“What happened to the (record label) guy who said, ‘Oh, my god. Rush’s “Moving Pictures.” This is great.’ Now they’re just trying to save their own jobs. I do believe it’s part of some corporate genocide. Sorry if any of you are involved in the conspiracy. Or better yet, take some responsibility for yourself. Demand more from yourself, demand more from your artist, demand more from your music. Don’t accept. Demand more.”
Instead, too much of what is created and produced is static, Green said, comparing it to “standing still.”
The music industry needs more provocateurs, more artists daring to take risks, it needs to be more dangerous and more challenging.
This is one of the messages delivered by CeeLo Green at this year’s SXSW in an interview. Have a read of the entire interview with NPR music editor Frannie Kelley, it’s worth it!
We agree! Today’s music is sadly lacking in balls, to put it bluntly. What happened to the Dylan’s of our time? Where are the artists singing about the Ukraine right now and rallying public opinion on hot political and humanitarian issues? U2 had a good run at it; the angry young men shouting to be heard about world injustice rather than personal injustice.. Green Day, Billy Talent, Alice in Chains, Drowning Pool all sang of issues locally, regionally, globally.. but those righteously indignant young men grew up and as Bono says – he gets better results meeting with the policy makers than standing on the sidewalk with a placard. Today’s youth for the most part, is too absorbed with likes, friends, followers and the endless Selfies than with global issues. The music reflects this – spineless, mono chromatic, homogeneous, nondescript tunes that crowds bob and weave to without having to break a sweat dancing, or pop a brain cell thinking about.
Rock is dying off due to the demographic CeeLo Green talks about in the article.. and rock has long been the conscience of the people. There is hope. Rock is trying to make a comeback in places it was chased out of, and there ARE artists out there saying fuck the demographic. People like Frankie Whyte and her Dead Idols band thank god, and if enough of those at SXSW were positively affected by the grittier music they experienced then hope continues to grow. Feel free to share NPR’s interview with all your friends, musicians or otherwise. Maybe we can swing this boat around.
*image courtesy of Reuters
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