Another fairly quick post. A very talented artist who unfortunately doesn't have the attention she deserves in the US (go figure), Bjork released a single last year that caused a bit of controversy. The song was called "Declare Independence," and was written to influence Tibet to declare independence against China. There was actually quite an uproar at her concert in China because of it.
It's ironic to see what kind of political unrest can unearth in and around music. Oddly, the biggest row I've seen from US music recently came when the Dixie Chicks announced they didn't support the war, or the whole "Super Bowl Slip" incident, but nothing quite as compelling. Sure, artists like Rufus Wainwright, Incubus, Duncan Sheik, and Nine Inch Nails have all criticized our current government for various reasons, but little has actually been effected culturally from it, and I'm not sure if that's good or bad. We seem like such a docile people.
And then if you look elsewhere in the world, people in Iraq are burning puppets of Bush and Rice to contest our military presence, and Greece has recently had some pretty violent demonstrations against the way their government is approaching capitalism. And the last fight I've seen in the streets was over whether the Steelers or Eagles were better.
By the way, I haven't heard much of Incubus since "Megalomaniac," and I'm sure it's because of more than just their slight hiatus. And I've yet to here Rufus Wainwright's "Going to a Town," Duncan Sheik's "White Limosine," or Nine Inch Nails' "Survivalism" on the radio.
Maybe our passions are just a little ill-placed...
Here's the video to Bjork's "Declare Independence."
And here is the link to Rufus Wainwright's "Going to a Town."
Both are incredible videos, and I hope you enjoy them...
It's ironic to see what kind of political unrest can unearth in and around music. Oddly, the biggest row I've seen from US music recently came when the Dixie Chicks announced they didn't support the war, or the whole "Super Bowl Slip" incident, but nothing quite as compelling. Sure, artists like Rufus Wainwright, Incubus, Duncan Sheik, and Nine Inch Nails have all criticized our current government for various reasons, but little has actually been effected culturally from it, and I'm not sure if that's good or bad. We seem like such a docile people.
And then if you look elsewhere in the world, people in Iraq are burning puppets of Bush and Rice to contest our military presence, and Greece has recently had some pretty violent demonstrations against the way their government is approaching capitalism. And the last fight I've seen in the streets was over whether the Steelers or Eagles were better.
By the way, I haven't heard much of Incubus since "Megalomaniac," and I'm sure it's because of more than just their slight hiatus. And I've yet to here Rufus Wainwright's "Going to a Town," Duncan Sheik's "White Limosine," or Nine Inch Nails' "Survivalism" on the radio.
Maybe our passions are just a little ill-placed...
Here's the video to Bjork's "Declare Independence."
And here is the link to Rufus Wainwright's "Going to a Town."
Both are incredible videos, and I hope you enjoy them...
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