In the understatement of the new year... it would appear things are a wee bit discouraging in journalistic circles of late.
Hardly shocking, 'tis, when all around us, various job fields are crumbling the likes of which people of my generation (and that of the Boomers) have never seen. Yes, the mass media is a hurting unit right now. The thing is, even as a journalist myself, I don't exactly feel any pity for them.
For too long, the media has been operating just as any other coporate monolith does. Gradually, huge conglomera-zillas gobbled up every newspaper, television station, and radio broadcaster they could, to the point that we now have a situation in North America where a half-dozen companies control 95 per cent of the news we recieve.
I could draw the obvious parallels to Orwell, and Marshall McLuhan here, but I think we all get the gist of the problem. Being spoon-fed our news by a narrow group of institutions with a set agenda is not exactly good for our wittle bwains.
But I digress. I guess what is really grinding my gears is that the inevitable is now happening in media. Our current economic climate is causing mass media to pull out their axe, and slash jobs just like any other mindless, heartless corporate behemoth would do. As a result, people like myself, who got into journalism with the naive goal of doing something silly like, oh, I don't know... making a difference, are facing a future where we will be nothing more than underpaid stiffs asked to do everything from write, to shoot photos, to shooting video, to... making the boss a sandwich. (Oh, how silly of me to forget: while the toast for your editor's sandwich is down, you will also have to design and paginate a page, edit some hack's work, and post on the publication's website.)
So, what is the solution? Well in the interim, the corporate blobs will attempt to make a go of it with increased Internet propoganda, but that will only go so far. The fact is, the media must change in the Western World. The domination of the enormous corporations will end.
Every industry must see the turning point we are at in world history, and the media will have to fall into step. The changes are going to be difficult, but in the long run, a less centralized media is good for all of us.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
My favourite six-pack
Good evening, all.
Given my current stress level, and absurd workload, I thought it might be cool to pull back on the super-analytical, hyper-political reins a bit, and do something I've wanted to do for quite some time: post my all-time favourite six-pack of rock n roll albums.
Now, not just any lightweight collection of tunage can crack my prestigious list. No, this is a list of heavy-hitters, master tunesmiths, and musical prodigies. Anyway, before I get too long-winded, I present without further adieu (and with obvious debt to Comic Book Guy of Simpson's fame for the nifty opening), the best...six-pack...ever:
6. Too Fast For Love - Motley Crue - Simply the best work they've ever done. Just over 30 minutes of loud, sloppy riffage, with pop choruses so sweet they would rot even the whitest of teeth. Mick Mars has never sounded better than he does tearing it up on Take me to The Top, Piece of Your Action, and Starry Eyes. A true classic that spawned a million inferior imitations.
5. Exile on Main Street - Rolling Stones - The hits are few and far between on this album. What lies in their place is a diverse collection spanning the map from American country, to old-school blues, to ragged rawk an' roll. Their best album by a long shot. Faves of mine on it: Rocks off, Sweet Black Angel, Happy.
4. Fair Warning - Van Halen - This album tanked when it was released in 1981, but the initial fan backlash over it has subsided substantially in the nearly-thirty years since. Fact is (and most Halen fans would agree), this album is chock full of brilliant riffery, razor-sharp tunes, brooding lyrics, and thick grooves. Sure, the subject matter is dark; dealing with everything from ghetto life (Mean Streets), to adult movies (Dirty Movies). And that is what I love about this album. It isn't a typical party-anthem Van Halen record. It has serious teeth. That, and the fact that Eddie Van Halen has never again approached the level of ferocity he displayed on standouts like the afformentioned tracks, and Unchained.
3. Back in Black - AC/DC - Yes, entire forests have been clear cut to make paper for the volumes of praise heaped upon this record since it first hit store shelves in 1980. You know what? Every good word ever written about it still isn't enough. This is the perfect blues-based, good old fashioned kick-in-the-lower extremeties rock album. There isn't a wasted note anywhere to be found. The Young brothers crank it up to "11", and unleash a blistering barrage of instantly-classic riffs, while newcomer Brian Johnson hits a vocal range previously thought to only be audible to dogs. Not a bad song in sight. I love 'em all: everything from Hell's Bells, to Rock n Roll Ain't Noise Polution, to Have a Drink on Me, to Shake a Leg, and all points in between.
