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Up to the minute notes on the current state of free thinking and free living: Kentucky moonshine - original analysis and reporting from MoreThings, and all round pop culture museum of sight and sound - photo galleries, mp3 and video downloads.
Al Barger and MoreThings - getting people's goats since 1998.
Live free or die!
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July 05, 2005
Pseudo-messianic Live8 celebrities
Ugh, but this Live8 nonsense turns my stomach. The cheap egotism and particularly the delusions of grandeur among the participants really make me want to give these people a good old fashioned attitude adjustment up side the head.
This event had little or nothing to do with helping out poor people, and everything to do with pop singers wanting to think that they are powerful historical figures with messianic powers.
Bob Geldof to the G8 leaders: "Now feel the force of the gale that's hit you."
Look at this photo of Geldof.
He looks like he thinks he's Jesus and Malcolm X all rolled into one.
Riiiiiight. They put on a show, much like Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland in the old movies- except that they didn't think that a little song and dance made them Christ figures.
That would be as opposed to, say, Chris Martin of Coldplay. Coldplay's Chris Martin announced from the London stage, "[This is] the greatest thing that's ever been organized in the history of the world."
As a student of Nietzche and Ayn Rand, I'm all in favor of egoism. You should earn it honestly, though. As Nietzche might say, it makes me sick to my stomach to watch these people lying to themselves and making these big public displays of cheap self-glorification.
Bob Geldof, for example, is a fairly accomplished songwriter, and has to his credit at least one modern standard, "I Don't Like Mondays." That's an outstanding and also a famous song. There's pretty fair honor and bragging rights in that.
But no, that's not good enough. He has to convince himself that he's some kind of prince among men. He's leading a people's uprising against the evil corporations. "Now feel the force of the gale that's hit you."
In fact, he organized a concert. He's a concert promoter. Giving him maximum credit, he has made a fairly impressive technical achievement simply by getting all these things executed simultaneously across multiple stages on multiple continents. That seems to show some impressive managerial skills.
But that still does not make him Jesus returned. Nor does it justify this cheesy statement he made in a letter to British newspapers in which he presumes to speak for the world: "Everyone taking part in these concerts is there because the many generations watching will not tolerate the further pain of the poor while we have the means to prevent it. We will not applaud half-measures, or politics as usual. This must be a historic breakthrough. Do not disappoint us. Do not betray the desires of billions and the hopes of the poorest of our world." In my best imitation of the Church Lady, I say "Well, we like ourselves, don't we Mr Geldof?"
In short, these peole are just stroking themselves off in public. Being a more modest person, I think masturbation should be a private thing. Call me old fashioned if you will. Stuff like this leaves me feeling vaguely embarassed just for being a fan of pop music.
Speaking truth to deludees of grandeur, Noel Gallagher of Oasis said:
"Correct me if I am wrong, but are they hoping that one of these guys from the G8 is going to see Annie Lennox singing 'Sweet Dreams' and think 'f**k me, she might have a point there'?"
"Or Keane doing 'Somewhere Only We Know' and some Japanese businessman looks at him and says 'we should really drop that debt, you know'?"
"It isn't going to happen is it?"
DISCUSS AMONGST YOURSELVES
posted by Al at 7/05/2005 02:41:00 AM
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