And After All, You’re My Wonder Brawl

Everyone loves a good scrap! Especially a public one with public figures

 

Rivalry, friction and music have gone hand in hand over the last century! If it wasn’t Mick and Keith falling out over Mick’s tiny todger or Kanye West trying his best to make a cunt out of Beck on stage during some pathetic award ceremony a few years ago (by the way, if I were Beck, id have seriously knocked that dickhead right on his arse that night), it’s always been present – just have a watch of the film ‘Dig’ courtesy of the remarkable fall out between The Dandy Warhols and The Brian Jonestown Massacre! It’s a fascinating film!

 

Even my brief flirtation with music and fame (ahem) had its fair share of skirmishes with fellow band mates, promoters and other ‘associates’. It just goes with the territory. Sometimes it can be funny and sometimes it can be a bit uncomfortable

 

But the best fights in music have always been the ones involving sibling rivalry! For example - the latest round of hand bags courtesy of the Brothers Gallagher has made captivating viewing! ... Or has it?

 

I know some of this spat has been funny, especially Liam’s quote about the girl in Noel’s band ‘playing’ the scissors and getting someone in his audience to peel a potato (which some funny bastard actually did), but you can’t help feel that some of this has been a bit smoke and mirrors!

 

Now I’m not particularly arsed about Oasis! What they’ve done is in the past and what they both do in the future really doesn’t bother me! But what does bother me is the fact that Liam and Noel always claim to be ‘real’ rock stars! Real northerners! Real people! But I’m sorry to say that this ‘spat’ just isn’t real and resembles something you see on Jeremy Kyle’s show!  

 

In the red corner – young Liam. Often seen as the Man of the People, I do have a lot of time for Liam as you can tell he absolulety LOVES being a rock star and no one is ever gonna take that away from him! He’s got balls, bravado and guts to back it all up! If there is one singer from any band in history who you don’t fuck with – it’s Liam! If you do try to fuck with him, he’ll almost certainly put you right on your arse with the prospect of a good kicking to follow! There should be more Liam Gallaghers in the world of music.

 

In the blue corner – slightly older Noel. Often seen a mouthy, cock sure bastard who could take on anyone in a verbal mud-slinging contest who would almost definitely come out on top! And, I’ll be brutally honest here – not my cup of tea and don’t really have much time for him as I see him as the school shit house who will start a scrap and then hide behind his mates (or his brother) and watch everything unfold from a safe distance! But hey – that’s my opinion! Also i wasn’t very impressed with Noel’s recent comments about Jeremy Corbyn! Seems he has well and truly lost fact of where he came from and is too busy fucking around on the grounds of his mansion with Bono and other celebrity Sycophants who blow way too much smoke up his arse

 

Everyone knows Liam and Noel have had a relationship fraught with flashpoints and controversy! The film released last year, Supersonic, shown this to be true. But this new found venom does seem very different! There’s more needle! But, and this is the but here, this seems to be taking place via the media and social media!

 

I know both brothers are a lot older now, but if this took place 20 years ago when Oasis started, it would have been settled in true Mancunian fashion resulting in a few split lips and black eyes!

 

And that’s my point – why the sudden ‘softness’? There was once a time when the brothers Gallagher would lash out and spark someone and lash a bottle of lager over their head! Now they take to Twitter or sit on a leather couch pouring their hearts out to Graham fucking Norton while drinking tea or expensive bottled water!!

 

So, Liam, Noel (if by the faintest chance you are actually reading this) – pick a date, time and venue, bring your boxing gloves, leave the media behind and sort it out ... like true Manc rock stars you claim to be!

 

 

Mol

Children of the Revolution?, Nah, they love the easy life!

 

 

I got a text last week from a mate. They are usually quite thought provoking and inquisitive, I’m sure he’ll agree! But this one struck a bit of a nerve.
 
The said text asked me “Eddie Vedder ... the most influential political figure in music over the last few decades?”
 
An interesting and somewhat controversial subject, I’m sure you will agree. But, there is meaning and a certain degree of substance here! Eddie Vedder - solo artist and lead singer of extremely superb 90’s grunge band Pearl Jam (sorry for using the word ‘grunge, as I fucking hate the word) is one of the very few musicians to walk the earth who actually has morals, integrity and, above all – respect for the industry and fans he represents

Now I’ve actually been thinking/working on this blog for a while, but, you could say, the afore mentioned text kind of got me thinking – where are the thinkers, thought provocateurs,  intelligent and damn right awkward scoundrels in music now a days? But, above all – where are the protest singers?