2. Houses of the Holy - Led Zeppelin - The best album from my favourite band of all. Many Zep fanatics often pick the obvious albums in their catalogue, like II, IV, or Physical Graffitti. Don't get me wrong, I love each one of those albums greatly, but Houses contains a brilliant eclecticism the likes of which even Zeppelin themselves could never top: the smooth jazz/pop of The Rain Song, the James Brown funk of The Crunge, the spine-tingling 12-string folk intro of Over The Hills And Far Away, the frenetic speed, and shimmering chime of The Song Remains The Same. All brilliant, all incredibly well-executed. Best album of a very good lot.
1. Toys in The Attic - Aerosmith - I love this album so much, I can barely articulate just how remarkable I think it is. On this record, Aerosmith concocted the perfect balance between Steven Tyler's gritty wail, Perry and Whitford's fantastic interplay, and the locomotive rythm section of Kramer and Hamilton. I still get goosebumps from tunes like No More No More, Adam's Apple, and Uncle Salty. The greatest American rock n roll band of all time at the peak of their power.
Given my current stress level, and absurd workload, I thought it might be cool to pull back on the super-analytical, hyper-political reins a bit, and do something I've wanted to do for quite some time: post my all-time favourite six-pack of rock n roll albums.
Now, not just any lightweight collection of tunage can crack my prestigious list. No, this is a list of heavy-hitters, master tunesmiths, and musical prodigies. Anyway, before I get too long-winded, I present without further adieu (and with obvious debt to Comic Book Guy of Simpson's fame for the nifty opening), the best...six-pack...ever:
6. Too Fast For Love - Motley Crue - Simply the best work they've ever done. Just over 30 minutes of loud, sloppy riffage, with pop choruses so sweet they would rot even the whitest of teeth. Mick Mars has never sounded better than he does tearing it up on Take me to The Top, Piece of Your Action, and Starry Eyes. A true classic that spawned a million inferior imitations.
5. Exile on Main Street - Rolling Stones - The hits are few and far between on this album. What lies in their place is a diverse collection spanning the map from American country, to old-school blues, to ragged rawk an' roll. Their best album by a long shot. Faves of mine on it: Rocks off, Sweet Black Angel, Happy.
4. Fair Warning - Van Halen - This album tanked when it was released in 1981, but the initial fan backlash over it has subsided substantially in the nearly-thirty years since. Fact is (and most Halen fans would agree), this album is chock full of brilliant riffery, razor-sharp tunes, brooding lyrics, and thick grooves. Sure, the subject matter is dark; dealing with everything from ghetto life (Mean Streets), to adult movies (Dirty Movies). And that is what I love about this album. It isn't a typical party-anthem Van Halen record. It has serious teeth. That, and the fact that Eddie Van Halen has never again approached the level of ferocity he displayed on standouts like the afformentioned tracks, and Unchained.
3. Back in Black - AC/DC - Yes, entire forests have been clear cut to make paper for the volumes of praise heaped upon this record since it first hit store shelves in 1980. You know what? Every good word ever written about it still isn't enough. This is the perfect blues-based, good old fashioned kick-in-the-lower extremeties rock album. There isn't a wasted note anywhere to be found. The Young brothers crank it up to "11", and unleash a blistering barrage of instantly-classic riffs, while newcomer Brian Johnson hits a vocal range previously thought to only be audible to dogs. Not a bad song in sight. I love 'em all: everything from Hell's Bells, to Rock n Roll Ain't Noise Polution, to Have a Drink on Me, to Shake a Leg, and all points in between.
