Saturday, December 18, 2004
Part of a post lifted from Karaoke Welcome to Norway
"The only good music journalism being written here is done by people who get paid diddly squat for their efforts (webzines, fanzines, Mute Magazine, etc.), whereas the writer "personalities" in the newspapers get their names visciously rewritten. For example, VG's Kurt Bakkemoen becomes Cock Moustacheman, well deserved.
Oh, and the best national radiochannel (NRK P3) is going to the dogs too, after one of the music journalist "personalities" (Haakon Moslet) became the boss of their playlist. It used to be, they'd play great music and educate the populace. We went from farmboys to indie rocking clubbers because of that channel, but now they're spewing out Rachel Stevens and O-zone unashamedly. Sure, they're playing Annie too, but fuck does that bubblegum grow tired when your ears chew it every second hour. So what's the deal?
Is it just Norway that is taking a turn for the worse, or is the whole world in on this decay, these last days of mourning for the steady dumbing down of mainstream culture? Sure, student radio and the lesbian feminist riot grrrl gang still kick some nice tunes and opinions around (they share the same frequency in Oslo), but most of the country is becoming a mainstream outback territory where music is only music if you've heard it before and politics only interest you if it gets you cheaper gasoline and alcohol.
Alright, we're still the best country in the world to be living in, materially speaking, but the right wing assholes are tearing even that to bits so that their blue collar kids can go to expensive private schools and pay their way through the hospitals waiting lists. "Weeee don't need no steenkin' weeeelfare, weeee got a fat stock portfolio." And they'll all listen to Euroboys, at least until the next trend.
But that's here. What's it like out there, I wonder?"
¶ 12/18/2004 06:20:00 AM
"The only good music journalism being written here is done by people who get paid diddly squat for their efforts (webzines, fanzines, Mute Magazine, etc.), whereas the writer "personalities" in the newspapers get their names visciously rewritten. For example, VG's Kurt Bakkemoen becomes Cock Moustacheman, well deserved.
Oh, and the best national radiochannel (NRK P3) is going to the dogs too, after one of the music journalist "personalities" (Haakon Moslet) became the boss of their playlist. It used to be, they'd play great music and educate the populace. We went from farmboys to indie rocking clubbers because of that channel, but now they're spewing out Rachel Stevens and O-zone unashamedly. Sure, they're playing Annie too, but fuck does that bubblegum grow tired when your ears chew it every second hour. So what's the deal?
Is it just Norway that is taking a turn for the worse, or is the whole world in on this decay, these last days of mourning for the steady dumbing down of mainstream culture? Sure, student radio and the lesbian feminist riot grrrl gang still kick some nice tunes and opinions around (they share the same frequency in Oslo), but most of the country is becoming a mainstream outback territory where music is only music if you've heard it before and politics only interest you if it gets you cheaper gasoline and alcohol.
Alright, we're still the best country in the world to be living in, materially speaking, but the right wing assholes are tearing even that to bits so that their blue collar kids can go to expensive private schools and pay their way through the hospitals waiting lists. "Weeee don't need no steenkin' weeeelfare, weeee got a fat stock portfolio." And they'll all listen to Euroboys, at least until the next trend.
But that's here. What's it like out there, I wonder?"
¶ 12/18/2004 06:20:00 AM
