Segarini: Strange Bedfellows Redux

The column due today, “Stopping the Stupid”, will be here next Friday. In the meantime, here’s a rerun from 2011 about politics, rock stars and the silliness that is part of the political landscape despite its incredibly loopy connection. With the exception of President Obama, there don’t seem to be any politicians worthy of a decent song for their campaign or party or office. The Republicans, however, are looking pretty good for “Get Out of Compton…and Everywhere Else”. Stephen Harper could go with “I’m a Loser”, but I don’t think the Beatles know who he is. I just wish WE didn’t….

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JAIMIE VERNON – AN OPEN LETTER TO MUSICAL NEWBIES Part 2

A friend of mine in the entertainment business once nailed the real truth of the matter, “It’s not selling OUT…it’s just SELLING”. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHJBO3eWQm0

So what if you’ve got street cred? In the end it won’t buy you a sandwich or get you on the bus when you’re destitute from starving for your art. Ah, yes…the old sawhorse debate about commerce versus art. We artistic types spend a disproportionate amount of time protecting our creations. They’re our babies and can’t be nursed by anyone but us. In music, that means slaving over the writing and producing process until every last drop of ‘inspiration’ can be sweat out of the muse.

Segarini: Strange Bedfellows

I’m not much of a political animal. Never learned the game or played it well, which is why I’m not a household name or King of All Media. Further, as much as all pursuits in life have a political bent to them, (marriage, your job, getting a decent deal on a used car), the Arts have a very checkered past with actual politics, the ones that feature elected leaders and CEOs and the like, who are supposed to lead us, the Great Unwashed, around by our noses. It seems an odd footnote to me, seeing popular musical artists taking a photo op with the leader of a Nation, Religion, Donald Trump, or vise versa.

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