Things That Are Saving America: A New Series

The internet, aside from being a complex series of tubes, has come to be an amazingly effective way for every idiot to share their inane opinions with the entire planet. What exactly, you ask, are the masses saying? What’s the most important thing people can think of to share with the world?

Everything sucks. Yes, everything new is lame, everything old is great, nothing good ever happens anymore. The planet is going to spontaneously combust at any moment. The President of our dear country clubs infants on a regular basis. The new Indiana Jones movie was the worst thing anyone has ever seen, and nothing Metallica could possibly release would stand a chance of comparing to the music they wrote in the 80’s. We’ve heard it all before, seen it all before, and it was all better then than it is now.

Everything “sucks.” Everything is “gay.”

We’re not excusing ourselves in the least from this behavior. In fact, we’ve recently started a series of posts that consists of nothing but bitching and moaning about all the things that are ruining America, the place we call home. We don’t plan on stopping that series anytime soon, so to ease our conscience, we’re starting a brand new series today; this shiny new series will be about everything that’s positive, awesome, rad, or just generally contributing to the progress of our species as a whole.

THINGS THAT ARE SAVING AMERICA: A NEW SERIES

TRENT REZNOR and RADIOHEAD: LEADERS of the NEW MUSIC REVOLUTION

In October of 2007, Radiohead posted a simple bulletin on their website, saying simply,

Hello everyone.

Well, the new album is finished, and it’s coming out in 10 days;

We’ve called it In Rainbows.

Love from us all.

Jonny”

A mere ten days later, Radiohead began pioneering a revolutionary way of releasing new music, on their own terms and outside of the traditional model of the record labels. They allowed fans to download their entire album for a price of their choosing; the price could be as little or as much as the fan wanted to pay, or perhaps what they felt it was worth. In other words, they were giving their music away to any number of people who simply didn’t feel like paying for it.

Months later, Trent Reznor, the musical genius behind Nine Inch Nails, released a full album of instrumental music in much the same way. Reznor added to the Radiohead model by offering different audio qualities and packages at different prices, including downloads, cd’s and vinyl packages, ranging from $0 to $300. He even went further by releasing a more traditional album completely gratis less than three months later, not even allowing his fans to pay for it, and offering it at a quality that even exceeds what is capable on a compact disc. In Trent’s own words to his fans:

Thank you for your continued and loyal support over the years – this one’s on me.”

God bless you, Trent.

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Recently, Gene Simmons (aka that guy who got paid for wearing a lot of makeup and having a long tongue) has been quoted as saying that Radiohead’s “decision is contributing to the demise of the record industry and insists his band would never follow suit.” (Article)

Well, to Gene Simmons, we say: You suck…. and also, you’re gay.

In all seriousness, the model that Radiohead and NIN have used to release their newest works has struck a blow to the music “industry” that will never be repaired. Nor, in our humblest of opinions, should it be. This blow was struck by a group of artists, led by frontmen Thom Yorke and Trent Reznor, to an industry that has made its existence out of exploiting not only the artists, but the fans.

So, why would Gene Simmons be so upset by this? We say it’s because Gene Simmons is not an artist, but a long-tounged, playmate toting, reality tv has-been. Through his own words, he has done nothing more than confirm that to him… it’s not about the music. It’s not about the art. It’s about the money.

O.K. Fine. It’s about the money. So, why… you ask… does THAT upset US?

It’s all about art. Art is one of the most beautiful, sacred acts of creation that we mere mortals are capable of. It’s a manifestation of all that separates us from everything that’s soulless and despicable, ignorant and incapable. Beautiful works of art are often all that’s left of civilizations that perished millenia ago. Simply put, art is good. Art saves. It inspires and moves us, it reminds us of what’s important.

To strip art of it’s soul, to take away that which makes it so profound and remarkable, and to do so for something so fleeting and unimportant as money, is to knowingly take that which is sacred and turn it into profanity. That’s all there is to it. And that’s why it’s so disgusting that someone like Gene Simmons would have that attitude.

Conversely, that’s why the members of Radiohead, along with Trent Reznor, are saving America. They’re saving the art of music by destroying the music industry itself. And, coincidentally, they’re making a lot of money while they’re at it.

Even though the industry will continue on as it has, it will never be the same. It will grow weaker and weaker until it can no longer function. One day, the artist will be able to create what he or she will, without paying tribute to men in suits, being compensated in a more fair way, free from the constraints and pressures of those who don’t understand what it’s really all about.

Forgive us for rambling, but this is really something worth getting excited about. And we are.

-b&k