At some point it might be of good cause to examine the relevancy of ideas as posited by the immense peanut galleries of repeaters, high-fivers, and other sheep like movements that lead us so boisterously into meaninglessness. We’ve seen the politicians they praise as well as the wars they used to be so against when it was popular to voice such opinions. Moreover, a band worth its salt doesn’t need to be oversold and surely those with discernment will look back at our age and see the annihilation of the counter-culture, not the counter-culture coming to fruition. This is the great hoax of our era. Throughout history transcendent ideas and remarkable art have been the results of headstrong individualism not blind kowtowing.
Category Archives: Musings
The pitfalls of overhype
Glen Campbell:: Country Boy and tales from the illustrious highway
I like to tell my suitors that the first step in beginning to overcome personal demons, and we all have them, is to first let them surface and admit they exist. From there I am often met with more than a few tales that come close to making me cringe. Still, the exercise allows one to gain some momentum towards parity with the demons.
I get the news I need from the weather report.
http://www.myspace.com/glencampbell
Summer and never seeing you again
The other day, I realized that I had yet to engage my typical freewheelin’ summer attitude. The winter doldrums left me impaled with unquenched desire coupled with the tragic caveat of no direction. I’m due to shed a few layers of psychic debree, …destroy some walls and build anew for a more efficient and fanciful predicament. Really, I just need to stop following politics and the subsequent mass of outrageous lies propped up by a media that tends towards the “least likely” conclusion over the obvious truths. The founding fathers were against professional politicians; now, that is all we have in this land. On another note, I’m sure gas will be $4+ in no time again, and we’ll have six million excuses and no idea why.
Aren’t we all disgusted with telemarketing?
I can unequivocally state that I have never met one person who appreciates telemarketing calls. These days I receive them on my cell phone, and they are generally calls about some expiring warranty that I never had in the first place, or some credit help I haven’t requested. I don’t know where these people get our numbers, though my suspicion is that they get the info from our credit card companies. Perhaps our so inspired government can do something that really benefits us all and finally make telemarketing illegal. No one likes this s**t and it is always some kind of scam.
this is the latest number that called me:
206-855-4743
Spring or Summer is upon Us
All winter long I dealt with cabin fever by escaping to the city as much as possible. Over the weekend, a rare 98 degree day with no humidity hit with the resulting force of outdoor barbecues featuring London Broil, the roar of Bike Week, and other amenities. Needless to say, I’m back in paradise remembering why I moved to a remote little town off the coast where the music is as mediocre as expected. After the summer I’m planning to head back to the city for good, whether that be LA or NYC. We will see where the muse lurks.
Who is the DMCA helping by taking down Alela Diane and Telepathe from this site?
Last week, I received my second Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DCMA) take down notice from Google regarding a post on Telepathe that was up for only a few days. The post consisted of tour dates and a Lauren Flax remix that were both sent to me by Telepathe’s N. American record company, with the purpose that I might publish them up on my site (notice can be seen below). I immediately talked to my contact at Telepathe’s label here in the states, and was informed they had nothing to do with the action. Of course, I didn’t think Telepathe’s label wanted this stuff taken down, because they sent it to me.
A month prior, I had an Alela Diane post taken down in a similar manner. The Alela Diane post included a song from her latest album (supplied by her N. American record company, sent directly to me) and tour dates removed by the DMCA.
By the time Google sends a notice, said posts have already been deleted and cannot be retrieved. I have no recourse with these takedowns, even though they’re frivolous and most harmful to the artists. I don’t blame Google; they don’t want to be sued so they deal with these issues in the simplest manner available by removing suspected posts entirely.
I have never knowingly posted anything illegal on this site. There are plenty of places to steal entire albums and anything else under the sun on the internet. Not Here.
The DMCA seems to be helping the same folks who historically have benefitted from that sinister combination of lawyers and music, and it isn’t the artists. In fact, the history of rock and pop music is a long and sordid tale of artist abuse at the hands of record company and management. I remember as a young music buck having a Maximum RockNRoll, and on the cover was a man holding a gun in his mouth with a caption reading, “Some Of Your Friends Are Already This Fucked.” The relevant feature was an article with Steve Albini on how many ways artists get screwed by major labels.
That was a long time ago, but I’m not sure how much has changed when fans are being sued, and Alela Diane and Telepathe are having quite legal features being taken down. Surely someone would have fallen in love with these artists.
Parasites & Sycophants will be moving to its own domain very soon, before this whole site and its thousands of posts are removed.
This is the Telepathe notice:Blogger has been notified, according to the terms of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), that certain content in your blog infringes upon the copyrights of others. The URL(s) of the allegedly infringing post(s) may be found at the end of this message.
The notice that we received from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) and the record companies it represents, with any personally identifying information removed, will be posted online by a service called Chilling Effects at http://www.chillingeffects.org. We do this in accordance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Please note that it may take Chilling Effects up to several weeks to post the notice online at the link provided.
The IFPI is a trade association that represents over 1,400 major and independent record companies in the US and internationally who create, manufacture and distribute sound recordings (the “IFPI Represented Companies”).
The DMCA is a United States copyright law that provides guidelines for online service provider liability in case of copyright infringement. We are in the process of removing from our servers the links that allegedly infringe upon the copyrights of others. If we did not do so, we would be subject to a claim of copyright infringement, regardless of its merits. See http://www.educause.edu/Browse/645?PARENT_ID=254 for more information about the DMCA, and see http://www.google.com/dmca.html for the process that Blogger requires in order to make a DMCA complaint.
Blogger can reinstate these posts upon receipt of a counter notification pursuant to sections 512(g)(2) and 3) of the DMCA. For more information about the requirements of a counter notification and a link to a sample counter notification, see http://www.google.com/dmca.html#counter.
