June 14, 2001

Message in a bottle
   by indavis <isaac@dontforgetthemilk.com>

I think I have figured out why I am not a musician. One of the endless countdown shows was on tonight, and they were interviewing the artists as they played the videos in the background. A couple of the female artist were babbling on about how they had a message and were using their music to get that message out. To me this isn't really a Pfft!, but more of a general statement. What amazes me is that these artists think that whatever their message is, it is getting out. Maybe it's just me, but I don't sit around analyzing music looking for a message. I listen to what I think sounds good, and if I hear or pay attention to the words, then I guess that's a plus.

Look at how many people botch lyrics. You can't tell me that everyone out there is getting "the message". Hell, the majority of people can't even understand the words, much less glean a message from it. Now I am not putting down music or artists, I just get something different from music. I don't feel compelled to do something because a song has a theme. Here's what I get from music. When I hear a song, my brain for some reason assigns it to a timeframe in my life. I hear a song that is a couple of years old and my thoughts immediately shift to that period of time. That is why I think music is an important part of life. Its ability to help us remember. Maybe from a technical standpoint, it's the patterns of music that are easier for your brain to identify, and when you match the patterns, the other memories which are in close proximity are activated. It's kind of like the Uncle Kracker video for 'Follow Me' where everyone sees him in their own way. They are all assigning their own memories to a certain song and when they hear it in the future, those memories will be dragged back out. Either way, I don't mind. Being able to relive sitting around listening to my stereo with some friends in high school back when there wasn't much to worry about in my life, when a certain song comes on, is wonderful.

Ok, well in the course of writing this, I have a Pfft!. The countdown has passed and now they are playing videos. Pfft! on the artists who sample older songs! You hear the first few notes and expect a certain song, your mind goes back, and then they totally bastardize your song and possibly your memories. For instance, I am sitting there thinking a Stevie Nicks song is about to come on, and it's some Destiny's Child song. What the hell are they doing? Can't they come up with their own riffs? By the way, aren't there three of them? Shouldn't they be Destiny's Children? I knew there was a Pfft! in this somewhere, and they brought it right out. Back to the whole memory/pattern issue, it does make you worry when they do this that you are now going to associate that pattern with the new corrupted version. Oh well, at least I have the option of turning it off. Which is what I have done. Hey artists, if you have a message, at least give it a new pattern, otherwise in my brain at least, it's already taken. Isaac

Published: June 14, 2001
Editor: stacy