# Shitegeist



## hardasmum (Apr 23, 2008)

A great column from the latest Premier Guitar magazine. A topic that's seen its fair share of attention on this forum. 

http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/2012/Dec/Shitegeist.aspx

"What do Led Zeppelin, Chuck Berry, Queen, the Beach Boys, Diana Ross, the Grateful Dead, The Who, The Kinks, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Janis Joplin, Buddy Holly, The Doors, Bob Marley, and Neil Young all have in common?

None of these acts have won a Grammy.

Here are some more thought-provoking music-biz facts for you:

1. Ke$ha’s “TiK ToK” sold more copies than any Beatles single.
2. Rihanna has 10 No. 1 singles and six Grammy Awards. Led Zeppelin has 0 and 0.
3. Lil Wayne has charted the most Billboard Hot 100 hits (109) of any solo artist. Before Wayne, Elvis Presley held the record with 108 Hot 100 hits. But let’s remember the King’s chart successes transpired over the course of 54 years, starting in 1958 when Billboard introduced the Hot 100.
4. Flo Rida’s “Low” has sold 8 million copies in five years. The Beatles’ “Hey Jude” has sold 8 million copies as well, but it took 44 years.

Has the world gone mad?

I’ve had my suspicions for a while that the world is, if not completely mental, not too far off. When police covered unarmed peaceful protesters with pepper spray at UC Davis, that felt pretty loco. It seemed clearly insane when a nut job in Albany, Georgia, firebombed a Taco Bell for not including enough meat in his chalupa. But those are just a few isolated lunatics.


Lil Wayne nabbed four Grammy Awards for his multi-platinum album, Tha Carter III.
I’m more concerned when the total communal semi-unconsciousness makes gaga decisions like embracing such unfunny comedians as Louie Anderson or Dane Cook, and celebrating unhealthy, malnourished supermodels. When the populace embraces mediocrity over brilliance, I sense a collective crazy.

Unlike other art mediums, great music does not cost any more than not-so-great music. It’s like you could have an original da Vinci in your home for the same price as a Dale Earnhardt Commemorative NASCAR dinner plate. Sales figures indicate that people tend to ignore the work of the masters in favor of the less masterful. Why are people filling their lives with uninspired music when there’s so much great stuff out there? There should be room in your iPod for the sublime in addition to whatever is currently trendy.

Personally it bothers me that Grammy-winning Creed has sold more CDs in the U.S. than my non-Grammy-winning hero, Jimi Hendrix. There’s nothing wrong with Creed—they’ve done some good music and have enjoyed a ton of success, but most would agree that Creed’s sound is derivative, while Hendrix’s artistry was fueled by an incredibly creative mind. I’ll bet if you asked Creed guitarist Mark Tremonti—a great player in his own right—he’d probably agree that his fans should pick up a copy of Are You Experienced or Axis: Bold As Love for their collections to play between “With Arms Wide Open.”

In America, our music is a bit like our food. McDonalds earns $21 billion in annual profits and while no one over age 6 would argue this is the best food you can buy, a whole lot of us gravitate toward this not-too-fair fare. We see an advertisement with people apparently enjoying a Big Mac and the next thing you know, we’re zombies placing our McOrder in the drive-in.

At a session in London, I heard a term that perhaps defines this phenomenon: shitegeist.

As defined by urbandictionary.com, shitegeist is: “That which is popular but ultimately worthless, often based upon media-based images and embodying a crippling shallowness. By its nature, transitory, so today’s shitegeist is tomorrow’s chip wrappings. Derived from Zeitgeist, but embodying the meaningless of postmodern culture.”

Like low-rise, pre-ripped $300 jeans and blinged-out iPhone cases, our music drives our economy while driving us to a more superficial life experience.

But then again, who am I to criticize music taste? The media spills over with bitter bastards tearing down what others create. While doing research for this column, I found Blender magazine’s “Top 50 Worst Songs of All Time.” Blender’s list contains plenty of refuse I’d rather not hear again, but it also held many songs I like—and some I love. What’s wrong with these songs?

