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Ian Watkins and the Protective Power of Fame

29 Nov

The case of Ian Watkins makes uncomfortable reading. His crimes are of course horrific, but the idea that the lead singer of Lostprophets managed to elude justice and continue being a pedophile turns the stomach.

It is hard to believe that no one around him noticed what was going on. I happened to see Lostprophets last year, shortly before Ian Watkins was arrested, and had no idea of the allegations that would appear – however can the same be said for those backstage who were close to the band, or his friends and colleagues?

ian-watkins-6343692

Like disgraced presenter Jimmy Saville, it’s hard to conclude that his crimes weren’t covered up by his celebrity. Saville escaped justice completely, while it took almost 20 years to build up enough evidence to arrest Watkins.

Apparently, one of his ex-girlfriends went to the police four years ago but they didn’t take any action. How much influence his fame had on delaying his arrest we will probably never know.

Also like Saville, Watkins also used his privileged position to gain access to his victims. The details are horrific but suffice to say that his crimes would have been far more difficult if he hadn’t abused his status to seduce fans.

Rockstars have always enjoyed the bounties of fame. This often includes taking advantage of their sometimes innocent fans. Tales of excess and debauchery are part of the rock’s glamour – who can forget the infamous story of Led Zeppelin and the fish? It’s all too easy to slip into the pattern of giving eccentric rockstars a free pass to do whatever they want, until it’s too late.

The revelations about Ian Watkins will undoubtedly be difficult for the music world to come to terms with. However the message is clear – being famous shouldn’t make people immune to the law. Being a celebrity doesn’t mean they don’t have to face consequences.

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Interlude is Bringing the Music Video Back

20 Nov

Like a Rolling Stone

Watch the Video 

A particularly creative video for Bob Dylan’s 1965 hit “Like a Rolling Stone” is still making its rounds today throughout several media outlets. The video, an interactive, 16-channel sampling of lip-synched versions of the song, is not only addictive and awesome, but also it symbolizes the transformation of the music video. Before we get more into the interactive video company that created the video, let’s talk about why this video is so cool.

I assume by now you have clicked the above link and have watched the video. Did you enjoy toggling through the channels? How freaking amazing, right? I can only use colloquialisms to describe my absolute endearment to this video. It’s just so cool. There are 16 television channels to flip through, and several television personalities get in on the act. The channels range from a cooking show to a children’s cartoon. And, according to the video creators, more television shows/personalities want to get in on the video. Soon enough, the interactive, malleable video might expand to a full assortment of television channels. This would create an even more diverse experience for the viewer, who, as video director Vania Heymann describes, are provided with a unique experience of “television … look [ing] back right at us.”

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Even Drew Carey gets in on the act.

The video also demonstrates something fundamental about “Like a Rolling Stone” by Bob Dylan. The song, which is nearly 50 years old, is ranked by Rolling Stone as the greatest song of all time (no surprise … self-promotion – just kidding!) It has transcended time. The song is anthemic; it’s a true proclamation. It still maintains the same potency that it had in the 1960s. It is a song about loneliness and the loss of innocence. The themes are germane no matter the decade. 

Dylan’s piece works perfectly with the Interlude interactive video. This is not the first time at the rodeo for Interlude. On the website of the company, there are several examples of completed projects. Let’s focus on the music videos. Interlude created an interactive, “choose your own adventure” music video for Andy Grammer’s “Keep Your Head Up,” which you can view here.

How do these interactive music videos impact the art of music videos? Well, since the advent of music videos and the consequent propagation on MTV (prior to the channel turning into a source of trashy television), music videos have become more creative and complex. When MTV turned away from music videos, YouTube picked up the slack and provided a format for the videos. The “music video” remained stagnant, though. Interlude’s interactive music videos provides a new generation of creative videos. Instead of providing a 3-4-minute story played to the song, viewers can now actively take part in the viewing/listening experience. This even goes so far as giving listeners an option to choose a cappella or band in the “Keep Your Head Up” video. Is this the new trend in music videos? I hope so.