Now, politics and music, I’m sure you are all thinking – here we go again with another left wing political rant (see my Face book for more details). But, as proud as I am of my left wing roots and keen interest in all things popular culture, I have to say – they have both been missing a certain intimacy between the sheets over the last decade or so

But, back to Vedder – he is, without doubt, VERY political. I loved the fact that Pearl Jam stood up to the likes of Ticketmaster for ripping fans off and refused to participate in any promotions/gigs that involved them. Seriously good on them for that

But, ARE they political and WHAT does being a political artist, or indeed, making a political statement undertake?

Well, we certainly live in an age when everyone has a political opinion (ahem). Strange days indeed!

But, you get the feeling these days it is ‘trendy’ to be political – especially within the music arena

An example being Beyonce’s performance at last year’s Super bowl (or, Superbowel as I like to cal it). In case you never seen it, she, rather superbly, made a point about standing up for the Black Lives Matters movement. Good on her! But, without sounding disrespectful here, was she really standing up for black lives, or was she using her status, and stage, to promote her own persona?

Maybe she was and I’m reading into it too much, but with such uber-mega stars (yup – I hate using that reference as well), you have to question her integrity here! Black, and standing up for fellow black people, yes she is, I have no problem with that! But political, to the point of actually caring and giving a true shit about her fellow black brethren, I have doubts about that.

Doubts – the reason being as she really doesn’t have anything to lose! She could walk on stage with a dildo shoved up here arse and still be seen as a champion of women’s right! She could walk on stage holding a gun to a 3 year old kid’s head and be seen a champion of the NRA. She could.... you get the picture  

But, how, and when, is being political truly being honest? The answer is – unless you are a truly establishes, mega star, like Beyonce, you will never be given the chance to be!

The reason you will never be given the chance to be a political musician (apart from being signed to a label that will let you express your true thoughts politically) is that, quite simply, you make too much money to keep your fucking mouth shut!

 

Record labels do not want some Billy Bragg-type ‘Leftie’ spouting off about cuts to the NHS, austerity, bankers bonuses, paedophile politicians and a bent justice system, they want nice songs about, love, clouds, children playing, girls, boys, holding hands, laughing, drinking,

The labels also don’t want to hear about people taking drugs! Why? Because they are in cahoots with drinks manufacturers! For a singer/band to promote the use of recreation drugs instead of a nice, ice cold can of Budweiser, would be sacrilege (and will piss the promoter off no end!!)  

But, this is my point; singers/bands are paid too much to BE quiet! They are paid far too much money as in the level of what certain (decent) footy players are paid! They have it good! Why fuck it up just for standing up for the man in the street? The over worked nurse in the A&E ward? The under paid factory worker on a zero hours contact on a Sports Direct warehouse?

 
True political activist artists are sadly the established ones that no one listens to anymore! And that pisses me off!

As I’ve mentioned above, everyone is too scared to open their mouths these days! There are no more ‘thinkers’ anymore! There are no more ‘narks’ anymore! There are no more people willing to ‘upset the applecart’. But, as someone once said – we live in strange days!

So! To any ‘Protest Singers’ out there, we are currently living in an age when your rights are being abused and taken away from you! You are living in an age of a sexist, racist megalomaniac being in control of the largest haul of nuclear weapons in history! You are living in an age of crazy dictators pointing weapons at countries just because he didn’t get a blow job from an A List celebrity this morning! You are living in an age of your country leaving a union that has peacefully existed for more than 50 years both socially and economically because of the words of the knuckle dragging Murdoch reading Edge heads who believe the words of arseholes like Farage and Johnson! You are living in an age of when it’s ok to slag off the poor and under privileged, but turn a blind eye to banker’s bonuses and establishment figures that shag kids and stick their cocks into the heads of dead animals! You are living in an age of where you think you are winning ...... but the bad guy is always one step ahead of you ... and you think: “fuck it! Can’t be arsed!”

 

But, that’s the problem – “can’t be arsed”. “Cant be arsed” standing up to the bankers! “Cant be arsed” standing up to the paedophile politicians! “Can't be arsed” supporting an MP who has moral scruples because the right wing media says he supports terrorists!

 
... That’s gotta be food for thought!

... Go and get a pen and a guitar and I’ll give you a listen (and a thought)

 

 

Mol