I just saw the track listing to this album and there's a song called "Contagious" on it - and my name's not on it. What do you do with that?
Call the lawyers?
See, I won't do that. I'll just tell you. Art should not be subject to that kind of controversy. Art should be pure. In my head it is, anyway.
E: “Contagious” on Avril’s was written solely by Avril and myself. Infact, we originally wrote it for me, so there’s no way Chantal was involved. I can’t speak on her song or any claims she’s making about our song because I’ve never heard hers.You should read the whole thing though, cos it is funny and there's a few more questions about Avril including this classic:
Q: So what do you think of Avril looking like a total slut in the blender shoot. Were you alarmed by that and the whole topless thing?
-Asked by Jenn
E: I think she looked sexy, not slutty. It’s all about context and expression.
"I respect the jury's verdict,'' Bush said in a statement. ''But I have concluded that the prison sentence given to Mr. Libby is excessive. Therefore, I am commuting the portion of Mr. Libby's sentence that required him to spend thirty months in prison.''
But, after a video tribute by Nelson Mandela, it was Diana herself who brought the evening to a poignant close.
Never-seen-before home movie footage of her as a child was shown on the giant screens that flanked the main stage.
The audience, many in tears, watched images of Diana's christening and her first birthday party, to a soundtrack of Freddie Mercury singing Those Were the Days (Of Our Lives).
It was a memorable end to a memorable day for an unforgettable icon.
Sounds Awful.
I cannot tell you exactly what is going on now. I look at my hands and I don't know what they wrought in the past. Are they the hands of a bad man? I used to be an artist. I don't think I am right now. I don't know if I ever will be again. I am something else. I was a student of personal strife. I ran with the wrong crowd early on. I tortured myself for a song. I thought it was the way.
I equate being an artist with impaling yourself on your art. Only feeding, feeding the thing always. And it being starving. That's what that old forgotten song "Strawberry Rash," was about. As I said earlier, I don't yet know what I am now. Any talk of "craft" makes me laugh. My music looks outward, it does not gaze upon itself in admiration. Artisanal is for Cheesemakers. I don't know anything about music theory. Every time I approach my guitar it's like the first time. There's no craft in that. Although I do often think of working out a guitar part as "carving." There is the huge block of silence and you carve little bits out of it by making sound.
"The sexual orientation regulations [which give greater rights to gays] are part of a general scene of permissiveness. We are in a situation where we are liable for God's judgment, which is intended to call us to repentance."