Please note that repeated violations to our Terms of Service may result in further remedial action taken against your Blogger account. If you have legal questions about this notification, you should retain your own legal counsel. If you have any other questions about this notification, please let us know.
Sincerely,
The Blogger Team
Affected URLs:
http://parasitesandsycophants.blogspot.com/2009/04/telepathe-dance-mother-and-us-tour.html
http://www.myspace.com/telepathe
http://www.aleladiane.com/
http://www.myspace.com/alelamusic
http://telepathemusic.com/
Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton passes on
Ron Asheton, the guitarist and bassist for The Stooges, was found dead today at 60. Asheton’s body was discovered on a sofa, and appeared to have been dead for at least several days. Asheton was a founder member of The Stooges, along with his brother Scott Asheton, Dave Alexander and frontman Iggy Pop.
New Beginnings
Hope everyone had a great New Year. In reference to delays, I spent all day yesterday getting this new computer up to specs, and should be in full bore by the end of the day. Finally, this isn’t the seventies anymore – grooming should be a necessity.
The Year in Review:: 2008
1. Bon Iver For Emma, Forever Ago
Good Winter. The rare record that makes you want to bust out of your own skin with such moments leaving the soul blissfully screaming towards critical mass. What is also so impressive about Bon Iver is the evolution the music from For Emma, Forever Ago went through as a live entity in 2008. Would you really rush out? Psychic Decompression.
video:
The Wolves (Act I & II)
http://www.myspace.com/boniver
http://www.boniver.org/
http://www.jagjaguwar.com/
2. The Week That Was
I don’t mean to say it’s all about the drums. However, the opening moment on The Week That Was is the hook and its all drums.
video:
Scratch The Surface
http://www.myspace.com/theweekthatwas
3. The War On Drugs Wagonwheel Blues 
With that harmonica and talk of turkish carpets, how could you resist this one?
video:
Needle In Your Eye
http://www.myspace.com/thewarondrugs
http://www.secretlycanadian.com/
4. Duffy Rockferry
In 2008 the lovely Duffy presented us with her debut, Rockferry. Not just vacant sixties redux, Rockferry, still has lessons to teach and magic to conjure. Where is the video for the finest track – “Hanging On Too Long.” Iskha
video:
Warwick Avenue
http://www.iamduffy.com/
http://www.myspace.com/duffymyspace
5. M83 Saturdays=Youth
http://www.myspace.com/m83
http://www.ilovem83.com/
http://www.mute.com/
6. Wolf Parade At Mount Zoomer
http://www.myspace.com/wolfparade
http://www.subpop.com/
7. Paul Weller 22 Dreams
http://www.paulweller.com/
http://www.myspace.com/paulweller
8. Fleet Foxes
http://www.subpop.com/
http://www.myspace.com/fleetfoxes
9. TV On The Radio Dear Science
http://www.tvontheradio.com/
http://www.myspace.com/tvotr
10. Land of Talk Some Are Lakes
http://www.landoftalk.com/
http://www.myspace.com/landoftalkmtl
http://www.saddle-creek.com/
Jennifer O’Connor: "Sister" for Stand Up to Cancer
Jennifer O’Connor recently donated her song “Sister” to the Stand Up to Cancer organization. Stand Up in turn commissioned an appropriate video for the song. One might ask when the last time our lovely pharmaceutical industry produced a major cure or vaccine? I know a lot of medicines are of value, but much of it is about masking symptoms. Really what they do is suck every bit of money they can out of the families of very sick people, knowing they will pay for the slightest measure of hope. I’d like to see some real CHANGE, not the kind that comes without description while leaving the masses foaming at the mouth for no real reason. Just think – your dead parent, sister, or brother, paid for someone to buy a high-end Mercedes and build giant homes while simultaneously enabling them to act like they are making vital contributions to the world. Are these your kind of heroes? There may not be any real help for you if you’re sick, but that won’t stop them from undermining your bank account. In 1971 President Nixon declared war on cancer. Considering the powerful position of the pharmaceutical industry, one might beg the question as to what would be the motivation for actual cures? Sure would cut off a lot of revenue, but then again here we are thirty-seven years later. Progress.
http://www.standup2cancer.org/
http://www.jenniferoconnor.net/
http://www.myspace.com/jenniferoconnor
Musings:: Paul Weller:: 50 & 22 Dreams
When the legendary icon Paul Weller was once asked in an interview what he would change about himself if he could, he replied “three more inches, so then it would be twelve.” Paul Weller, now fifty, is certainly music royalty and few match his output, perhaps even fewer match his epic nature. He is a rock star – - and the rarest kind; the sort where you look at him on stage and repeatedly tell yourself you could never be like him, while you fall into the amazement brought by the light that breaths off of him on stage, making him seem even more god like and fierce. Replying to the idea of a Jam reunion, Weller in typical fashion said something along the lines of “you can’t relive the past…I thought we were all against it.” That pretty much sums up my thoughts on all old great bands getting back together; with the point being that whether you’re 40 or 50 you don’t feel the same way as you did when you were 20 and you hopefully aren’t still fighting the same battles. Of course, why does something have to be permanent to be great, and the music lives on regardless. Paul Weller’s new album 22 dreams is easily one of his best in nearly two decades of solo work.
video through the years:
Paul Weller – 22 dreams
Paul Weller – Heavy Soul
The Style Council – You´re The Best Thing
The Style Council – Have You Ever Had It Blue?
The Jam – Town Called Malice
The Jam – Down In The Tube Station At Midnight
http://www.paulweller.com/
http://www.myspace.com/paulweller
