(Presenting: A post that languished for a months before seeing the light of day)
So does someone want to tell me how the hell Justin effin’
Bieber won an “Artist of the Year” award? Have that kid’s balls dropped yet?
Now before y’all start hating on me with the “Why you always gotta pick on the
kid,” and “You just mad ‘cause he’s famous and has a deal.” Well to that last
one, I would say you’re absolutely right. But I might retort with this: Can you
listen to all the great music that came out this year and really tell me that
Justin Bieber is the best we have to offer? Go ahead, I’ll wait…
Okay, that had nothing to do with what I had on my mind this
week. But I found the AMAs to be very disturbing this year. (The Psy/Hammer
mash-up did make me crack a smile though.) I was out in Carlsbad this past
month taking in a homie’s show. Before the gig, my friends and I were waxing
poetic about the death of albums. Apparently another friend of mine just became
a teacher. And appalling as it is that any friend of mine would be allowed near
children, he seems to be doing quite well. During one such mind-molding
session, my friend’s students asked him for his favorite Pink Floyd song. I know, right?!? Everyone
knows if you’re going to listen to Pink Floyd you listen to the WHOLE album!
However, that’s not really the case today, is it? Today you
can find your favorite artist’s newest body of work, sample each of the songs,
pick out the ones you like, and leave everything you don’t. Now wielding
supreme musical power is pretty legit. And let’s face it, with all the crap
that the gods on Mount Mainstream shove on a weekly basis, shelling out mozzarella
for an album built around two singles seems absurd.
I wonder though if people would be so quick to dissect
albums if they truly saw the effort that went into it. Not the nice dressed up
3-minute YouTube version, but the 4-hour
listen-to-one-part-of-a-song-so-you-can-get-the-snare-to-line-up-with-the-verse
version. The agony of tearing and cutting into your creative baby just to make
sure that the latest piece of your heart is user friendly. Or better still –
that moment of completion when an album is finished, arranged, and mastered.
Creating is the easy part. Sending it out to the world to be judged and picked
at can feel like being waterboarded.
This truly is not meant to point a finger at casual
listeners. A lot of you are artists’ bread and butter. Any support is better
than no support.
I just couldn’t imagine breaking down masterpieces like
Thriller to just singles. Sure, Billie Jean is one of the best songs ever. However,
without Baby Be Mine, Thriller is just another album. Each album I’ve put
together is a mini collection of my growth, triumphs, happiness, pain, despair,
and moments of clarity. Besides, albums are $7 now – not $20. Stop being so
cheap!
