I always find homophobia, especially in America, to be a combination of two extremes: the laughably absurd, and the terrifyingly tragic.

Absurd, when we see homophobic athletes hugging each other tighter than they’d ever with a woman, gently patting each other’s asses all game long, and even kissing, all under the guise of being absolutely straight “real men” together at war!

Tragic, in the case of the countless men who have been murdered, harassed, etc. because of being gay, or even for just being perceived to be. Of course, the Matthew Shepard murder is one of the first to come to mind. I’m sure most of you know the case, where twenty-one-year-old Matthew was brutally murdered in Wyoming simply because he was gay.

I was also quite emotionally struck by the suicide of Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover, an eleven-year-old Massachusetts boy who killed himself because he could no longer take the bullying and taunts of his classmates for being perceived as being gay. Right before his twelfth birthday in April, 2009, he hung himself because of almost an entire year of daily harassment, where of course, the school did nothing about it. I wrote an essay about it here on my blog entitled Still, there’s no liberation here.

So in the seemingly endless struggle for gay people to have equal rights in a country that prides itself on equality but doesn’t legislate or live it out, here is the latest installment in Mom’s Apple Pie homophobia:

A dating website dedicated to gay men called mancrunch.com recently submitted an ad to be run during the Super Bowl of 2010. In it, two regular looking guys, wearing different football jerseys suddenly realize their attraction for each other as their hands gently touch in a snack bowl while watching the big game. Then, they start mock-madly hugging/kissing, while a male friend of theirs looks on with his jaw on the floor.

Well, of course, CBS television rejected the ad – as if any of us couldn’t predict that one, lol. CBS claimed that they just weren’t sure of mancrunch.com’s financial holdings. Conversely, a representative for the website says that they have more than enough cash to pay for the ad. We all know the real reason why CBS cited financial concerns. Even though they won’t cater to gays and lesbians for this ultimate testosterone muscle-flexing fest, they certainly don’t want to offend them, either. So I’m sure there was some hush-hush meeting behind closed doors where executives deduced that the only safe way to nix the ad (without experiencing the backlash of the national and international gay community) was to express financial concerns — as if a gay check wouldn’t clear the bank in the same way a straight check would, lol.

From a business point of view, both CBS and mancrunch.com are acting smart, and handling this in ways that benefit their respective interests. In the case of CBS, running that ad would mean that they would receive countless complaints, idiotic boycotts by religious housewives, and a lot of sensationalistic pseudo-media controversy. The network would take a strong financial hit as advertisers would frantically pull their dollars like scurrying cockroaches that have just been hit by roach spray when the lights are turned on.

Imagine if the ad actually ran: regular beer drinking jocks all across this country would be saying, “What the fuck, man, what is this mother fucking bull shit – two dudes, kissing!?” Perhaps, hoards of television patrons may even turn off their TV sets in disgust, pray to Jesus a while to purify themselves as if they were washing away cooties on their skin, while the good ole’ boys could run out and get drunk to find some man-validating pussy.

We’ve all seen how the religious right can create such a stir by boycotting products. With their shrill, relentless, judgmental voices, they intimidate sponsors and television networks into conforming to their uptight, hateful values. Imagine the family scene with little toddlers in front of the TV, as their parents and grandparents gasp in utter panic as two men show sexual/ romantic interest in each other. CBS shows would be boycotted all across this country as fast as one could say “In the name of Jesus,” alongside similar threats to any sponsor’s products that advertised on the network.

Mancrunch.com’s strategy is simply brilliant because it’s presumable that they knew that this ad would never get on CBS television for the super bowl. However, in submitting it, the media is already extensively covering this story. This brought a huge amount of traffic to their website, which is exactly what they wanted. Whether they paid for the ad to run during the super bowl or just reaped the cost-free benefits from the exposure they’re getting in the media, they can’t lose, as this ad certainly went viral and brought a huge boost to their client base.

Here’s the proof: First, it made a splash on the internet Then, in recent days leading up to the Super Bowl, Larry King Live covered this story where they aired the ad, along with people on both sides of the issue who debated the whole ordeal. In that show, a representative of mancrunch.com claimed that they’ve had 50 thousand new subscribers sign up in just the past week, obviously from all the attention this story has gotten.

For the Super Bowl, CBS is willing to run a Pro-Life ad featuring some down-home boy-next-door heartland college quarterback in it. Yet, if they want to run such a divisive ad (as this country is so split on abortion), so be it – but then let the mancrunch.com ad run, too. There was an article that stated that CBS worked with the organization doing the pro-life ad for months, but the Mancrunch ad did not get that same consideration.

So as we see that even in 2010, prejudice, homophobia, and the divisive, hateful qualities of traditional America are still well in toll. In my case, not only was I abused virtually every day of my 12 years in school for being perceives as being gay, called a “faggot,” attacked mercilessly by both students and shockingly, even teachers as well. The abuse didn’t stop there: When I entered the world of rock n roll, I naively thought I had found a home. How wrong I was, as rock n roll, especially punk, is a very conservative, narrow-minded art-form.

My contributions to Chicago and the world’s musical history have been virtually erased, especially by the punk community, which is just as myopic in its vision as 1970’s corporate arena rock was. When I created punk, new wave and alternative in Chicago and broke all the rules both musically and visually, there was one big problem: I could be perceived as a faggot. Besides gender bending, I presented one of the most ugly, unflattering, unattractive physical presentations in rock history – and Chicagoans, at large, weren’t having it. Whether it was me stripping down to an old, musty one-piece old-ladies bathing suit with babushka, or people seeing my actual breasts, the punk community, especially in Chicago, couldn’t deal with it.

David Witz, a writer for the Chicago Reader wrote in February 1978 about the terror of a “faggot” like me actually representing Chicago. As truth be told, I was the only Chicago artist back then to take it to the national and international stage and was the first American artist to secure a recording contract with one of the most influential record labels of all time to the birth of punk, new wave and alternative music, IRS Records. Witz begged people to boycott my performances and flee from seeing me.

It didn’t stop there: over thirty years later in the historically inaccurate Chicago punk documentary You Weren’t There, released in 2007, my musical contributions to Chicago and world culture were purposefully and completely erased. Because of the gender-phobia/perceived as gay/not being visually stereotypic issues, instead of receiving credit for what I accomplished and started musically, I was lumped in with fringe local performance artists. Websites such as the Chicago punk data base have trivialized and marginalized what I’ve done as an artist, saying I wasn’t really punk.

It’s just the same old homophobia I experienced in my high school locker room, except now, it is by the rock and punk community who bend history more than I ever did with gender. It gives me renewed meaning as to why I wrote such protest songs as No Liberation Herein the first place.

We tend to think of acoustic musical instruments as somehow being natural and organic: like a piano, acoustic guitar, violin, and a drum kit – but in reality, are they really? Why are the steel pieces of a drum kit natural? How about the wood of an acoustic guitar? What’s organic about the cast iron that’s used in a piano?

Over the last centuries, we’ve seen an evolution involving materials that are used in the making of music: whether it is the hammers and ivory of a piano to the heavy duty strings of an upright bass, or even the enormous machinery of a massive pipe organ. Could there have been purists even back then who thought it was anti-human to produce music using anything other than the only true natural instruments that exist on earth: the human voice and the sounds of nature?

Then, after electricity came along, we saw the whole game change in the 20th century: microphones could amplify the voice and alter its quality; performances could be recorded and reproduced. Was it natural to amplify the human voice? Couldn’t a purist have thought it hypocritical for some machine to make a person sound artificially louder than they were actually singing?

Imagine how some may have felt when multi-track recorders were introduced. For the first time ever, one could record music, and then overdub (“add-on”) more music to what had already been recorded within the same song. Then, when multi-track recording become even more sophisticated, entire albums started being recorded part-by-part: meaning the drummer played alone, then the guitarist could do his part separately by himself, etc. Even though it ended up sounding like everyone was all performing together at the same time, they weren’t. What about purists who thought that everyone should be forced to play at the same time when recording, just like it would have to be really done in a “live” performance? Could this all have been seen as some type of fraud and technological trickery!?

I remember in the late 1970’s/early 1980’s when drum machines were infiltrating the music- making market. Even though rhythm machines had existed before on such instruments as the Hammond Organ, people in the late 1970’s/early 1980’s were starting to make records using drums and rhythm from a non-human artificial machine. Did it cause controversy? Of course it did, as many people thought it was a fake and bogus way to produce rhythm on a record.

