The Dark Side Of Music.

As promised I’m going to talk about boy band and girl groups.

I seem to be the only person in the world with a problem with them, everyone thinks that I’m over reacting, and maybe you will too.

One thing that annoys me about them is that they think that they are talented rock stars. Jimi Hendrix played guitar with his teeth, Busted jumped up and down. And didn’t even play whilst doing it. No contest really.

I also have a problem with five men gyrating on a stage in front of young girls aged nine to fourteen. That’s very close to paedophilia in my eyes, and it should be stopped.

No doubt you have noticed the shocking and degrading publicity photo of TAKE THAT at the start of my post, feel free to refer back to this picture at anytime whilst reading, just in case you feel that you begin to disagree.

The lyrics of these boy bands are shocking too. They speak of subject matters such as sexual acts and a fake sense of romance, that if spoken in a movie would get a 15 certificate and would be shown after nine pm on television.

How can this be allowed with the current sense of mawkishness on the subject of paedophilia? In 2001 a satirical comedy was aired on channel four, called Brasseye.
Brasseye had gained infamy in 1996 when first aired, for causing knee jerk reaction by the British public on the subjects like sex, drugs and animal abuse. The morning after the late night television comedy was aired, the British public awoke to newspaper articles and reports slamming how shocking this show was. This “knee jerk reaction” was so quick I wonder whether most of the articles were written before the show was even aired.
The only people that publicly defended the programme was the NSPCC who campaign against child abuse, they thanked the makers of Brasseye for forcing the issue out into the open air. I agree.

To quote Chris Morris the writer and presenter of Brasseye “we have become a nation confused.” The daily star had an article on the brasseye special slamming it, but the page adjacent showed an article commenting on how big Charlotte Church’s breasts were getting, she was only fourteen at the time.

A year later everyone in the country went looking for two female twelve year-old Manchester United fans. They disappeared for nearly two weeks after a barbeque one summer Sunday afternoon in Soham, and in the mean time every news report showed updates of no news until they are found! Not realising that with every news report reduced the chances of the girls being seen alive tenfold. Sadly the two Girls were found in shallow graves in a nearby wood almost two weeks later. The person involved was arrested and his partner (who to this day we still don’t know what part if any she played in the crime) had eggs pelted at her by angry mobs created by the media led mourning that followed.

Girl groups also annoy me as these no-talent whores are allowed to throw sex in the faces of their audience, and they also have no moral standard as to what age group they do it to.

My next-door neighbours imitate dance moves from these music videos out on the street, its disgusting, and they are so young I doubt that they know that it is provocative or even what its meant to be provoking.

When I was at high school in the mid early to mid nineties. Several girls in my year so taken with Take That they carved the double T logo into their arms with the blades from pencil sharpeners. Needless to say I was shocked that girls of this age could do this. If this is one influence of boy band's effect on the youth of the U.K what are the others? Lets not forget the U.K has the highest teenage pregnancy rate in Europe.

Take another look at the TAKE THAT picture if you think that I’m loosing you in my plight somehow.

Also my neighbour’s children play ball games on the road outside my house as opposed to the 20 acre park down the road, when asking the parents why they let them play in such a dangerous environment, their reply was that “there might be naughty men on the park”. Of course my instant reply was “well there might be cars on the road” why does this nation have such a sense of irrationality and mawkishness? Why do parents prefer their children to have an increased chance of being knocked over and killed by a car, than an unchanging chance of being sexually abused by a “naughty man”

Lets tie up all the confusion. But before you do, take one more deep breath and refer back to that awful picture at the start of this post.

If you are genuinely worried about your children having their innocence stolen. Then you should campaign to have all these boy band and girl groups banned and their lyrics edited to suit the way of life of its audience. And allow your children to experience their own lives the way they want with your own unique parental guidance not that of the record companies and band managers.

And if you are in a boy band and would like to be a remembered as a rock star, I can suggest that you die young and soon in a puddle of your own blood and vomit.

music

Lets talk about music, or the state of music today.
I’m sick of hearing BBC’s Radio One constantly backslapping itself for giving us all the new music and the charts. Has anyone noticed that all the music sounds the same now, as if we have heard it all before somehow? I found that when Corinne Bailey Rae released her “girl put your record on” cliché earlier this year. I found myself thinking “have I heard this before, I couldn’t have it has only just been released”

Indie music isn’t the answer anymore either as a lot of the indie bands sound the same. I thought when Keane first burst on to the music scene that it was Travis, back and with some more upsetting sounds.

Rock bands waste time by clever writing lyrics only to drown them out with the same power chords that the bands that they would only refer to as “influences” chugged out before them.

