As part of my Life Writing course I have been asked to write the following:
1: A rant about something.
2: The song I would like played at my funeral.
3: A small, interesting fact about the subject of my biography - (Eddie Vedder)
4: A review. This will be posted in a second blog tomorrow and will be for 'Different Gear, Still Speeding', the first album from 'Beady Eye', Liam Gallagher's post Oasis band.
Here begins my rant:
In the last few years something rather baffling has come out of Canada. A young boy named Justin Bieber[1] decided to upload a few videos onto Youtube, was quickly discovered by Usher and since then has had two massively successful albums, a long string of sold out tour dates and most recently a film.... [2] Now this is indeed an irritating turn of events, the knowledge that some squeaky clean pretty boy could get more women in an afternoon than I could in a year certainly irks me slightly... However that mild annoyance is as far as it goes. I am jealous and his music is not to my taste. So what the fuck is up with the millions of people all over the internet pouring abuse upon him and declaring that he should be shot? In recent years these retarded 'rockers' have been seen to plaster Youtube and Facebook with statements such as "Give us back Kurt and Dimebag, and you can have Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber". The massive immaturity of these people makes me lose faith in the next generation of both musicians and music fans. These bellends are not even limited to adolescents, young adults too make ridiculously uninformed statements like "Rock is dead".
What people fail to realise is that the rock bands they now idolise were alternative artists at the time they were biggest. Yes, 'Nevermind' [3] went to number 1 on the US, Canadian and Swedish billboards, but it didn't stay there long and neither was it (chart-wise) a particularly dominating force. It inevitably quickly gave way to more disposable pop music. Yes the band headlined the Reading festival in 1992 but THAT was an alternative affair at the time as well.
All of the big "rock" bands - Rage Against The Machine, Pantera, Led Zeppelin and Metallica were all alternative bands in their heyday, if these morons had a go at listening to new music they would see that the rock / metal / punk / hip-hop scenes are all alive and well.
To sum up: Justin Bieber is just a kid with a certain type of good look and a marketable singing voice, nothing more. There are more worthwhile things to expend your energy on hating. If you don't fucking like him, don't fucking listen to him.
1: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_Bieber
2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COJCN3Mhr14
3: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevermind
For our first assignments we have been asked to write a biography on somebody in popular culture, and in a narrative point of view, facts and stories may be slightly embellished in order to increase interest or drama etc. For a factoid about my subject - Eddie Vedder I have decided upon mentioning that in 1993 he was arrested and charged with "Drunkenness and disturbing the peace" along with a White Sox pitcher - "Jack McDowell" after the two got involved in a "scuffle" with bar patrons in New Orleans, Louisiana. An interesting fact to me, due to Vedder's general humanitarian and anti-violence attitude to life.
As far as the song to be played at my funeral goes I have found it too much of a difficult affair to pick one, and would like to think that these songs would be played 1: After everybody had sat down. 2: After a few people had discussed how fucking awesome I am and 3: As everybody left the... the wherever. (Not a church, believe me.)
1: Oasis - Live Forever http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_2mWhfOhGU
2: The Libertines - Music When The Lights Go Out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3JuL8BtIN8
3: Pearl Jam - Alive http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BkR8HWSyaA