In addition to drum machines that produced mechanically perfect rhythm, sequencers also emerged, which allowed musical notes and parts to be entirely programmed and executed by a machine. Therefore, artists no longer had to play their instruments. I remember hearing Depeche Mode defend their work by saying that music is about “ideas,” and not necessarily being able to play an instrument. There were people who vehemently criticized groups like them and Human League. These were artists for all intents and purposes who did not have conventional musical ability to be able to play an instrument, or certainly, not to any technical level worth noting.

Yet, now, rhythm machines and sequenced music are commonplace and just accepted as a part of our musical culture. You would hardly hear anyone today complain about a drum machine, or a sequenced (machine played) musical part. Why is that?

The reason is that people are like sheep – and whenever something becomes culturally engrained in our collective psyche, it becomes accepted. Even though people think of themselves as being individuals with unique viewpoints because of their loudness, rudeness, and over-opinionated jabs, the collective culture is easily manipulated. If something is done long enough and becomes popular, it gets established as part of the conventional aesthetics of the time.

It all starts with the kids who are more open at the time because they’re young. When they first heard groups like Human League and Depeche Mode, they didn’t say: “Oh my God, they’re not playing those tick-tocky precise parts. It’s done by a fucking machine!!” It sounded good to them – it was new, seemed fresh and became popular. Plus, many other artists kept doing the same thing. Therefore, it is now as acceptable as electric guitars have been for several decades.

In the 1980’s, Metallica and REM were also quite successful, but do we ever think of them as decade-defining artists? Of course not, because they weren’t “pop,” which is what defines musical history in the overall sense in any given time period. That history involves artists who have multiple hit singles, the general sound of music that a lot of artists are doing, and the music that the masses can accept which is always watered-down.   

The 1980’s is thought of as a combination of synth-music and heterosexual drag queen pussy-lovin’ “I’ll kick your ass, faggot, even though I’m wearing lipstick” hair metal, lol. The 1980’s was the first decade that openly celebrated and flaunted pop music that not only wasn’t played by a person, but also sounded artificial to the ear: synthesizers had repetitive, robotically fast mechanical notes, we heard programmed, fast hand claps that humans wouldn’t have done, there were some robotic voice effects, and drum machines that sounded like loud firecrackers popped out of a cannon, too.

I’m actually quite thankful for drum machines, as it gave me the ability to record my album, Best Kept Secrets that I released independently in May, 1992. Without a drummer, I was able to bypass a problem that could have wiped out the project. Because of my musicianship, I was able to program a drum machine to be anything I wanted it to be: from the feel of a real drummer to something deliberately electronic sounding.

I also have no problem with sequencers, even though I don’t need them. Anything that could be sequenced, I can play just as well and actually more quickly than it takes to be programmed on a machine. Every once in a while, I used a sequenced part on some songs to Best Kept Secrets, because I only had 4 tracks to work with as the record was done on a 4-track cassette recorder. By having something already sequenced, that mechanical part could be playing at the same time that I was performing a musical part, which allowed both the sequenced part and my part to be recorded onto a single track. Nothing like two for the price of one, lol! Is this clear to someone who doesn’t understand the muti-track recording process?

In the 21st century, the role of technology and machines in music has a far more expanded place than ever before in the creation of music – and some people embrace it, while others hate it with a passion. In reality, most of the music the consumer gets now is highly processed whether it sounds so or not: from rhythm machines and sequencing, to auto-tune pitch correction on the vocals, all the way now to the newest fad which are robotic vocoder voice treatments. Sure, auto-tune robot voice effects will fade, just as huge snare drums of the 1980’s became passé, but a new electronic machine-made gimmick will come along to replace them.

As I was browsing You Tube yesterday, I noticed a brand-new song that really represents what I’m saying here to a “T.” To anyone who knows music at all, it is presumable that none of the musical parts in this track were actually performed by anyone in the way someone sits down and plays a piano keyboard, and that at least the auto-tune robotic vocals were done electronically as well. Since it was machine programmed and executed, it would be hard to actually perform live. Check out Boom Boom Pop by Blacked Eyed Peas:

Another example is the biggest selling downloaded single ever for one week since Soundscan started tracking those figures. It just sold over 600,000 copies in one week, and is TiK ToK by Ke$ha.

In addition to vocoder voice treatments, the music on this track certainly wasn’t actually performed by anyone in the way you would see someone play a drum set or a musical keyboard live. A machine was programmed to do it. Because of the robotic, mechanical nature of the musical parts, it would be quite problematic to duplicate this song in a live show. It would seem that the choices would be to do what Britney Spears does, which is to have the band mime the musical parts like on a video shoot, or just run the track without anyone pretending to be playing anything and add some dancers.

Kids and young adults are used to this kind of thing as we now have more than a generation of music listeners who have grown up on perfect rhythm and machine-made music – not just well-played drums by a person with human feel, but mathematically perfect rhythm and musical parts executed by a machine. It’s now an aesthetic and a sensibility, and expected by listeners. Even if they don’t know so consciously, they need that “feel” to get into a record.

Of course, purists and older people are going to consider this type of music utter crap, but is it any different than a great drummer who saw drum machines as a cheap cop out back in the late 1970’s/early 1980’s, or competent arena-rock musicians who hated The Ramones?

However, with technology and machines being so prevalent in today’s music, it creates a weird sort of a dilemma for live performance as this type of music is not able to be authentically duplicated by actual people who would play or sing it. First, the sounds are so diverse and integral to the music and constantly changing, that you couldn’t get a “live” band to recreate that. In addition, the parts are mechanically perfect as programmed into a machine, so people playing them wouldn’t create a feel that sounded right. If there are electronic robotic treatments on the voice, how could someone just duplicate that singing straight into a microphone?

So what does an artist do? Perhaps Britney Spears knew it all along as she’s just lip-synched her way through her performances. Here’s a question: Would the audience who would pay to see these artists really care if anyone was playing, or even singing anything live? They may not want it rubbed in their face that the show is largely or totally canned, but it’s the product that needs to be perfect, not the reality or integrity of the aesthetic. Meaning, which would a kid rather hear: Britney singing horribly, a band who can’t match the sound and feel of the record, or hear pristine vocals and a backing track that was bang on? They want product-perfect, of course, and the experience of the concert to be right. That entails the music and singing being the same as the record and the visuals matching or being similar to whatever the videos are.

For kids today, music is thought of as a backdrop for the experience: of celebrity, the bigger-than-life persona of the artist, and the vibe – and that needs to match the record. Therefore, it might be better for these artists to just fake it live, where the “concert” becomes like a video shoot. For hip-hop, the backing musical tracks have almost always never been “live,” with at least the rapping being live. However, I’ve heard rappers double-tracked; meaning that there is a pre-recorded track of their rap mixed in with the actual “live” rhymes. To me, it’s ludicrous to imagine why that would need to be done, but I’ve heard it.

As this generation of kids grows into being adults, it will become accepted for music to be completely artificially made, and even performed that way. Again, it’s back to the sheep theory, which is that the collective culture will accept anything done long enough that becomes popular. Musicianship doesn’t matter to them, as the person who is the Producer or behind the machines becomes the magician, not the collective performing of a band of musical performers. It’s a different ball-game now.

On the other hand, many of today’s so-called “rock” bands who I’ve heard live have sounded dreadfully horrible. For me, I can really hear how auto-tune and rhythm corrected their records are. It’s as if the actual artist “live” sounds like a flabby, middle-aged second-rate wedding band performing a lame cover version.

Musicianship takes hard work and a lifetime of dedication, because besides the emotional and spiritual commitment needed, there is a tremendous amount of physicality that is involved in singing and playing correctly, and in today’s culture, people are lazier than ever. Could you imagine some kid playing simple scales at the piano hours a day, instead of learning how to operate a software music program that gives them instant results? I think we know the answer to that question in most instances. Even most of the rock bands of today can hardly even play a banal, basic guitar solo….

So as we move further into the 21st century, purists will complain about the current state of affairs. Who knows, there may even be movements of musicians who vehemently take a stand against technology to the degree it’s integrated into music today, but will we ever go back to a mid 20th century sensibility, where people played their instruments (whether acoustic or electric), and actually sang?

