Rage Against the Pop Machine

For the past several years I have watched the music industry in its state of depression and it’s rather, well, it’s rather depressing. Gone are the legendary Seattle grunge bands. Gone are the Gun’s N’ Roses and the Rage Against the Machines. And gone are the days where musicians actually wrote their tunes.

Assorted Pop-Tarts
In is: nepotism, American Idols and records companies that sell their artists image, rather than their pathetic music, such as Maroon 5, Avril Lavinge and Ashlee Simpson. You know they are all posers when the 'punk rock' lead singer of Good Charlotte is dating an underage goody-goody teeny bopper named Hilary Duff (Oh, sorry, she just became legal). And what about Avril Lavinge and her hardcore image that MTV likes to sell. You know, the first time I heard Lavinge’s “I’m With You”, I actually thought it was a country song. Even bands that have been known for their quirky of punk-rock sound in the past such as Counting Crows, Weezer and Green Day have conformed to the same sound and the same beat that we have heard from the new pop-wannabe rock bands.

Napster Backfire…and it Burns…
In a way I can take blame for this travesty as I was part of the original Napster generation that caused the music industry hyperventilate in fear as they watched their yachts and profits, sink right in front of their greedy eyes. They realized for once that the power of their CEO could not conquer the booming peer-to-peer sites and the music downloading geeks that sit like zombies behind their fluorescent screens downloading the latest Dave Matthews album. Well, it all back-fired on the Napster generation as the record labels began to market to 13-year olds because they were the only ones buying albums. And what do 13-year olds buy? Avril, Ashlee and Sum 41. Okay Mr. Record CEO, I am sorry! Mercy. Just bring back some hearty rock ’n roll with a side of R&B and I will march my ass to the nearest Wal-Mart and buy some CDs!

“I want my MTV” no...seriously...I want my MTV
This used to be a slogan that ran on MTV, you know, when they actually played music. Now I watch MTV really just to see how long I can sit through TRL. I turn blue with frustration when they show about 10 seconds of each video and then in mid-video they cut to Krissy and her brace-faced friends in the audience who send a “shot out” to their girlfriends. By the time their vocal chords reach deafening decibels, I choose to spare my sanity and turn to Animal Planet‘s “Who Gets the Dog.”

Sniff…
So, I sit here in feeling sorry for that brilliant musician that missed out on a record deal because Paris Hilton decided she wanted to annoy us even more. Hilton’s album will drop, and I predict, fizzle, sometime in the fall.