“The End” by The Doors
“What’s Up” by 4 Non Blondes
“Sunglasses at Night” by Corey Hart
“We Didn’t Start the Fire” by Billy Joel
“From a Distance” by Bette Midler
“Your Body Is a Wonderland” by John Mayer
“Kokomo” by The Beach Boys

Hell, I’m sappy enough to even like “The Greatest Love of All” and “Ebony and Ivory,” (both on Blender’s list). They seem kind of beautiful and poetic. I’ve had a few publishing deals and earned decent money writing songs that are not nearly this good. In fact, I’ve written plenty of terrible songs and got paid to do it. This makes me worse than the worst. And yet, as bad as much of my work may be, I’ve never had great success. I’ll just keep aiming for the stars, hitting the gutter, and hoping for the best."

John Bohlinger


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## Hamstrung (Sep 21, 2007)

I suppose it's easy to get "down" on the above stats but when you think about it how many of these record breaking sales will anyone be still listening to in a year... month... week? I doubt people will be making pilgimages to Ke$ha's house 35 years after she dies!
Nobody is gonna be begging Lil Wayne to get back with his "crew" and tour 20 years after his last recording.

It's like comparing how many diapers were used when your parents or grand parents washed and re-used the same ones over to the number of disposable ones a new parent would go through nowadays.... with much the same content!


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## bluzfish (Mar 12, 2011)

The music business has nothing to do with music and everything to do with business. It always pissed me off when I was a kid that the radio stations were playing Frankie Avalon when I knew there was a whole dam ready to bust with new music that would change the world. Eventually of course, the dam did bust and washed all that away until the music business responded with the Monkees and other pop shallowness the could understand and control. When my nieces and nephews see Goldie Hawn on Laugh-in and think this represents the 60s, I am a bit embarassed and tell them, no, it doesn't even come close.

It still pains me to know there are countless Eric Claptons, Jeff Becks, etc. slogging out a meagre living playing seedy bars while no talent nobodies get rich doing what is good for business - shut up and do what you are told or you will be replaced by HO.

Corporate execs have never been hip but they have the money and resourses to successfully produce and market crap to a shallow, heidonistic and gullable public.


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## bagpipe (Sep 19, 2006)

No idea who the fuck John Bolinger is, but I'm a fan of Louie Anderson. So ... you know, that's just, like, his opinion, man.



hardasmum said:


> like embracing such unfunny comedians as* Louie Anderson *
> 
> John Bohlinger


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## mrmatt1972 (Apr 3, 2008)

Thanks for that, I rarely get to read editorials anymore.


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## bluzfish (Mar 12, 2011)

bagpipe said:


> No idea who the fuck John Bolinger is, but I'm a fan of Louie Anderson. So ... you know, that's just, like, his opinion, man.


Guilty pleasure - Louie makes me laugh out loud sometimes.


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## Roryfan (Apr 19, 2010)

bluzfish said:


> bagpipe said:
> 
> 
> > No idea who the fuck John Bolinger is, but I'm a fan of Louie Anderson. So ... you know, that's just, like, his opinion, man.
> ...


Louie has his moments, but he's no John Pinette. Dane Cook is a complete & utter knob. May Carlin & Hedberg RIP.

To paraphrase Mitch, "I used to play Strats. I still do. But I used to, too."


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Comparing records sales from today to those of yesteryear makes no sense. There are way more folks to buy music today, with way more buying power, and per capita, way more folks buy music today. Many more younger buyers exist now, which skews the socio-economic comparison.

As for the award making machinery, what a crock. Historically, many of the finest composers were not recognized for their genius in their own time. This will continue to be the case, with the current most popular still working (such that it is) being relative lightweights.

Compared to, for example, the '70s, it's dead easy to record now. Much easier to distribute too.


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## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

there is a significant portion of our population who's sole interest in music is that it helps them avoid silence in their head.


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## Guest (Nov 10, 2012)

hardasmum said:


> Led Zeppelin has 0 and 0.


Nobody I know ever bought a zep 'single'.
It's always albums.


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## bluzfish (Mar 12, 2011)

Yes, I forgot about that - I don't know anyone personally who ever bought a single since the early 60s unless it was a demo or to learn a particular song without wearing out their album. Everybody bought albums. No one bought singles. Check any young, non-musician's iPod today and I guarantee you will not find even most of an album, only single songs.

A while back, I started digitizing my music collection and approached several young people I know with hundreds of gigs of music on their computers. I was looking for new music albums but could not find one album on any of their drives. I guess this explains how individual songs are the most common purchase among today's music listener, hence making it easier for the music companies to market their wares and for one hit wonders to become famous.