What’s next? I think we’ll see programs that you can tell what you want to have and it will create it for you: “I want a classical feel with a hip-hop beat and jazz chords,” and it will spit it out to you – all under the guise of being an original song. How about a program that could rip-off someone else’s song and change it just enough to avoid a copyright infringement lawsuit? It’s all possible—and probably in the works.

Back in the 1950’s, the question was actually asked if rock n roll was just some silly, adolescent passing fad. That seems comical to even speculate on now, but the same question can be asked about the role technology and machines will play in the creation, production and “performance” of music today and in the future. The answer is simple just as it was with rock n roll back in the 1950’s: technology and machines are definitely here to stay.

A young aspiring songwriter that I know was so impressed with Led Zeppelin’s songwriting yet couldn’t figure out how they wrote their songs, so he recently asked me where these songs actually came from. As songwriters, we’ve all asked ourselves these questions: “Do songs come from us through our talents, thoughts, and emotions? Are the songs we write merely based on absorbing and assimilating ideas we’ve heard from others?” Many of us have asked, “Is it possible that songs come from a higher power?” Some of us, including music fans, just consider it to be an unanswered mystery.

First, I want to let all of you know that I am not some Johnny-come-lately who suddenly discovered spirituality. The reason I say this is because I recall a fun night I had at the Metro in Chicago in the late1980’s when Polygram Record’s executive and Chicago area native Billy Cox invited me to go with him to see one of his bands from England who was performing there. At the time, he was trying to get me signed to Smash Records, which used to be a very successful label decades earlier. Polygram had acquired ownership of the label and was resurrecting it and looking for Chicago talent to sign.

At the concert, I remember Billy hysterically joking with me about how big rock stars get bored with being multi-millionaire egomaniacs, suddenly find God, then dress in all white and start stupidly running off their mouths about spirituality which they know nothing or very little about.

Some of you may already know that I have been seriously studying metaphysics and spirituality consistently since I was 16 years old and I’ve been extensively trained by highly enlightened spiritual masters. To many, it was considered a campy joke when I listed credits on my first records for spiritual guidance, psychic assistance, and astrologers, as certainly no one was really doing that in the world of punk, new wave and indie.

However, I was dead serious – and I knew back then that most folks would not associate being a hard core rock n roller, (one who has even raised the eyebrows of those in the rock n roll community) with understating the laws of the universe, being able to talk freely to the spirits of the dead, prophetically seeing the future, karma, past lives, and knowing what happens to people when they die. However, for any of you who really know me, you’re probably aware that I have always defied generic classification and stepped outside of the limits of what an audience would be able to accept – and paid for it dearly, lol.

So as I began explaining the spiritual truth of where songs come from to this young songwriter, I also felt inspired to also share this with all of you as it is something that has been clear to me for decades, and a great source of inspiration.

I want you to first think of eternity and how big you can imagine that to be. Then, think of eternity being created by universal mind: the mind that originated, created and joins all (yes, even those of us who feel disconnected, alienated and angry). Then, think of how big that is, and imagine for a moment just how many songs could fit into that infinite space.

Even for those who are non-spiritual and consider it to be corny, remember that I’m the one who challenged organized religion by writing the first blatantly sacrilegious rock song in history with “Sign of the Cross.” So I differentiate between spirituality and organized religion in that one can exist with or without the other.

Keep in mind that physics proves that everything in this universe is interconnected. Whatever a child is doing in India right now affects what I’m doing in Chicago — in real time. So if you’re having a hard time with the “spiritual” part, think of the provable truth that physics teaches regarding connectedness.

In universal mind, there is a treasure trove of infinite masterpieces that are just waiting to be freely channeled and brought into physical manifestation to entertain, enjoy, offer emotional catharsis, promote connection, provide social commentary, lead, enlighten, heal, and bring about anything else you can imagine! The artist is simply the vehicle to bring this through and should do so with utter humility.

Regardless of one’s spiritual beliefs, writing a song is a transcendent spiritual process, whereby our higher self channels the song directly from universal mind where all ideas originate from by literally plugging into this consciousness and bringing it through themselves and into physical manifestation: therefore, a creation! It’s just like plugging your guitar into an amplifier and Voila! There is sound!

The more the artist “gets out of the way” by surrendering themselves (especially their ego), the purer and more universal the work is. When the artist interferes with the process through worry, doubt, feeling blocked, self criticism, to opening their energy then shutting down, the more their personal stuff pollutes the creation. Let the song lead you on a wondrous journey; not you try to lead the song. To whatever degree your mind and spirit is truly open, the more access you’ll have to this incalculable treasure trove of masterpieces just waiting to be channeled.

Often, different artists who don’t know each other simultaneously “plug into” the same or similar ideas that exist in universal mind. Have you ever noticed how exact or near exact song titles and ideas appear in songs at the same time? I have. This would be where the songs were created independently of each other without either party being able to hear the other’s creations, as these songs weren’t released yet on record.

Or have you ever noticed how certain styles manifest in different parts of the world at the same time independent of each other where artists have not heard each other yet? I experienced it first hand, when I started dreaming of a new revolutionary sound as early as 1973 and started bringing it into style, sound, concepts and songs, which ultimately gave birth to the Chicago punk movement in February 1976. The Ramones were doing it in New York. In England, it was happening with the Sex Pistols and others there. It was also brewing in Los Angeles and many other places throughout the world.

That, of course became punk, new wave, alternative, then indie. Remember, this was way before the internet where information was instantaneous. For example, I didn’t hear the Ramones until their debut album in August 1976, and they didn’t hear me till they saw me perform at CBGB’s in New York in April 1977. Of course, the pace things cross pollinated at then was far slower.

Back then, it wasn’t just that people were fed up with long air, extended guitar solos and that in and of itself changed the musical world forever. These new styles and songs that came into being have always been present in universal mind as linear time doesn’t exist there as it does here on earth. So when it was ready to occur on earth, these new sensibilities were released into the ether for artists to channel and provide to the world as part of the natural evolution, growth and innovation that occurs in the physical plane.

For artists to be a part of this utter magic of songwriting and creation, they need to build and keep their connection with universal mind. It’s of crucial importance to not sever that delicate, precious connection for even a moment by closing your mind and shutting down, engaging in criticism of others or condemning yourself. Celebrate everyone, everything and be grateful for all the ideas you’ve been given as they are free gifts! Whatever criticism you receive should not be internalized, and perhaps more importantly, don’t attach to praise or approval as that greatly weakens you.

Every artist must keep improving their skill sets, fine tuning the process and continuing to grow, as whatever degree one evolves, just gives them a wider access to this infinite treasure trove of great universal masterpieces. These divine gifts are freely given and freely received by us on earth – from the spiritual planes to the radio waves that blast it back into infinity. Each and every song is a gift — a moment of divine transcendence which will then continue to be shared and experienced by all who are touched by its creation.

From universal mind to the songwriters who channel the work to everyone who is touched by these creations, it is an eternal connection that transforms all of us. Think of the first time you heard a song that just blew you away: it could have been the Beatles, Elvis, or a one-hit wonder. I recall a friend of mine, a great blues guitarist and photographer named Keith Boyan who had been afflicted with polio before there was a vaccine. When we first met around 1975, I remember him telling me how he started spinning uncontrollably on the floor the first time he heard Little Richard and couldn’t stop. The power of Little Richard made someone who had polio move – and in that moment he felt healed.

When any of us have been touched by the utter magic of music (which is all of us), it lifts us above and beyond our five mundane, stuck, heavy and weighted down senses into the world far beyond. Just like the eagle that soars high into the heavens above the clouds: music is cathartic, joining, challenging, healing, connecting, freeing, empowering and more. Whether it’s death metal, a sweaty blues riff, a protest song, a gospel hymn or anything else, it is exactly the same as it all comes from the same spiritual source.

That is what songs are all about as they “plug you in” and get you outside of yourself. They take you above to where you’ve never been before to somewhere magical, other-worldy and transcendent: physically, emotionally, psychologically and spiritually. You’re entire being gets lit up! Whether it’s Keith Boyan spinning on the floor to the great Little Richard, a teenager in their room pretending to be Mick Jagger, a young girl crying to a love song that touches her deeply, or a stadium of people at a concert unified joyously, songs are the one thing that cross all social, cultural, religious and racial barriers — all divides, and every sense of primitive tribal human prejudice there is. The “song” forever unlocks every single door – and sets us free.