2. Houses of the Holy - Led Zeppelin - The best album from my favourite band of all. Many Zep fanatics often pick the obvious albums in their catalogue, like II, IV, or Physical Graffitti. Don't get me wrong, I love each one of those albums greatly, but Houses contains a brilliant eclecticism the likes of which even Zeppelin themselves could never top: the smooth jazz/pop of The Rain Song, the James Brown funk of The Crunge, the spine-tingling 12-string folk intro of Over The Hills And Far Away, the frenetic speed, and shimmering chime of The Song Remains The Same. All brilliant, all incredibly well-executed. Best album of a very good lot.
1. Toys in The Attic - Aerosmith - I love this album so much, I can barely articulate just how remarkable I think it is. On this record, Aerosmith concocted the perfect balance between Steven Tyler's gritty wail, Perry and Whitford's fantastic interplay, and the locomotive rythm section of Kramer and Hamilton. I still get goosebumps from tunes like No More No More, Adam's Apple, and Uncle Salty. The greatest American rock n roll band of all time at the peak of their power.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Nerves of Steel
I think it was around 9:50 p.m. last night that I had my first heart attack.
Not a real heart attack. More the metaphorical kind. The kind you have when one of your beloved sports teams is in danger of losing a championship game. Now, we've all heard the cliches before about how sports aren't life and death, and there are more important things in life than watching grown men play boys games, and all of that. Thing is, I agree to a large extent. Yeah, last night's Super Bowl victory by my beloved Pittsburgh Steelers won't change my life in any way. It won't help me get the job I want, or make reading about Canada's current GDP any more entertaining. It won't help me find a good beat story this week, and it certainly won't keep me from botching my questions the next time Leona Dombrowsky returns one of my calls.
Nope, the Steelers win doesn't impact my life in any tangible way. But what it DOES do is give me reason to feel good for a few days. It's that simple. I love the Steelers, and the Steelers won the Super Bowl; again. Two titles in four years. I feel blessed somehow. For a few days, I can feel like I have chosen something good; something successful, and worthy of acclaim. And this is the gist of what being a professional sports fan is about. Last night, a friend's wife was chastising me for being angry as the Cardinals closed the gap, and took the lead. She gave me all those great, tired old expressions about sports. But the Steelers didn't lose. They came back, in thrilling fashion, and pulled it off, and I was overjoyed. The thing is, I told my friend's wife in celebration, sports take us away from the mundane details of our lives. They give us a chance to feel a share in triumphs the likes of which we will never be a part of in our day-to-day lives. The Steelers win briefly takes me away from the stresses of my current schedule, and leaves me today feeling just a little bit more like something is actually right in the world.
We all need to feel like that from time to time. It keeps us sane.
Not a real heart attack. More the metaphorical kind. The kind you have when one of your beloved sports teams is in danger of losing a championship game. Now, we've all heard the cliches before about how sports aren't life and death, and there are more important things in life than watching grown men play boys games, and all of that. Thing is, I agree to a large extent. Yeah, last night's Super Bowl victory by my beloved Pittsburgh Steelers won't change my life in any way. It won't help me get the job I want, or make reading about Canada's current GDP any more entertaining. It won't help me find a good beat story this week, and it certainly won't keep me from botching my questions the next time Leona Dombrowsky returns one of my calls.
Nope, the Steelers win doesn't impact my life in any tangible way. But what it DOES do is give me reason to feel good for a few days. It's that simple. I love the Steelers, and the Steelers won the Super Bowl; again. Two titles in four years. I feel blessed somehow. For a few days, I can feel like I have chosen something good; something successful, and worthy of acclaim. And this is the gist of what being a professional sports fan is about. Last night, a friend's wife was chastising me for being angry as the Cardinals closed the gap, and took the lead. She gave me all those great, tired old expressions about sports. But the Steelers didn't lose. They came back, in thrilling fashion, and pulled it off, and I was overjoyed. The thing is, I told my friend's wife in celebration, sports take us away from the mundane details of our lives. They give us a chance to feel a share in triumphs the likes of which we will never be a part of in our day-to-day lives. The Steelers win briefly takes me away from the stresses of my current schedule, and leaves me today feeling just a little bit more like something is actually right in the world.
We all need to feel like that from time to time. It keeps us sane.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
