Ah, blog comments. They’re a great place to let off steam, don’t you think? Find a post you disagree with and go let rip. Who doesn’t love doing that?
Only anybody with half a brain and some impulse control.
Yesterday I recieved two comments from a guy called robert. I won’t be revealing his email address, although an evil voice in my head is telling me to do so, because that would be unethical. I will, however, be posting his comments and my reply up here for everyone to see because in writing the reply i haven’t thrown up anything here on the blog and soon i must venture into town in search of a turkey and an elf hat.
First, his comments. They appear on two different blog posts. The fact that he took the time to look at two posts and leave two different comments that say basically the same thing warms the cockles of my heart, it really does. I’m just gonna mash them into one for the sake of brevity. Here they are:
Nice to hear educated debate.
Why was rage against the machine selected to go against the X Factor
It isn’t British
It isn’t any good.
Apart from that -exactly what point did it make???
Sad people.
Pity it wasn’t about music – rage against the machine is a bit of drivel that wouldn’t get airplay otherwise.
I’m not an x factor supporter but this isn’t people power – and why not pick a british act??????
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Okay, now apart from his personal attacks on me and everyone else who got behind this campaign he does raise a few interesting points. Well, one interesting point. okay, half an interesting point. It amuses me that I mentioned brevity earlier, because here is my long ass reply:
really? I have to deal with someone like you when I’ve just gotten up? When I’ve barely had a slurp of coffee?
Jeez.
Why the hell not. Isn’t that what christmas is all about? Dealing with assholes? I mean, usually your related to them, but whatever.
you want educated debate? I could write you a 3000 word essay if you like, detailing the further decline in popculture that has been wrought by shows such as the X-factor. I could give you a history of xmas number one. For example how The Pogues were pipped to the number one spot by the Pet Shop Boys. Can anyone even remember that pet shop boys track? Fairytale of New York, on the other hand, is a xmas classic. Hell, It’s the only song that gets played around xmas that I can appreciate without bludgeoning myself over the head with a frozen turkey leg for 20 minutes. The xmas number one has always, in my opinion, sucked. Not this year though. This year it’s a song i actually like.
The song in question, Killing in the Name, is off rage’s debut album which came out in 1992. When released as a single back then it reached number 25 in the UK chart.
it’s 17 years old.
It boggles my mind just how many people haven’t heard of Rage against the Machine, it really does. I guess it just goes to show that if you don’t like rock or metal you live in ignorance of such acts. Of course, if you don’t like pop music chances are you’ve still heard of many of the acts because your beating senseless by their music from all angles. Radio, TV, adverts, newspapers, blah blah blah.
Why rage against the machine? They ain’t british, this is true. You’d have to ask the married couple that started the facebook campaign. Maybe they’ll get interviewed in the coming weeks. Maybe if you dig about on the facebook group you could find out. It is, perhaps, Rage against the Machine’s political stance that lead the couple to choose them. If you look into their history, say, on wikipedia you can see that they have a long history of political activism. You could of course state that how can they be anti-capitalism/anti-consumerism when they’re signed to Sony/BMG and their music is itself a consumer item? Well, here at Either/Or/Bored we reject such black and white interpretation, it’s kinda what the blog title means. Also, you might want to look up irony in the dictionary.
Then again, maybe it is the refrain that appears at the end of the track. “Fuck You, I won’t do what you tell me.” – a statement in this case that has to be directed and simon cowell and his x-factor offspring. It resonates quite well, don’t you think? Again, we get irony as well, as a bunch of people have basically done what this married couple on facebook has told them by buying the track en masse off amazon and the likes. Maybe the others who got behind this campaign are aware of this irony too and it just tickles their funny bone.
Or maybe it’s the irony of a song like this being the xmas number one when it is so completely UN-xmassy – it wasn’t release for the run up for christmas, it has nothing to do with christmas, the lyrics are about racism and police brutality, it’s from an album which is 17 years old, etc. etc. There are many songs that would of served the purpose, to be sure, many british songs, but Killing in the Name is as good as any. Maybe the fact that it isn’t british adds further to the irony value.
Okay, back to the not british thing. What would you of chosen? I’m quite partial to “no xmas for John Quays” by the fall. The Fall are the best band that nobody has ever heard of and they’ve been going since 1981, and they’re british. Mark E Smith, the only consistant member is from Manchester, although not originally i believe. I always sing “no christmas for donkeys” when it gets to the chorus because, as the story goes, joseph and mary road into bethlehem on a donkey, and I don’t know who John Quays is. It’s a great song, and even older than the rage track. I do feel, however, that more of the younger generation have heard of rage against the machine, which is a shame. The Fall are probably the better band. such is life.
okay, time to refer to your other troll-like comment that you left here, on a different post. You say that it wasn’t about the music, but i think it was, very much so. It was about rejecting the sugary ballard formula that has passed for the xmas number one here in the uk long before the x-factor turned up. You say that it isn’t people power when it so clearly is. People injecting a bit of life into the tepid waters of the christmas top-40.
You don’t like rage against the machine, fair enough. I do though. So do many other people. They’re a very popular band in the scheme of things. Here’s an idea: Why don’t you do a little bit of research before you go firing your mouth off on somebody’s blog and showing your ignorance? Just a thought.
Now, it’s not really in my nature to respond to trolls in comments. Okay, actually it is, but i contain myself because it is, ultimately, a futile gesture. I’ve made an exception for you robert because, well, your right. There hasn’t been an educated debate here on this blog concerning this whole thing. Do you know how rare it is for be to be able to earnestly get behind a pop-cultural phenomenon? Seriously, it never happens. I was enjoying myself. When i heard the song playing on the radio in its number 1 position i was giddy. I was singing along. I felt pretty damn good. Thanks for shitting all over that. Whoever you are your obviously a better person than me.
I hope this answers some of your questions.
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If you’ve never heard The Fall I recommend them whole heartedly. I’d start with their early stuff (live at the witch trials was the first fall album I believe) and work your way forward. Note the evolution in sound. I hope you enjoy your moment in the sun robert. If you don’t, well, tough.
EITHER/OR/BORED 