As an artist who has pushed many an envelope in my career, I have been on the receiving end of vicious personal attacks, always disguised as legitimate criticism. Wouldn’t it have to be? If it is admitted to be merely a personal attack, the “criticism” loses all credibility or ability to be taken even remotely seriously. I get that…But would any of you think that Bruce Springsteen has recently had to face the same type of personal attacks — not from a critic – but from his own audience that paid to see him perform live?

What really shocked me, more than the hits I’ve taken, is a blog entry  I just read a few days ago, which talked about how Bruce Springsteen used to get booed at his own concerts by his own fans who paid a lot of money to see him during the Bush years. This was because Bruce’s political views were the opposite of the Bush administration’s, and when he would voice his own political views or sing songs that represented them, HIS audience loudly expressed their disapproval and booed him, as Bruce’s audience obviously endorsed the politics of Bush and all he stood for at the time.

So it goes to show that anyone who has ever created any kind of art gets attacked, even blue collar regular guy everyman Bruce Springsteen, (not just someone wearing old ladies’ one piece bathing suits and sprinkling audiences with authentic blessed Catholic holy water like me). I felt empathy for Bruce, especially because this was HIS audience doing this, not just some critic.

One personal attack I recall vividly happened back in early 1978 when a Chicago writer named David Witz unleashed a scathing story on Skafish in the Chicago Reader entitled: The Importance of Fleeing Skafish. In it, he begged and pleaded with people to stop coming to my performances, because he was afraid that the worst of all possible things could happen, which was that I would continue to represent Chicago to the rest of the world as I had already been doing and ruin Chicago’s reputation. Wow, I thought I was only disgracing my own family name, but I guess I was also actually disgracing the name of one of the biggest cities in the world, lol! Obviously, David Witz didn’t like who I was and felt threatened by the fact that I was the first and only Chicago punk/new wave/alternative/indie artist back then who was able to take it to the national and international stage.

He wrote that real punks couldn’t stand me, which is why I guess I’ve performed multiple dates with The Ramones, Iggy Pop, The Stranglers and that Sid Vicious came specifically to see me play in New York. Obviously, none of them are real punks, lol.

In the story, he claimed that my band could literally only play one chord together which is hysterical, as my drummer Larry Mysliwiec had a Bachelor’s Degree in percussion from De Paul University and went on to play for Iggy Pop. My bassist Greg Sarchet went on to receive a Master’s Degree from the Julliard School of Music in New York, which is one of most prestigious music schools in the world. He now plays for the Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and is simply of the greatest bassists in the world. David Prochazka, my keyboardist then, was highly classically trained and could have established a strong classical music career had he chosen to do so.

Witz tried to say that my value as an artist was merely that I couldn’t decide whether I was a 12 year fat ugly boy or a 12 year old fat ugly girl. But he didn’t stop there. He quoted lyrics sung by Debbie Harry of Blondie that had nothing to do with me and implied that these lyrics: “A case of partial extremes” were actually written about me, as if to say that Debbie Harry was dissing me in one of her songs—which is not only completely untrue, but a false way of Witz vicariously trying to back up his points. Debbie Harry and Blondie’s song clearly had absolutely nothing to do with me.

But here’s the best part: David Witz actually wrote that when I played with the Dead Boys in Chicago, they were clicking their switchblades backstage and said about me, “Get that God Damn faggot out of here.” But guess what? Neither of those things happened. There were no switchblades and no one calling me a “God Damn faggot.” Keep in mind that this was well before the days of political correctness, so Witz could easily get away with saying such a thing back then which he couldn’t do as easily now.

I have to say that the David Witz piece was the most vicious story I’ve ever read about any artist, (pardon me for calling myself one, lol) with possibly the exception of a Lester Bangs review of David Bowie when he did his Young Americans album and tour in the mid 1970’s. In that article, Bangs repeatedly referred to David as Dave as a way of colloquiallizing his name to make Bowie look like some average regular Joe as opposed to the great artist he is. Bangs also described Bowie as being like Johnny Ray on Cocaine, singing about “1984.” (Johnny Ray was a 1950’s era torch singer who had a huge hit with the song Cry, and was known for actually crying during his performances.)

And, as it is with most people, they feel better after they’ve unloaded on you. When someone punches someone else, rarely does the person who unloaded the blow feel sad, guilty or fearful. They feel triumphant like a boxer who’s celebrating knocking someone else out as they got to release whatever their pent up issues are on a receiving target and “get away with it.” It goes without saying that David Witz and people like him feel no cognitive remorse for what they do, because through their attacks, they experience an energetic release and a false feeling of validation, superiority and dominance.

So as the story goes, Witz didn’t ruin my career as he intended to, I ended up getting an international record deal, am alive and well, still doing what I’ve been doing since I was 6 years old and only wish David Witz all the blessings of life, truly.

But I get it. I have always been willing to go way further out on a limb as an artist than most others on many levels, so I have learned to expect that kind of attack – forever disguised as legitimate, perceptive and non biased criticism. After all, no one wants to look like they’re the ones with an axe to grind when they’re attacking someone else as it takes away their credibility and believability. Therefore, they do their best to be perceived as rational and intelligent while engaging in personal attacks.

With Bruce Springsteen, his experience reinforces the old mainstay that you can’t have a discussion about religion or politics, as both topics are ripe with subjectivity, personal opinion, bias, prejudice and emotional volatility. Even though these people presumably paid a lot of money to see him perform, they were willing to openly diss him at his own concerts because he didn’t agree with George W. Bush and the Bush policies.

So we see that this can happen even to a legendary performer affectionately referred to as “The Boss”; someone who practically everyone would view as universally likeable. Since this was done by his own paying audience no doubt, one realizes that the attacks simply don’t stop at any level no matter who you are. But guess what, ultimately, they don’t matter at all. If you don’t have the strength to be your own person and artist, this is not the business for you. There’s no reason to be defensive – but rather, spiritually and emotionally nonattached, so that your eye is on the real prize which is to simply be you, celebrate your individuality and give whatever artistic contributions you can offer to the collective with joyous abandon.

© 2009 Jim Skafish

I remember hearing David Byrne (formerly of the Talking Heads) say years ago that even though it sounded naïve, he actually believed that if you just put your work out there, people will find it.  A similar sentiment was echoed by Morrisey in a video interview I saw days ago on Amazon.com.  He was comparing the difference between classical music and pop music, and how pop music via pop culture is just shoved down everyone’s collective throat, while classical music is just out there to be found.  

If your work is a part of the pop music industry machine and force fed on the world at large, it gets out there, like a rocket, but that also entails compromise: having to water it down for the masses, censoring the video, bleeping out the words, getting misquoted by journalists and false information being propagated — all for the illusive carrot to sell records and be famous.  And if you’re “lucky” enough to be famous, then your ego gets engaged, values get challenged and you become obsessed with keeping the fame going, which waters down and lessens the value of the art.  It all becomes its own rat race.  With that process, the art wasn’t found by people – it was forced on them.

As the CEO of my record companies, and the artist as well, I have a very different concept and philosophy than the typical pop culture mantra of saturate the market and manipulate through the media if you can.  From 1976 to 1986, I refused all interviews, and later I tried to be open to them, but looking back at it now, I realize why I didn’t do interviews in the first place.  Being misquoted, misrepresented and distorted has happened to me in enough interviews since then that I’m seriously questioning whether I’ll do them anymore.  Some journalists have been great and have not twisted or misquoted me, while with others, I’m questioning if it was actually me they interviewed or a holographic projection, lol.  If they’re supposed to be my words, I don’t want anyone changing, misquoting, editing, or positioning them in such a way to alter the meaning to accommodate their viewpoint.  All I’ve ever asked for was to have my words be my words, verbatim.

My philosophy is one of simplicity, starting with always being true to the art, never accommodate the limits of an audience, don’t care what people think, and simply put the work out there in a simple, direct and sincere way.  Never pander to anyone for any reason and don’t prostitute yourself or be an opportunist, ever.  Make the spiritual journey that your essence is taking you on, and never be afraid to go wherever you’re supposed to and as surprising as it may sound I believe that yes, people will indeed find the art.