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## J-75 (Jul 29, 2010)

"(The media spills over with) bitter bastards tearing down what others create." = Graffiti, Punk, Rap, riff samples, footprints in wet cement...

...I thought Ke$ha was something on the menu in a Jewish restaurant.

If sales figures of singles include those acquired through iTunes, then that is understandable - a mouse click in place of going down to the "record store".


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

cheezyridr said:


> there is a significant portion of our population who's sole interest in music is that it helps them avoid silence in their head.


Truth. 













(extra characters to get past the minimum requirement of 10.)


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## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

the very possibity never occored to me, until i met this guy...
he was on my crew for a couple days, (almost 30 yrs ago) i was trying to make conversation with this guy, to maybe help him not feel so much like an "outsider". i was having difficulty finding something to talk about that he might actually say something back. so led zep comes on the radio. i decide to take the easy route. everybody likes led zep, right? so i say something like man, these guys rock! jimmy page is the frickin man! and i get this lukewarm response like "i dunno, i guess"
what? don't like led zeppelin? ok, well who do you like? "meh, i'm not really into music" WHAT?!! _whaddayameanyernotintamusic_? so he tells me he only listens to the radio because he doesn't like silence. he tells me he only has one album, and he only has that because some girl left it in his car. he doesn't even have a turntable. it blew me away. i've never had silence in my head, ever. if i did, i'd be ok with it. the concept that some folks had so much of it that they avoided it astounds me even now.


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## bluzfish (Mar 12, 2011)

LOL! I ALWAYS have music playing in my head! I couldn't stop it if I tried (my brain is playing "Summer In The City" right now). Other than the stupidity of walking around in public dangerously with no sense of the sounds around me, there is no way I could wear earbuds unless I want to sit down and get lost in a piece of music. Likewise, if there is music playing even quietly in the background, it distracts me from what I'm doing because all I can hear is the music - I have a compulsion to pay attention. Not so with TV or other ambient sounds. With anything else, I can tune it out, but not so with music.

My point is that music as background noise is annoying to me even if it is comforting to others. I guess it's something I can never understand.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Roryfan said:


> Louie has his moments, but he's no John Pinette. Dane Cook is a complete & utter knob. May Carlin & Hedberg RIP.
> 
> To paraphrase Mitch, "I used to play Strats. I still do. But I used to, too."


I will miss Mitch Hedberg more than I will ever miss Madonna, Lady Gaga, Ke$ha, L'il Wayne, Creed, and Dane Cook, combined. http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/mitch_hedberg.html

But John's basic point, and the essence of the Premier Guitar op-ed, is that what is all too often recognized, or brought to our attention as "recognized" is not what moves the art/discipline forward, but rather what makes the _industry_ advance.

But here's the thing. Advancing the art or discipline is something one can very often only know in hindsight, where what makes money is something we know (and want to know) _right now_. What "matters" to the art is not always the same as what catches out attention.

While there are certainly some exceptions, a casual glance through the R&R HoF listings of who has already been inducted is pretty inspiring. Ninety per cent of the folks listed are folks where your initial thought is "Yep, without them, THIS would never have happened." I seriously doubt whether that ever enters the thinking behind the Grammys. IT is about the past year in sales, and little else. That's not a basis to diss them, but do understand that they are about a singular aspect of an industry, and should not be confused with other facets of music as art or discipline.


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## WCGill (Mar 27, 2009)

When they say "sold more copies", are they referring to single downloads now, vs. the ancient days of 45's?


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## Hamstrung (Sep 21, 2007)

WCGill said:


> When they say "sold more copies", are they referring to single downloads now, vs. the ancient days of 45's?


Exactly, and when you consider the effort involved in going out to get a 45 back in the day how many sales would the aforementioned "artists" of today garner based on that model? Regardless of today's sales I seriously doubt many of them will be more than a footnote in music history and even then it'll be more likely because of their image and not the music.


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## Cartcanuck (Oct 30, 2012)

numerous distribution channels + marketing + ease of access to information + PR push by a record label = huge singles sales = perceived success

Quality of music (or musicianship) is not an element in this equation.

If it was, we would be listening to the John Mayer Trio not John Mayers pop music for example. John Bonamassa would be getting more airplay than Lil Wayne.


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