c250
Just when you thought Columbia 250th celebration was dying down, the US Postal Service announces an official US Postal Service C250 Postcard. That’s right, our shit is blowing up. Maybe soon, we will be a well-known university.
Archive for February, 2004
grey tuesday
I don’t think I agree with much of the rumblings surrounding the crackdown on distribution of DJ Danger Mouse’s Grey Album. Several sites (waxy and kottke, notably) have taken stances that this sort of sampling should be allowed and not constricted.I think many people’s stances smacks too much of “take down the Man ” rhetoric. Taking into account recent anti-corporation grandstanding, the scenario leads easily to thinking the artist, the common man, are in the right, and the giant corpo-monger EMI is being big and oppressive by siccing lawyers, armored cease and desist letters, on people.
Maybe a re-arrangement of the situation will be illuminating. If it was the surviving members of the Beatles protesting the unauthorized use of the White Album, would the open-up-the-copyright position remain the same?
Copyright protection is important. Suppose these protestors were granted the copyright freedom they seek. Couldn’t an ad agency come along and begin co-opting musical classics for their jingos and tv spots? Remember the furvor when Nike used the Beatles’ “Revolution” to sell sneakers (with actual permission from property holder Michael Jackson)? This is what copyright does. It protects your hard work from someone that would pollute and dillude your art without your permission.
Feb 25th update: Grey Tuesday made The Times today.
boob tube
Been mulling over the whole Janet Jackson incident. To me, this is an interesting case study for journalism. What is a controversy? Who is responsible for making it so? Are journalists able to make self-fulfilling declarations?
These questions arise because this entire incident seems completely overblown to me. And I am sure it feels that way for many people. So what? There was a stunt and her breast was exposed for a split second. (Many people probably did not witness the flash live; but only in news-room replay.) CBS received some phone calls. FCC chairman Mike Powell was pissed off (yeah, as if the Superbowl is a classy event to begin with… american football has got to be on the crudest and unrefined sports in existence.) Are journalists justified in declaring this a controversy of such magnitude?
I don’t think they are. Personally, it ticks me off that journalists have the power to manipulate the general topics and levels of discussions of the popular culture. It’s unfortunate that when you broadcast the news, you also make the news.
Super Blow XXXVIII
Well, that was a fairly exciting Super Bowl. The commercials, on the other hand, were uniformly uninspired. You can find a catalog of them at ifilm, if you would like to peruse the marketing equivalent of ass.
And wtf was the half time show? It was a lame medley of late 90’s hits. Nelly -> Hot in Herre; P. Diddy -> Mo Money Mo Problems; Kid Rock -> Bawitdaba; Janet Jackson -> mid 90’s hit that is unidentified by me. The only recent act was J Timber’s Rock Your Body which was a single last year. Man, that kid’s body knows rhythm. It was raised to move, and it does.
Oh yeah, and someone’s boob came out. And JT liked it.
and mushrooms
Just had to share the badger badger badger badger badger.