I compare it to living in the correct way as a person.  Why would I try and make people like me?  Either they do, or they don’t, and it doesn’t matter at all unless I’m out there hurting people, which I would never deliberately do.  I deal with my musical career in the same way – meaning, it’s ok if people like the work, or they don’t. Why would I try to change people’s minds?

If I sell one record, or one billion, it’s all the same to me.  Unlike any other CEO I know of, when undertaking a project, I just do what I feel and trust that things will work out.  More than anything, I have the great satisfaction of living and creating on my own terms, something that the music industry machine would never let me do.

I learned that lesson all too well when IRS Records (the label I signed with in February 1979) dropped me for not selling enough records after my second LP, Conversation, was released in September 1983.  After that, I started releasing independent projects as early as 1988 and have been doing so ever since.  I am so grateful that I now have my parent record label La Befana Records, and its subsidiary, 829 Records, and more than anything, the miracle of total creative freedom, as I have no one to answer to but me.

Just like when I released my first ever Christmas Jazz CD, “Tidings of Comfort and Joy: a Jazz Piano Trio Christmas,” in May 2006; and the 1970’s compilation, “What’s This? 1976-1979” on April 1, 2008, I have several new projects on the horizon that I’m thrilled about.  In pop culture, it’s all about trends, the fickle world we live in and the terror of getting old.  Anything created a few minutes ago is already considered old, and a year is considered ancient history…so everyone’s in this frenetic rush of creating and promoting ever disposable “art.”  

I have a completely different perspective of time – one that sees time as eternal and endless, and because of that consciousness, I am not worried, frantic, frustrated, or in a hurry at all, as I’ve been in this since I was six and will be in it forever.  I am so appreciative of that wondrous gift we call “time,” which allows me to just enjoy the journey, continue to create, produce and release new projects solely on my terms – and let people continue to find them, as they already are…

It’s a little after 2:00 AM in Chicago on the morning of 2-5-09, and I just heard the news that Lux Interior, vocalist and frontman of The Cramps transitioned into spirit. I remember him fondly when my band performed with The Cramps for two nights at CBGB’s in early December of 1977. For his performance, Lux was reading out of the TV guide, and made the funny wise crack of “Skafish, are you a boy or are you a girl?” At those shows, there was this fanatical female Cramps fan who screamed her guts out nonstop at the front of the stage during their entire set. In fact, she was so ear shattering that I could hear her above the PA system in the dressing room behind the stage. A few years later, both The Cramps and Skafish were in the first group of artists ever signed to the then new and fledgling, now legendary IRS Records. (FYI: Those very early records all said “Illegal Records” on them, off to one of the sides.)

Then in 1981, both of our groups appeared in the now legendary concert film “Urgh! A Music War!” The Cramps were filmed in LA, and Skafish was filmed in Frejus, France. Both his performance and mine were considered among the most controversial in the film, as proven when both of our numbers were banned by VH1 when “Urgh!” was shown on the channel in 2006. After all, his pants were barely above his pubic hair, and he was sucking a microphone like it was a big phallus. For me, I was mocking the Catholic church, organized religion and all of the hypocrisy and viciousness it has represented for centuries. So much for VH1 pretending to be a cutting edge rock n roll channel…

Great rock ‘n’ roll is often about great audacity, and finding your own singular unique voice. Lux Interior found his voice, was a true original, and was the most fantastic “teenage werewolf” I’d ever known. It holds up such a stark contrast to the pre-fab performers of today, who are as safe, calculated and homogenized as all politicians and corporate America. The danger, humor, cleverness, and charisma are what I remember about Lux and The Cramps, and maybe now, VH1 can put The Cramp’s number (“Tear It Up,” where his performance is riveting from beginning to end) back in if they air “Urgh!” again. For all of us who remember a real rock ‘n’ roll original, let Lux’s voice, attitude and style rock into endless eternity…

When I saw a blog entry on a documentary about Iraq’s first heavy metal band, I was absolutely intrigued.  Does the music sound Middle Eastern?  Are the harmonies western, eastern or a combination of both?  What does the group look like?  How could a band play the “devil’s music” in of all places – Iraq?  So I rush ordered the DVD…

In today’s world of pseudo-revealing-behind-the-scenes-access, and fake “tell all” exposes, the movie documentary Heavy Metal in Bagdad dramatically stands apart.  The story documents the tumultuous, dangerous and depressing struggles of Iraq’s only heavy metal band “Acrassicauda” (Latin for “Black Scorpion”), which formed in a Baghdad basement in 2001.

Finding it nearly impossible and life threatening to even perform in Baghdad, the band eventually began receiving death threats from insurgent groups and religious fundamentalists accusing them of Satan-worship because of merely playing heavy metal music. 

The film shows the band going through a run of really hard luck:  their rehearsal space was hit by a scud missile, living through debilitating poverty, and having to flee Iraq to stay alive.  Unlike Paul McCartney merely singing about being in a band on the run, Acrassicauda literally became the real band on the run.

Originally learning to speak English from listening to records by their heroes such as Metallica, Slayer, and Slipknot, the young band members possess an odd blend of world weary jadedness, which is juxtaposed against adolescent naiveté. 

I understand their naiveté, as all of us who intend on “making it” need to have it.  When we start our dream to be in a band, we must enter into a somewhat delusional realm:  “I’m going to be the biggest rock star in the world!”  Acrassicauda has that attitude.  “Rock stars, yeah,” they say about themselves while standing on a war torn and ravaged Baghdad street.  To make a record and tour with Metallica – that is their plan, and they mean it!  Yes, they would have to mean it, if they ever hope to have a shot of making their dreams come true.  And of course it is sad, poignant, and touching.

During their years of struggle before hitting it big, The Beatles had a ritual for this.  When times were tough, the morale of the band was low, and they all felt hopeless, everyone would look to John Lennon, and ask: ’’Johnny, where are we going?”  “To the toppermost of the poppermost,” Lennon would reply!   If someone looked at them back then, they might have scratched their heads and wondered if they were clinically delusional.  The same thing could be said of Acrassicauda, and practically anyone gunning for the big time.  No matter what level you are at in your career, you must keep that resolve if you hope to be a contender.

Acrassicauda has that kind of resolve.  When speaking of someone threatening to kill them one by one, a band member interjects and states that they must die together!  These guys would truly die for their dream to play heavy metal, grow their hair long, and do it their way.  I get that part too.  When my life and my band’s was in danger, I was unfazed – never thinking for a minute of backing down.  To me, it was well worth dying for!

But in the real world, where very few of us truly hit it big, people will mock those dreams, and flatly state, “Yeah, right buddy, get your head up out of your ass, wake up and get a real job.”  So either you stay with the blind audacity of your dreams with the ever present hope of making it and let others laugh at you, or you cave in and assimilate into the suffocating and imprisoning nine to five world.

Besides their naiveté, Acrassicauda comes across with a sense of jadedness, and it’s obvious to me where all of that comes from.  It is clearly based on them having lost touch with family and friends, seeing others killed, having no sense of freedom in their country, and knowing that they could literally be taken out at any minute.  From the relentless and debilitating pounding of danger, no options, poverty, and death, one learns to shut down – desensitization is the term.  In actuality, there is a chemical that shuts down in the brain as a way of not going into overload.  So after so much horror, one learns to numb the emotional shock and turn it all off as a survival mechanism.

I understand their sense of jadedness, and could certainly relate to it, as I have experienced it in my own career as well.  In the early to mid 1990’s, I was still teaching music to children in a government granted Suzuki Music program at the YMCA in one of the roughest neighborhoods in Chicago.  Within the YMCA, senior citizens were housed, and my former Skafish band keyboardist Javier Cruz ran the program.  I always dressed bizarrely, and oddly, the seniors, of all people, loved it.  I was sort of like the crazy fun court jester, and we’d always talk, and I’d buy them snacks from the vending machines, as they were poorer than me.

Since the neighborhood was always quite rough with gangbangers and violence, many folks had a cynical and jaded edge regarding violence and danger.  It was a way of life – like the day when I was teaching and one of my 13 year old students got shot right in front of the YMCA.  Then, in another shooting, a bullet intended for someone else went through a senior’s eye, and left them blind.  No one really made such a big fuss about any of this.  Sure, it was talked about, but there was not the predictable horrific reaction most would expect.  Exposure to repeated actual violence really shuts people down, so when Acrassicauda spoke in such matter of fact terms about not being alive tomorrow, it made complete sense to me.