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The X Factor – Season Least?

14 Nov

The X Factor Season 3

The X Factor USA is the middle sibling of vocal talent shows. The older sibling, American Idol, has settled down, had a few kids, and lives in placid suburbia in a three-story house with double white doors and a patio with a grill. The younger sibling, The Voice, is getting all of the attention because, well, it’s frankly more entertaining to many people. That leaves the gangly, awkward X Factor in the middle to acquire acne and try to make it in the cruel world of reality singing competitions.

Now in its third season, the X Factor has desperately tried to spice things up. An x-shaped battle round provided a little juice to the competition, but, despite its differences, it was seen as a reaction to the little sibling’s vocal battles. Some strange form of live voting was attempted, but it failed miserably and caused a 2-hour live show to be scrapped and wasted (there is something the X Factor can proudly say was unprecedented).

Frankly, though, no matter what the show does, people will watch it for the singers. And, no matter how much the judges want to praise this stock of vocalists, this is really the season of the least. Of the remaining contestants on the show, I can count on a few fingers how many actually have the so-called X Factor. In year’s past, I have put together a full review of each contestant. For this season’s remaining contestants, I am going to do something a little different. Each contestant will receive a ranking between 1 and 5 Xs (1 the worst, 5 the best) as well as a brief, frank reason why they are ranked this way. Let’s get to it. Oh, and two of these individuals are voted off tomorrow, by the way.

BOYS

Tim Olstad

Tim Olstad (XXX)

Three Xs for soft-spoken Tim Olstad. He seems like a kind and genuine person. His voice is sweet and he carries a good tune. His issue is his kindness. He lacks an edge. Besides from his good voice, he has nothing else that sets him apart.
Josh Levi

Josh Levi (XXXX)

Early favorite. He has the combination the X Factor is looking for: looks, dance moves, and good enough voice. His vocal needs a bit of work, but, let’s be honest, the studio does wonders. He is marketable; that’s what matters. If the female voters think so too, he will be around for a long time in this competition. He’ll play on the Bieber factor for as long as he can.

Carlito Olivero

Carlito Olivero (XX)

An older, less talented version of Josh Levi. He will also try to play to the public with his combination of looks, dance moves, and vocals, but his vocal is a bit whiny and that won’t last long in this competition.

Girls

Ellona Santiago

Ellona Santiago (XX)

Same person as Jessica Sanchez from Season 11 of American Idol? Both Filipino singers from California around the age of 17-18. Both sing the same style of pop-diva music. I’m fairly confident they are the same person. Too bad Jessica Sanchez is better, and Ellona is the doppelgänger.

Khaya Cohen

Khaya Cohen (XXXXX)

Give it up for the saving grace of season 3 of The X Factor. Raspy, Amy Winehouse-like voice paired with some gritty classic rock ‘n’ roll soul all mixed together with modern flavor; Cohen is hands down the best singer in the competition, and she should sail to the end of the show without must issue.

Rion Page

Rion Page (XXX)

Rion Page has arthrogryposis multiplex congenita, which screws with the joints in her hands. Despite this, she is perhaps the most optimistic person you’ll ever meet, and I do not think it’s an act. While she inevitably has to play the sympathy card (because people see the disability), she clearly doesn’t want to. She just wants to be a country singer, and, frankly, she is pretty good (better than most of the people in the competition). Who are we to judge? She is talented, kind, and better than all of the over 25s and groups combined!

Over 25

Nicole (Lillie) McCloud

Nicole (Lillie) McCloud (X)

What a great way to start off the two worst categories on the show. If you watch the X Factor, you know this contestant as Lillie McCloud. But, as the X Factor finally admitted during the show yesterday, Lillie is actually Nicole McCloud, a recording artist from the 1980s – 2000s. But she only put out one single and never made (“I was so close”), right? Wrong. She is a fraud. FRAUD. She recorded four studio albums and her single “Don’t You Want My Love” became an international hit. This single reached the top 10 on the U.S. dance charts, in addition to charting in Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden. Her 1994 single “Runnin’ Away” peaked at No. 3 on U.S. Dance charts. She has had 7, yes, 7 charting U.S. singles, the latest one just a little more than a decade ago. Never made it? Are you kidding me? She is an absolute fraud who should never have been allowed in the competition. I know X Factor does not have a record contract clause like some other shows, but come on, it destroys the purpose of these competitions. I just feel bad for the other contestants who are just looking to make it for the first time. Move aside and let someone else get his/her turn.

