[NewMusic] More anti-carbon floop-print poopoganda

Thu May 8 12:13:00 PDT 2008

I'm a little late to the discussion, and not much time to participate  
- but Mr. Henry's rant is well taken.  Some thoughts:

1) I sort of view artists as parasites on the corporate structure -  
Murdoch will pay for my site, then great. I don't think he's getting  
much benefit from my page, certainly its out of proportion from the  
benefit I get from it. To quote Lenin, "The capitalists will sell us  
the rope with which we will hang them."

2) Doesn't the revenue come from ads? Does anyone actually pay  
attention to internet ads? I know I don't even read them, I couldn't  
even tell you what ads are on the sites I look at; to me, at least,  
internet advertising is a joke. . . my guess is that the few folks who  
pay any attention to what I'm doing aren't too influenced by them  
either.

3) Because of #2, my guess is that many of these places will collapse  
at some point, since the revenue generated by the ads will not support  
the required profit margin. Then it will probably all go away,  
replaced by something with much more corporate control over content  
and forcing people to view the ads in a more controlled manner - maybe  
the 2 (or 3 or 4) tier internet thing.  Right now, I feel like we're  
in a little blip where things are getting figured out, and that type  
of thing historically means there's some brief breathing room for  
weirdos like me and y'all.

4) The question is not whether you "sell out" to Murdoch or whomever,  
it's how you pitch your battles. Isolation doesn't always seem so  
effective to me either -  that was what led to my decision to do  
"myspace" at least. I could opt out of the system I think also helps  
propagate surface listening;  to quote the Unabomber: "Cheap,  
intemperate propaganda sometimes achieves impressive short-term goals,  
but it will be more advantageous in the long run to keep the loyalty  
of a small number of intelligently committed people." Although:

5) I'm not of the opinion that mere exposure to alternative art  
changes anything at all - rather it affects those that seek to be  
affected by it: to quote Jesus: "He who has ears, let him hear."  
Teaching, advocating, giving money to micro-loan programs in 3rd world  
countries, these have a much greater effect than any work of art. That  
said, works of prophetic art are important, but that's another  
discussion.

> In different countries, people are complacent about different  
> things, we get fast food and SUV's, in other countries they get to  
> kill people of unfashionable tribes with impunity.

Don't forget murdering your sister because she had sex!

mg

On May 8, 2008, at 1:12 AM, Michael Henry wrote:

>
> Gino Robair wrote:
>
>
>>> Like all of us on the list, I will continue  being "positive" and
> "constructive" by creating music-sound-art. However, it's the fact  
> that "we"
> have to educate the masses that there are sonic alternatives to the  
> music
> equivalent of fast food that makes "us" work harder than ever as an  
> artist.
> It's certainly not bitterness. Just trying to save the planet,  
> mister. And
> getting angry is somewhat unavoidable during times like these... :-)
>
>
> I hear you Gino. I'm angry too.
>
> Warning.....I have a bug up my ass about this....and it is a  
> lightning bug.
>
> I've noticed a significant amount of postings lately on this list  
> that are essentially about some sort political-musical connection,  
> whether it be "ecto (sic..."plasmic?") touring" or some other subject.
>
> You know...like that need to "educate the masses" about the "evil  
> corporate" influences that are degrading our culture, killing our  
> art (not to mention lots of people and wildlife), and so on.
>
> Well, here is a question I would like to pose, to you folks who are  
> so musically/politically aware and active:
>
> How come so many of you have My-Fucking-Rupert-Murdoch-Space pages  
> (proudly advertised in your email signatures)?
>
> I mean, please explain to me why you put your art up on a site where  
> the resulting ad revenue enriches one of the most evil fucking  
> propagandists on the fucking planet. I really would really like to  
> know.....is it just cluelessness, i.e you are unaware of who owns My- 
> Fucking-Rupert-Murdoch-Space.com? Or do you just not care? Because  
> those are the only possible answers to my question that I can see.  
> If there are more answers that I am unaware of, I'd certainly like  
> to hear them.
>
> I mean, even the Wired piece Gino forwarded, which snidely quips  
> about Pepsi's corporate sponsorship of this event (which I'm happy  
> to join in on), has links at the bottom "for previewing the bands on  
> MySpace" as if somehow that is not the same. Excuse me while I puke.
>
> Just take for example, one of San Francisco's own, one of the famous  
> anarcho-punk "politically aware" bands....I quote: " not interested  
> in having any racist, sexist, fascist or homophobic friends (here on  
> My-Fucking Rupert-Murdoch-Fox-Nooze-Racist-Sexist-Fascist-Homophobic- 
> Propaganda-Space.com). If you consider yourself one of these please  
> DO NOT send a friend request. Also anyone who voted for Bush can  
> just take their Avengers CDs and... cash them in at the used record  
> store, right now. Everyone has a right to their beliefs and everyone  
> has a right to choose their friends."
>
> http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=3127605
>
> Well, Penelope and the Avengers. I'm sorry to say this but I think I  
> know who Rupert-Fucking-Murdoch voted for. I hope he burned his  
> Avengers CD's after he saw your page.
>
> You say, "We Are Not Fascist Pigs"......Oh, puhleeese. Rupert- 
> Fucking-Murdoch is certainly one of the biggest fascist pigs in  
> history. So why do you want to help enrich one of the biggest  
> fascist pig bastards on the planet by having a presence on the site  
> he owns? Or is it OK as long as the fascist pig gives you some of  
> his gruel in return?
>
> Another example....A friend of mine recently contacted me. He is  
> active in Green Party politics, in Colorado. His band has played at  
> many Green Party events, fundrasers, etc.
>
> He calls me up to pick my brain about marketing his band, because  
> they have a new CD in the can and he says to me, "Well, we really  
> need to get a web presence....so I suppose a Myspace page would be  
> obligatory."
>
> I'll spare you the rest of the conversation. Please use your  
> artistic imagination.
>
> I'm really sorry to bring this up in such an angry manner. But I'm  
> feeling angry tonight. After so many years of bush-shit and  
> associated propaganda, there are days when I wonder if I am sane, or  
> if it is that the only "sane" people left are the ones that society  
> labels as "insane." Because if Bush or Rupert Murdoch is sane, I'm  
> definitely not.
>
> So I'd really like someone here to justify or explain to me their My- 
> Fucking-Rupert-Murdoch-Fox-Nooze-Evil-Corporate-Bastard-Space.com  
> presence. Please, oh please enlighten me because the lightning bug  
> up my ass just flew away, and I have no more light left to read with  
> and I don't watch TV. I carry a TV-B-Gone with me wherever I go, and  
> despite my age, my trigger finger has a reflex time of less than a  
> nanosecond.
>
> And one more thing....I read earlier today that Rupert-Fucking- 
> Murdoch is getting worried. So someone out there had better post  
> some more stuff to his site in order to make him happy again:
>
> http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/may/07/rupertmurdoch.usa?gusrc=rss&feed=worldnews
>
> Poopagandaly yours,
>
> -MH
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
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Matthew Goodheart
composer ~ improviser ~ pianist
matthew at matthewgoodheart.com
http://matthewgoodheart.com
http://myspace.com/matthewgoodheart