With all of the drama regarding the “story” of Acrassicauda, one might wonder about the real issue here – their music.  From a musical point of view, the best musician in the band is Tony, their lead guitarist, who is quite accomplished by metal standards.  Marwan, the drummer, and bassist Firas are competent, and through more performing, would tighten it up a bit.  The singer, Waleed soon fled the country after the war began in 2003, which left Faisal, the rhythm guitarist, to be the new vocalist.  Their songwriting is already formidable, and if they ever had the ability to rehearse, write, perform and record freely, they might be able to become international contenders on the metal scene.  With all of the life and death danger they live with daily, one might wonder how the band can even keep this thing going at all.  It certainly has been a rough path to travel…

From 2001 to before the war started in 2003, the band was only able to play a measly three shows – and that wasn’t easy at all.  Then for a while after the war began in 2003, things seemed like they might just be looking up – as if real freedom could be within their grasp!  But that soon proved to be illusive, as the bloody insurgency began ravaging through Iraq and ripping apart the band’s hopes and dreams.  From 2003-2006, they were only able to perform three more shows, while struggling to stay together and stay alive. 

Feeling like they had ran out of options and fearing for their safety, they relocated to Damascus, Syria where they lived as refugees for a year.  They then moved to Turkey, largely based on international donations they’ve received. 

In their long hard seven years as a band, they have managed to perform a total of only 6 concerts in Baghdad, 2 in Syria, and 1 in Turkey.  Most bands would never be able to hang in there and stay together that long with such limited results.  For most people who are in a band, the main concerns are making sure there is enough gas to get to the gig and the hope of earning a few bucks.  For Acrassicauda, their main concerns are the fear of being blown up or shot on the way to a show, and wondering if the venue will have power that will actually work.  At one such Baghdad performance shown in the movie, the power repeatedly went out.  The stop and start was absolutely frustrating for the band and the audience. 

Acrassicauda started out as a band with a dream, but the war has all but destroyed that dream of expressing themselves in the way any of us in the “free world” merely take for granted.  In seeing the Iraq war through the eyes of the American media, I never realized just how indescribably horrible it seems to be over there.  I learned more about the state of affairs in Iraq from this single movie than from all other sources so far. Why?  Because simple hand held cameras capture it all, with no political propaganda in mind. 

It’s right there to see: While the band is standing on the street, guns and explosions go off nearby.  They don’t panic – this is just the way it is.  Entire streets of bombed out buildings line the city…not being able to stand in one place for more than five minutes, as one could get killed – and nowhere to turn for help.  The film crew is given bullet proof vests to wear and asked if they know how to use a gun.  They have a few Iraqi shooters with them to fire back if and when they are shot at.  Literally, Iraq seems to be in utter disarray on every conceivable level possible – like actual hell on earth.   

The band knows that hell all too well, which is why they first fled to Syria, then to Turkey, where they are still living by the end of the film.  Tony, the lead guitarist speaks in a teary-eyed way of how meaningful it would be for him to leave Turkey and go back to his home country.  Living in Turkey has been alienating and isolating, so the band laments about a dream – but is it all in the past now?  Will Iraq ever be able to be “home” to these guys again?  If they go back, they could be killed for leaving the country, the music they’ve been playing and the international publicity they’ve received…

As the movie ends, there is no clear direction or semblance of resolution in sight; but there is one thing for sure:  Acrassicauda changed history by being Iraq’s first heavy metal band.  No one will ever be able to take that away from them, and the doors they broke down through the blind courage it took to risk their lives will most certainly pave the way for other metal bands to emerge there.  They really do make all the other metal bands out there today look like mere posers. 

Followers are a dime a dozen – leaders and pioneers, who almost always go unrecognized, are few and far between.  In a world of conformity and false risk takers like artists who pointlessly act out in public, attack people, do something as foolishly self destructive as drugs, and get arrested for thug level crimes, Acrassicauda went where no one had ever gone before.

To be a pioneer is risky business, especially if you care about making it all work from a materialistic point of view.  Doing anything “first” hardly ever lines your pockets.  I know that all too well from my own many “firsts” as an artist – and it is a pill that no one would ever want to swallow themselves.  Yet so many people are rather cynical about the woes of unrecognized innovators, as if their suffering is meaningless, capricious and self serving.  (Most people choose to only empathize with others who have suffered in ways that they can personally relate to.  This “empathy” is based on shared and common experiences.  How many people have suffered as musical innovators and pioneers?  Those are a rare breed – thus, the lack of empathy.)

Musical pioneers and innovators hardly care about money – the desire for money could never begin to motivate the drive, passion, raw courage and transcendent genius that must be ever-present to facilitate the REAL forging of new territory – where no has gone before.  Add Acrassicauda to that list of those who went there – and this movie shows all too clearly, painfully, and dismally that to “go there,” you risk your life, give up your life, and you may actually lose your life in the end anyway…

Certainly, the collective mind set is ok enough with the current state of the musical union that things just keep rolling along without any drastic change in sight.  Of course, there have always been a multitude of artists and styles out there in any time period.  However, nowadays there are far more artists, styles, and records being produced than ever before.  New websites designed to get music to the world at large seem to pop up weekly, from file sharing sites to free services that make their money through advertising, to monthly paid subscription based venues.  The effect of it all can be dizzying to keep up with. 

But that reflects on our current state of the union culture:  rocket speed pace of life, more people with individualistic needs than even before, less semblance of unity, and each person wanting to define their experience with music exactly the way they want it.  But how much of any of the music created today is groundbreaking and great art?

If one is frustrated with the overall way things currently are, the question might be asked, “What might change all of this?”  As with anything that is culturally sweeping, it is multi dimensional, convoluted, complex, and not easily changed:

1-When the economics are as bad as they currently are, it puts a stranglehold on the industry, especially new and innovative art.  If the bills can’t be paid, money is certainly not going to be spent on an artist with a risky vision by the record labels.

As it stands now, many more artists are financially struggling, which cripples or destroys their careers, because they can’t make a living.  Innovative artists who could have enough of an audience to keep their work going in a better economic climate, have a harder time keeping their careers alive.  Let me add, that I have never been a materialistic person at all.  I have lived through horribly debilitating poverty most of my adult life.  What I’m speaking of here is simply the ability to make a living, so you can do what you do and do it correctly without having to worry about the “keeping a roof over your head” thing.

If the artist themselves can’t make enough money to at least keep it all going on their own, one has to take that most dreaded thing to every artist – the mundane day job.  If you can’t devote a full time effort to your artistic career, it will become more or less, a hobby, no matter how talented one is.

If the economic portion of the industry became solvent again, it would benefit all artists to one degree or another, as prosperity allows everyone more of a chance to thrive.  If there could be new vehicles for artists (especially innovative ones) to reach a mass audience, those who can really make a change are given more of a green light.

2-With the jaded cynicism and narcissism that is so ever pervasive in society as a whole, there aren’t many artists with a daring message, and the willingness to risk it all: not afraid to be mocked, criticized, and attacked. Most artists play it safe, and the ones with a tiny little itty bitty stylistic twist, are hailed as geniuses.  But that isn’t good enough to really affect a sweeping change.

Let me say, that as a supporter of all art and all artists, I endorse anyone who is creating and trying to get their work out there, and I respect everyone!  I am not a critic – I’m the one who has always been criticized, LOL!  There is always great art in any time period, and it can be found somewhere and sometimes between the cracks.  However, the overall state of the musical union is what needs to improve – to bring back the excitement that has shown itself at various times throughout history.

But this time around, I fear that it is not just cyclical as in:  early 1950’s pop boredom then followed by the explosion of rock ‘n’ roll – early 1960’s pop safety suddenly replaced by the British invasion — 1980’s hair metal clobbered by Nirvana, Seattle Grunge and alternative.

It won’t probably be major label artists shaking it up, as they are more formulaic, but rather, independent artists who only have to answer to themselves.  Yet it remains to be seen if an indie can have the impact of an Elvis, the Beatles, or even Nirvana.

3-With major labels collapsing, more and more artists are leaving the majors and doing it for themselves and / or striking new types of unique deals, including:  Nine Inch Nails, Madonna, Radiohead, The Black Crowes, Smashing Pumpkins and The Eagles.  However, they already have huge name recognition, which makes it easier for them to sell records on their own terms versus new artists who are virtually unknown.