Jeff Gutt

Jeff Gutt (XX)

An uninspiring rocker with a decent rock croon and, uh, that’s basically it. It’s good that the show has a true rock singer, but I just don’t see where Gutt fits in the market. I guess he is a good enough band singer, though, so hopefully he joins up with some semi-successful band and provides solid lead vocals.

Rachel Potter

Rachel Potter (XX):

In the process of writing this post, I had seen Potter’s name every time I glanced over at the contestants, but as I started writing her segment I had to look back to get her name again. What does that mean? She is forgettable. Is it just me or are you also sick of fringe female country singers? They are limited vocally and generally hokey. Last night’s performance was overdramatic and almost comical.

The Groups

Alex and Sierra

Alex and Sierra (X)

Ah, the groups – Simon’s babies. One issue. He doesn’t have any talent this year. Oh well. This duo is terrible. Let me sum them up with some vocabulary words: mawkish, maudlin, syrupy, and nauseating. The girl is an awkward mess. The guy does a terrible Jack White impression. The act is garbage, but it will stay because they are a couple and for some reason this resonates with a desperate American public. They should have never made it past auditions.

Sweet Suspense

Sweet Suspense (X)

Sweet Suspense provides me with such suspense that every time they perform I immediately fast forward through the performance. Why? They suck. No lead singer. No harmony. Just three young, pretty girls performing hackneyed, karaoke renditions of mostly terrible songs.

Restless Road

Restless Road (XX)

I am starting to get a bit restless. A product of Simon, Restless Road is a country boy band. I loved Simon’s thinking. I actually think this concept can work … with better singers. One of the three is good. The other two are filler. This act could last for a while because it is country, but ultimately it will wear out.

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The World Will Miss You, Lou

28 Oct

Lou Reed

““There’s only X amount of time. You can do whatever you want with that time. It’s your time.” — Lou Reed

I was watching TV around a week ago when I heard the instrumentation of Lou Reed’s “Perfect Day” in a Playstation 4 advertisement. In it, two friends take on different competitive video game roles and sing the song to each other. Considering that the deceptively complex song is most likely about some combination of Reed’s sexuality and drug use, I found it funny that it was used in a commercial about mindless simulation. A week later, Reed is dead, and I am here writing a post I do not want to write. Seventy-one years fit the variable in Reed’s apt quotation, and, while the years seem cut off too soon, Reed once stated that he always believed he had something important to say, and there is absolutely no doubt that he said it.

Without Lou Reed, music is radically different. The underground New York rock scene of the 1960s – an extension of the crafty Beat generation – was instrumental in dynamically changing the face of music as an art form, and Reed had perhaps the grandest impact on this. One of the main reasons behind this shift was Reed’s uncensored lyrics. His sobsersided voice crooned about unconventional topics like heroin, drug dealers, withdrawal, and sex. While some musicians in the mid-1960s hid these elements under cheeky metaphor and symbolism, Reed just came out and said it. The Velvet Underground’s debut album, The Velvet Underground & Nico, saw barely any commercial success, but is now considered one of the greatest albums of all time. Reed, who wrote all of the songs (by himself or with other bandmates), scripted songs that still penetrate listeners like the cold tip of a needle. “Heroin,” for example, features lyrics like:

‘Cause when the smack begins to flow 
Then I really don’t care anymore 
Ah, when the heroin is in my blood 
And that blood is in my head 
Then thank God that I’m as good as dead 
Then thank your God that I’m not aware 
And thank God that I just don’t care

