February 25th, 2006 Rachel
Matthew Good, whether he realizes it or not, exemplifies why more artists should blog. More musicians, more writers, more painters, more…maybe not everyone, but the ones with something to say. It doesn’t have to be political activism or witty saterical social commentary all the time. Posts like this one, same with Malcolm Gladwell’s here, add an ounce of humanity where the shiny exterior of an unwrapped CD and the crisp pages of a freshly purchased book end.
There are "artist blogs" that exist in places like Myspace - one of my favorite bands in the entire world is guilty of just posting entries about new shows, cancelled dates, and time off to record a new album.
I can find that on Ticketmaster. And undoubtedly many other websites.
What entries like the above examples show is an intensely personal side of a person who we mostly only get to see/hear/read about in the limelight. It’s not stylized and all perpetually acceptance speechy. And what makes it all the more special is that while I get to smile and be fascinated at their willingness to allow people like me to witness this teeny peephole into their minds, at the same time it is quite clear that they are getting something out of their blogging as well. I love that.
If I’m wondering whether or not the "celebrity" is writing the entries, that’s a bad sign. There’s lots of record label controlled psuedo blogs out there (and to their credit they have many fans…). To the best of my knowledge, and following what seems like common sense, there are fewer artists and writers who suffer from this kind of reining in/control. Regardless, I hope to see blogs like the above examples become the norm. At least, for those who feel like they’ve got something they need to say.
Posted in Blogging, Daily Photo, Music, Tech | 2 Comments »
February 25th, 2006 Rachel
It’s unfortunate that while they gave a neat little piece during the television coverage of Torino on CBC regarding the female Canadian athetes fantastic showing this year, they don’t have an article to go with it, Ah well, Clare Hughes’ win is a great example of their success at the Winter Olympics. What a great story, and what an amazing thing to witness.
It’s great to see Canada winning. It would be better to see their athletes properly compensated (or rewarded) for their efforts. Mens hockey vs. Womens hockey….
Think about it.
Posted in Canada, Issues | No Comments »
February 25th, 2006 Rachel
Lucky Kid.
Posted in Music, Tech | 2 Comments »
February 25th, 2006 Rachel
Did you watch?
I didn’t. One side of me thinks this deserves a wee slap on the wrist (my job is musically related! I shoulda been staring at the screen intently!) while the other side of me is bemused by the fact that there was hardly a band performing or being honored up there that I was really interested in seeing. One category (which had both rooting for both the Canucks and the Bellinghamites but was disappointed to see the established/expected take ‘er home ) interested me. The rest of it just seemed like a lot of hoopla and too much Madonna/Mariah for my liking…so, I passed.
Apparently I wasn’t alone.
From Rags Gupta writes over on his Digital Music News blog that American Idol beat out the Grammys almost 2 to 1. Yowza. 28.3 million people would rather watch a bunch of people *maybe* make it (and that end result for any of them is questionable to me…) instead of basking in the glory of poor Mimi’s comeback.
The record industry is in trouble. This is but one more sign. We don’t want you hand feeding us singles anymore and expecting us to automatically buy it, love it and tell all our friends. We’ve got a computer, connections and a multitude of resources for finding something more, something better, something meaningful. As the music consumer turns away from the "charts" and starts to develop a bit more confidence to find something that speaks to them as an individual, artists like the younger miz Simpson just seem all that more laughable…and at the same time sad.
I don’t buy "it" anymore (yeah, I like some of my top forty stuff and I’m still a Coldplay fan even though they are adored and glorified the world over…but at least I can say I knew ‘em when…thanks Alex), and it’s becoming all the more apparent that this is not just happening in my apartment, in front of my computer as I get more and more confident about what I like and what I can definitely do without. Learning has never been easier.
And I like Rags’ last musing - Myspace Awards, here we come…
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