Back in the day, recording an album in a proper studio used to easily cost in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.  With the revolution of home recording, one can actually own their own studio which can be purchased for thousands of dollars, and record themselves.  Now that physical distribution of product is not that big of a deal, there’s only one hard part that still remains: MARKETING!  Getting your music out there and heard, noticed, and ultimately bought is still a tough and difficult challenge, especially for indie artists.

For unknown artists, of course it is harder to build a sizable audience, but there’s a trade off:  With a major label, you may get more exposure initially, but you’ll sell your soul for it and lose control of your catalogue, potentially forever.  (Your songs might show up in a window cleaning commercial).  On your own, it may take more time, but at least you have your integrity, don’t owe anyone anything, and you’re in control of all aspects of your work and the way it is presented.  Plus, the more time goes on, the more the musical state of the union is becoming increasingly indie friendly, and the portion of sales the indie market occupies is ever increasing. This allows even the smallest of artists to have ways of getting their work exposed internationally through avenues such as My Space, You Tube, CD Baby, and Amazon.com to name a few.

4-With illegal downloading, theft, and piracy dominating the industry, small artists are like the poor – they get nothing and still have nothing.  If stealing wasn’t present, these artists might be able to at least have small careers – and to a lot of us, that’s at least something, and certainly better than nothing.

Medium sized artists who could have had decent careers spanning a long time prior to the rampant theft so commonplace today, collapse, or struggle to barely get by.

And just like the super rich of society, mega starts still make lots of money, and for the most part remain unaffected by the illegal piracy that is intended to get back at them — the perceived over inflated rock star.  Wouldn’t you agree that Mick Jagger and Madonna won’t ever go broke from any of this?

It represents a consciousness – that the consumer has taken control and gets whatever he or she wants – anyway they want it – hidden anonymously from behind their computer.  An artist’s copywritten music becomes THEIR music, all for free.  There’s a perverse sense of power that comes with ripping the artist off, especially the rich and famous.  And as with most people, when left to their own devices, do a lot of bad things.  If you had 20 hamburgers and 20 people, and someone said, “Ok, everyone, there’s one hamburger for each of you,” many wouldn’t eat, as folks would be gobbling up two, even three burgers.

The consumer now becomes king, where they select their playlist, and take it all for free, as they can’t get caught.  There’s a gluttonous pleasure in stealing and getting away with it.  And since it’s art, it’s ok to steal it, right?  There is still the ludicrous concept that if it’s really art, no one should make any money from it, or it’s no longer art, but commercialized crap.  However, if one can’t make money from their art, they won’t be able to produce it, plain and simple.

Most people who steal music won’t snatch a loaf of bread.  Why?  Because it is culturally acceptable to steal music and one probably won’t get arrested, as they most likely would when stealing a loaf of bread.  One can’t make the moral argument that it is unfair to rip off artistic creations; it is too culturally ingrained that it is A-OK to steal music, and hey, you won’t get caught anyway, so why not?  I like this one that I hear quite often:  “But if I steal your work it’s because I like it, so I’m giving you free promotion by telling my friends about you!” Please don’t do me any of these type of favors!

These people present themselves as the carriers of a new torch — this false “Brave New Frontier” thing where everything is just shared with the world on anyone’s terms for free and how wonderful that is.

But in reality, these are just people who steal from others, while killing the art and the ability to produce it.  Oops, I almost forgot – how silly of me — I mean, if it’s art, it should never be allowed to earn a penny, LOL! 

I personally like what Eric Clapton said best when he stated, “It’s as if I’m supposed to feel guilty for trying to make a living.”

Thankfully, that consciousness doesn’t represent everybody!  There are those who are happy to pay for the work, and know that it is unethical to rip people off.  However, the ones who steal make up a huge portion of the music audience out there.  Recent credible studies reveal that illegal downloading is 4 times more prevalent that legal downloading.  That is a sobering and staggering ratio!

This time in history may be quite different than other times when the music industry has suffered and bounced back strong.  Why? Because of the ability and celebration of the world at large to rip off artists and steal everything for free.  Plus, many of the countries who host this theft via the Internet and through illegal physical sales, are not bound by our laws.  So who is going to go after them to stop the thievery?  Many of these countries don’t acknowledge or respect our copyright laws in the first place.  We’ve never had this international problem in this way ever before and that fact changes everything!  This may not just be a matter of the music business being cyclical – this could be a long-term issue!

However, at this time, many in the industry are trying to scramble to find ways to stop the theft, whether through ISP’s going after thieves, to creating new laws on the books.  If somehow the theft problem could be solved, the industry would become healthier. 

In addition, and perhaps more importantly, is that artists need to go beyond what has been done before – not just through technology, but through message, craft, talent, discipline, passion, innovation, and the true champion of the human spirit – new ideas!  Yes, I believe in commitment, discipline, hard work and a lot of sweat. (After all, what would you expect? I was raised abusively Catholic, LOL.)

In those times of fresh innovation in the past, the entire music industry and world was elevated to a much higher level through groundbreaking art being produced!  When a phenomenon occurs, whether by an artist and / or a movement, we all benefit.  Let’s keep that in mind, and aim for the sky – not only much higher than where we’re at now, but so far beyond where we’ve ever been before!  It falls on the shoulders of those who have the guts to do it – independent artist and thinkers, who are beyond the borders of the sickening conformity that strangulates and suffocates the revolution and transformation produced by genius.
 © 2008 Skafish All Rights Reserved

Regarding the extensive use of technology and high tech trickery in the music business, we probably all remember how Milli Vanilli was busted for lip-synching live (and not even singing in the studio on their own records).  In the heyday of the MTV era, they were brought into the project to sell it visually, because they worked out, had ripped abs, looked cute to pubescent girls and could dance.  In Ohio, during one of their shows, the canned music started somehow skipping – and it repeated the same phrase: “Girl, Girl you know, Girl you know it’s true” over and over.  In fact, one of the members of Milli Vanilli stated that it skipped around 80 times, when he was interviewed for VH1’s “Behind The Music.”  One of the two guys ran off stage because he was quite embarrassed. 

Anyway, they were stripped of their Grammy Award and the whole thing turned into a catastrophe.  This career-ending scenario actually pushed one of the two members, Rob Pilatus, to take his own life at the age of 32.  Look, there have been so many people who have faked it all along – Milli Vanilli just happened to have gotten caught — and that wasn’t worth dying for.  I felt just terrible for Rob when I heard the news. 

But regarding this type of slight of hand, you might think that this is a thing of the past – Guess again!  Most of us still remember the Ashley Simpson Saturday Night Live fiasco that happened a while back.  You know, the one where she was gonna lip sync, but somehow the wrong pre-recorded track got started and the whole thing blew up in her face right in front of the whole world, and she briefly did her chicken dance.  Plus, she tried to sell herself as a wild rock chick with a badass attitude — belting out some real rock ‘n’ roll on stage!

Sometimes singers sing live with their prerecorded vocal and the actual live vocal is just slightly brought into the mix – therefore, they are “technically” singing live.  Other times, the lead and / or backing vocals are processed through pitch correction gear right on the spot so as the vocals are sung, all of the harmonies are perfectly dead on – so the listener hears perfect pitch and harmony, all thanks to a machine!

However, this story may sum it all up regarding technology’s place in all of this.  Years ago, after Britney Spears was big, but before her meltdown, someone I knew had a good friend who was the monitor engineer for a major Britney tour.  And he shared with me what this monitor engineer did on that tour. 

First, the entire show was canned – not one note of it was live at all.  The band rerecorded new versions of the songs in the studio that were to be performed on tour, then simply mimed them on stage.  This could have won an air guitar championship award, LOL!  Of course, Ms. Spear’s entire vocal performance was not heard by the audience at all!  So it was like watching a video being taped…

Between songs, the monitor engineer had to boost the volume of Britney’s mic, so she could holler things out like:  “CLEVELAND — I LOVE YOU!!!   HELLO CLEVELAND!!!!!  HOW DO YOU FEEL TONIGHT, CLEVELAND? – LET ME HEAR YOU CLEVELAND!!!!”  Then once a song started, the mic volume was turned off so the audience couldn’t hear her actually singing, and she would lip sync to her pre recorded “perfect” vocal.  Later, portions of her actual vocal performance (not heard by the audience) appeared on You Tube. 

