"In vacant or in pensive mood..." I am: Bekah; 24; Law Student / Favorite Things: Carbs (so there!), Johnny Damon, Smiling at babies, Grilled cheese, Comfortable silence / Favorite Supreme Court Justice: Brennan / Favorite Wilson: Owen by an inch / Today's Special: Song: Elliott Smith, "Bled White"; Quote: "You know, there's like a butt-load of gangs at this school. This one gang kept wanting me to join because I'm pretty good with a bowstaff." Please love me: mmbekah@yahoo.com


February 2003 March 2003 April 2003 May 2003 June 2003 July 2003 August 2003 September 2003 October 2003 November 2003 December 2003 January 2004 February 2004 March 2004 April 2004 May 2004 June 2004 July 2004 August 2004 September 2004 October 2004 November 2004 December 2004 January 2005 September 2005

 
The Day The Music Died

Today is a black day. Nothing will ever be the same for me again.

My Dad, after kindly informing me that I was "starting to piss him off" by not blogging enough lately, told me that I should check out the iTunes celebrity playlists and comment on them. I thought, "Hmm, those could be fun to look at. I'll give it a shot." Instead, looking at those playlists was the worst thing I could have done. (Or maybe the best, in that right now I'm about to spew forth a serious rant for your reading pleasure/pain).

Celebrities in all of their various incarnations are like gods, whether we want to admit it or not. They are either seemingly flawless, or glorious and fascinating because of their flaws. For me, musicians that I like can very rarely do wrong. Yes, there are some albums I like more than others, but if I like an artist, I'm invested in him and generally approve of all of his work on some level. (This infuriates my sister, among others, but I can't change who I am: an unconditional lover). In addition to this general acceptance of all of my musicians' original works or attempts at greatness, I used to have a sort of naive appreciation of their respective musical tastes. I had this vision of Michael Stipe sitting around listening to Neutral Milk Hotel, or Weezer bopping around to the Wrens. Because I loved them, I just knew that they loved the music I loved.

I am now painfully aware of how mistaken I was. The playlists weren't just disappointing or bland or predictable; they were actually depressing. I'm trying to pinpoint my exact emotional response, and the best I can come up with is that I feel equally horrified and betrayed. My horror comes from artists who I didn't really care about anyway, and whose musical taste doesn't actually surprise me, but annoys me anyway. For example, Avril Lavigne puts "Rape Me" by Nirvana out there (such a rebel), but tops it off with Hey-Ya and Wonderwall. Chunks...rising...

Here are a few examples of my betrayal:

1. Susanne Vega. She has a John Mayer song first on this list. Dear god, that is so depressing to me. God. I can never listen to Solitude Standing in the same way again.

2. Michael Stipe. Um, I don't really know what to say here. I know he's friends with Cameron Diaz, so that might excuse the Justin Timberlake song (and I can excuse that anyway; I've been known to throw a little Justin into my mixes from time to time). But to choose "Beautiful Day" if you really have to pick a U2 song? And "Thank U" by Alanis? If you ask me, no song that Michael Stipe chooses should have teenagers' internet abbreviations in the title. (Although didn't Sinead O'Connor's "Nothing Compares 2 U" have the same thing? Then I can let that part slide, I guess...that's a good song). Michael's also got DMX "Who We Be" which is just blatantly trying too hard, and t.A.T.u's "All The Things She Said" which is just inexplicable...and Mary J. Blige...I just don't know.

3. Liz Phair and John Cusack (who have a list together, how nausiatingly pretentious--Liz opines in her "notes" on the list about she and John sitting around shooting the shit). To be fair, Liz Phair's betrayal occurred long before this (read: the "Extraordinary" load of crap that was her latest album. Hey! I guess that's an example of a time when I actually did hate an album by an artist I used to love. Even I can't deal with selling out when it's done in such a terribly predictable and embarrassing way...) Anyway, Liz and John's collaborative mix is just unimpressive. It's 18 songs long, and filled with doubles (two songs by the same artist in a row). Basically, John is reliving the High Fidelity soundtrack with a few unremarkable changes. What, you can't think of 18 separate artists who might actually allow you to achieve the goal of a MIX tape, in that you are supposed to have some sort of variety? Geez.

So, that's that. I can't bring myself to write any more, or to look at any more celebrity playlists. Stay tuned either today or tomorrow for a mix from ME filled with music that I think I would like. I've been wanting to make a new mix for a long time, and now is the perfect opportunity. I'll get on that...

Note: If anyone after reading this post just wants to say, "Screw you, Bekah, let people like what they like and stop trying to be an irritating music snob when you really don't know anything about anything, not to mention the fact that you couldn't even play 'Free Fallin' on the guitar to save your life you miserable talentless wretch" that's fine. You're probably right. But I can't help the way I feel.

Small Update: The playlist by Ryan Miller of Guster is actually really good...for the most part. It's also like 40 songs long. Let's keep things realistic people...


posted by Bekah at 11:07 AM :: |