Lyrics like these were unheard of. Reed was the unmitigated voice of a popular underground of perpetual drug users, prostitutes, and eccentric virtuosos. The album, aptly recorded during Andy Warhol’s Exploding Plastic Inevitable tour, was a work sticky with Warhol’s artful experimentation (including the iconic album cover) and, despite its small initial draw, was so inspirational that Brian Eno once famously proclaimed that of the 30,000 albums sold, 30,000 bands were created. Quite simply, Reed and his bandmates (especially viola player John Cale) were almost fatidic – like musical Nostradamus.’ They bent conventions and complacency and engendered the youth to rise up and talk openly about topics that were affecting them. It should come to no surprise to anyone that Punk aficionados consider Reed to be a Godfather figure.

Not enough can be made of Reed’s impact and intelligence. He was a rare breed of musician – a transformer. He shook away common conventions and formed his own music to tackle his own personal feelings and demons. His religion was rock ‘n’ roll and guitar, as he said, and he was damn good at it. And while Reed was the first to admit that everything happens for a reason and when it’s your time it’s your time, it still is very hard to say goodbye to a musical legend like Reed. His music will forever live  with every clandestine artist, closeted individual, and so-called misfits, helping those in consternation understand that the only people who have issues are those who spew hate.  He opened up a safe, artistic community for everyone living in the “underground.” So … while there may be no consensus on what “Perfect Day” is explicitly about, I will reach to the lyrics “you just keep me hanging on” and hold on to Lou Reed as a musical inspiration. The world will miss you. I hope you are enjoying your walk on the wild side.

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The Music Court iPod Shuffle – “Bike” by Pink Floyd

26 Oct

Pink_Floyd_Bike

Have you ever wondered how the Music Court comes up with its vast variety of content? Are you saying the blog does not have diverse content? Who are you invisible, detached voice and why must you always negate me! Ok, I’ll stop my idiocy, but it is apt that I get into a disturbed state of mind prior to discussing Pink Floyd … usually. I emphasize usually because today we will be discussing “Bike,” which despite its unique oddness is a childish piece that is purposely humorous because of its psychedelic simplicity. Oh … and the answer to the somewhat haughty initial question is songs in our head and, today, as the title of this post suggests, a shuffled iPod.

“Bike” was written and recorded during the greatest year of rock ‘n’ roll in the history of ever – 1967. Argue with me all you want, but 1967 has the insuperable crown. It will forever reign as rock ‘n’ roll’s greatest year unless we have another musical renaissance, which doesn’t seem to be coming anytime soon.

Syd Barrett, the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of Pink Floyd prior to his forced departure from the band in 1968, may have very well been a tortured soul with mental illness ranging from schizophrenia to a cognitive disorder like autism, but “Bike” does not maintain that disturbed flavor. It is psychedelic. There is no question about that. The song is driven by eccentric percussion transitions (gun shots?), an oscillating theremin, and an eerie piano that sounds like it is right out of an ironic horror movie. But the tortured Syd Barrett who inspired almost all of Roger Waters’ songwriting for some time (“Brain Damage,” “Wish You Were Here,” “Shine on You Crazy Diamond,”etc.) does not permeate through this piece … which is a purposely childish love song.

Less than two minutes of utter goodness. The song was actually written for Barrett’s girlfriend at the time. Yes, “Bike” was written for a girl … the song with the line, “I know a mouse, and he hasn’t got a house.  I don’t know why. I call him Gerald. He’s getting rather old, but he’s a good mouse.” What? Can’t you feel the love? Come on! This or “How Deep Is Your Love” by the Bee Gees? Your choice.

Barrett wrote this song like a child because it is supposed to be a child’s love song. Think about it. The lyrics are utterly random, but the chorus constantly repeats “You’re the kind of girl that fits in with my world. I’ll give you anything, ev’rything if you want things.” Barrett takes on his inner elementary school child and writes a hilarious love song for a first crush. It’s almost genius if you think about it.

By the way, tell me the video above is not hilarious. So … now that you have this love song stuck in your head for the rest of your Saturday, go find a bike and ride it if you’d like, but remember I can’t give it to you because I borrowed it.

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