But at one show there was almost a Milli Vanilli-esque meltdown.  Britney was apparently fake playing piano during a balled.  In the middle of the song she actually got up from the piano while the song was in progress, but the piano track kept playing — So she’s wandering around the stage, and the piano kept tinkling its own ivory’s – apparently it didn’t get noticed much as I never saw anything about this little debacle in the press.

Imagine her handlers the next day:  “Now, Britt, babe, baby, I know you’re really into wanting to give it your all onstage, and honey, that’s great!   But lovey, schnookums, you really can’t just get up from the piano when you’re sitting there, as it keeps going but no one’s there playing the piano.  What if the press found out?  I m-m-m-m mean, your credibility would be ruined.  Honey, please don’t be mad at us.  We’re just looking out for you and your image you know.  Just stay at the piano through the song, then you can let that audience FEEL you.  Oh, ho, then they can FEEL you baby when you get up and dance…

If you don’t believe me, just take a moment and click on this link, where you can hear Britney’s actual vocal performance from her HBO performance in Las Vegas!

Let me say that I am not here to criticize Britney Spears or what anyone does with their careers.  In fact, I think it’s great that she just won three MTV Awards a few days ago!  She’s apparently back, and let’s hope that she can find peace in her life and prosper again.

I just find it fascinating as to how much the public doesn’t know.  It raises these questions: “How much would people really go and pay to see a lip synched concert?”  “Would people listen to or buy records that are completely pitch and rhythm corrected from beginning to end?”  Regarding all of the technology involved in music making, I just think it is quite compelling that this is what it has come to.  Singers who don’t really sing – drummers who can’t actually play a straight beat, people pretending to play live who aren’t, or who only partially performing live and plastic surgery gone wild.  With technology, it’s merely a sign of the times – everyone having to look gre-gre-greeeeeat all the time — where everything is pre fab:  Personal trainers, perfect abs and every female being model thin.

There’s a lack of real quality present in all of today’s culture – so why should the art of the period largely be any different?  It’s mostly about appearance, illusion and show biz, just like old style Vegas.  Except today, you don’t dread being arrested because you may lose your middle America audience, you HAVE to be arrested, to keep your street cred, baby!  There’s nothing cutting edge about going to jail – it’s as predictable as heroin overdoses.  

Now, what the public gets are products that are uninteresting.  Even though these products are technologically perfect, they are in actuality, quite imperfect, as what’s largely lacking is the heart, soul and passion.  People really don’t buy into it much anymore, anyway…But is there a solution being sought, or are people more or less, ok with the way it all is?

Coming up next: Part 5 – The winner is…

Even though we now have You Tube and My Space, along with Facebook and other similar sites, the music business has become so much smaller, and the thing that a lot of people don’t get, is that as the profitability shrinks, exciting and fresh new artistic options also shrivel up.  Simply stated, one has to be able to make money to keep doing it.  (I’m sorry to burst the bubble of someone composing under the moonlight, tra-la-la, being inspired, and never having to pay rent, tra-la-la.)  This shrinkage also reflects upon the current state of society in general.  Not that society has gotten smaller; in fact it’s growing bigger all the time, but people are forever becoming more separate and disconnected from each other.

Society as a whole is more disjunct and fragmented than ever.  With the death of polite society and the increase of narcissistic individualization, everyone is about ME!!!!!!  This sense of today’s MEEE is smug, jaded, cynical, disconnected, self absorbed and detached.  Not that it is necessarily the worst thing in the world to be about MEEEEEEEEE (it’s better than physically attacking people), but society has lost any semblance of connection, regarding overall social concerns and the welfare of everyone as a whole. 

This sense of societal connection and concern for others may have never been as strong as people had hoped it could be back in the 1960’s, but it is certainly WAY less now; and in certain quarters, selfishness is even celebrated.  Just look at VH1 and E! Channel shows where it is glorified to be the most rich, ostentatious, self centered, spoiled brat on the planet!  There’s a sense of false immunity, privilege and the bogus good life that is presented with celebrity and even if the paparazzi kills you, you’re immortalized!!  But wait – stop – we’re stepping on sacred ground here and possibly engaging in sacrilege…The most eternal and pious question must be asked:  Is there anything in this musical world that could possibly be more important than celebrity? – LOL!

Instead of being about the substance of the work, the musical world itself is becoming increasingly more about celebrity (in the Hollywood sense).  What’s frightening is that the one thing that connects this physical world together, the one thread that is universal to all of society is — of all things — celebrity!  Peace on earth, everyone eating, health care, and helping the down trodden should be way more important to every single one of us than Britney’s meltdown, JLo’s twins, trite gossip, and meaningless scandals over sex and drugs etc.  With the fanatical obsession over celebrity, it reflects the type of music largely bought and sold:  shallow, vapid, more based on appearance and technology, with very little to do with innovation, integrity, passion, message, desire and real guts. 

In fact, so many “stars” who aren’t dedicated musicians simply use music as another vehicle to merely spread their fame wings, just like a nice little resting point to put out a record and hopefully make some more money.  However, we may see far less of that happening as real money is hardly made anymore from record sales.  (Here’s my marketing suggestion:  Switch to the clothing line or fragrance thing, LOL.  The titles are easy for fragrance: Fantasy, Passion, Intrigue, Illicit, Desire, Forbidden, Scandalous, Naughty…)

In addition to all of the above-mentioned factors, most people don’t realize just how much of the current state of the musical union is based on the roles that technology plays.  Most of you probably have no idea as to how much gadgetry, computers and technicians are responsible for what you hear and what is bought.  This is not the old days when drum machines were first introduced in the early 1980’s – this is almost unbelievable.

When I was recording my Christmas Jazz record: Tidings of Comfort and Joy: A Jazz Piano Trio Christmas in November 2005, one of my engineers on the session was telling me how elated he was to be doing the record.  So I asked him why?  He started gushing as to how refreshing it was to see real people play with no editing or technological corrections – real people feeling, trying, sweating and succeeding.  I asked him, “Don’t you do other sessions where people just – (I can hardly get the words out – it’s so archaic, I’m trying to push the dinosaur up a mountain and running out of breath – play and sing?”) 

He began explaining to me what he usually does for a living as an engineer.  He spends all day long pitch and rhythm correcting records by famous artists.  As he was telling me how each drum hit played by a real drummer — EVERY ONE OF THEM was placed on a visual computer grid and how he would have to go though every drum hit and correct them, so they would be of all things, in time.  (I know it’s a little too much to ask of a drummer to play a basic drum beat in time.  I mean, I’ve always been known as a slave-driving perfectionist…LOL!)  He spoke of it taking an entire day or more to correct the drums on one song…

Then he talked about pitch correction – where every single –  yes each single last solitary note, breath, and vocal utterance is corrected.  I thought, “How could someone call themselves a singer and not be able to sing in a safe and pristine studio environment for a measly 4 minutes?”  I was in disbelief – “You mean, all of the sounds out of the singer’s mouth,” I asked him?  “Yes,” he sighed. 

Then he told me that there is a studio which recently opened in Nashville that works 24 hours a day – not on recording, mixing or mastering.  Of course not.  How naive of me to presume such an out of date thought.  Its entire function is to rhythm and pitch correct records.  What ever happened to voice lessons, practice, and getting better at your craft?  I swear, I almost fell out of my chair right then and there.

But what surprised me even more, is how all of my engineers looked at me with the vibe of, “What’s the problem?  Didn’t you know this is the way it is nowadays?”  They were so used to this type of thing that they were jaded to the practice of it….

So when you hear a record, listen to hear if it sounds perfect – not just excellent as a classical orchestra sounds, but mechanically perfect  – no variations, no volume changes, the vocal sounding scientifically perfect, the rhythm having not even the slightest variation – this is what it has come to today!  Remember, these records won’t sound like a robot doing them – the industry is much too clever for that – it’s the aural equivalent of looking at a perfectly air brushed photograph, where all blemishes and flaws, wrinkles are removed yet done in such a way that still remains believable.  And these are not musically complex records at all.  Hello?  Does anyone make those anyway anymore?  We’re talking about making records that are not technically challenging to perform as an artist.  So if these “stars” really can’t play and sing the way they are falsely portrayed to do on records, “What happens live,” you might ask?  Well that can be a very interesting, and a potentially quite embarrassing question!

Coming up next: Part 4 – Oops, Britney does it again