The last couple of years saw some good tunes released by the Darkness the Kaiser Chiefs and Razorlight. But unfortunately these songs were over played by the radio stations and were ruined like a child with a new toy.
Everyone loved the Darkness and fans eagerly awaited their second album only to find out that they had gotten bored with their sound and the album was a flop. Lead singer then goes in to a clinic for his drug abuse and subsequently leaves the band that needs him; I doubt the darkness will survive for very long without Justin Hawkins.
How long before the same happens to the latest blue eyed boys of the music scene the Keiser Chiefs, will their second album be called “unemployment” and be sitting in a bargain bin of your local H.M.V next to a copy the Darkness’s last album “permission to disband”. It’s such a shame for these bands. Anything new gets destroyed and everything else gets re hashed into a new form. Bands get one chance from these record companies and if they fail after their first album, they can be dropped and the company can still make money off the first albums royalties.

The future lies with underground groups with strong fan bases like my favourite band the Levellers. Who continue to use everything they can to keep their fans informed about what they are doing. They use the Internet well has sites on myspace and actually post live acts on youtube for free. Collaborators like the Gorillaz are going to have a good future too as they have taken an average of all music, and have almost produced a definition of music by doing so. They will continue to make music regardless of what the audience wants.

What the hell are these “Cover” versions about? Now called “an artist’s interpretation of a song”. What artist will allow his work to be bastardised by some fraudster claiming intellectual property off your work? Do you realise that all memories of your efforts making that great music and the emotions that song produced for the audience all those years ago are gone and forgotten because some else wants to make money?

I want to release a single containing the “brown noise”. My plan is to put it to car advert where the car turns into a transformer and then proceeds to walk the family dog or something dafter than ice-skating (you know what advert I mean). Then Radio One will play this song constantly as if they are getting bribes from the car company to do so. Then the story ends by millions of fickle and fake music lovers shitting themselves.

I purposely omitted references to boy bands and girl groups, as they will have post all to themselves really soon.

Leave music making to the true artists.

$$$h

I am getting very tired of people throwing money at problems, as if throwing money will make it go away. It doesn’t it will only move the problem to elsewhere.

My country has a problem. The problem is its own population. England is full of apathetic, labour voting, tabloid reading morons who think as they are told.

When speaking to some on the topic of politics I find that their views are ill informed and sometimes even bordering on racist.

Lets take the subject of immigration, as this is always a hot topic in “Merry Old England”. A lot of people complain about “Them commin over here and taking our jobs”. My view is simple that we shouldn’t let anyone else in this country for one reason. This reason isn’t based on race, colour or creed. I base it on the fact that the country is full. No room at the inn. If you look at a typical road atlas of Great Britain you will notice a hell of a lot of black writing there indicating where the villages and urbanised areas are. Only the Outer Hebrides is left as the true wilderness of the British Isles. And as far as employment and job security is concerned, I don’t care. You should make your own job security, by being good at your job and making sure you are worth every penny of your wage. We are just human resources after all. I have generally found that the people at my place of employment who complain about job security are generally the ones that sit around all day doing nothing themselves and playing solitaire or minesweeper on their company computers. Coincidence maybe.

After the Second World War, there was a massive baby boom. These children had the freedoms of the fifties and the sixties, and had at their disposals some of the greatest hopes and dreams for the future. Now they have grown up. They have spent thier parent's inheritance and the inheritance for thier children and sold them out to the lowest bidder. And they have clinically obese children, who refuse authority and defile their own environment. They go to schools where they are fed on a budget less than that of a convicted criminal, and they the parents look to television for guidance or comfort.

Going back to a previous post about consumerism, we can see how problems can occur when people are allowed to live in apathy. Money being thrown at a problem isn’t going to help anything. Effort needs to be applied to solve problems and an ethical approach to such problems is needed too. If you find yourself gaining weight and you have a problem about it. Do not spend money on quick fix things, like special food or exercise equipment, just eat less junk, eat more fruit and vegetables, exercise more, drink lots of water and turn off the central heating in your environment. You will find that you will loose weight really quickly. This is one example of idiots throwing money at a problem. I have many more, but I want you to try and notice some of your own.

Please don’t all become victims of apathy, if you have a problem try to understand it and find out what the problem really is whether it can be every truly eradicated.
Life can be difficult sometimes, I don’t pretend that it is easy, but a person who bases their decisions on logic and ethics has made up their mind on at least 99% of the decisions already.

unclear

What is the point of nuclear weapons?
Little Boy the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima showed the planet the ultimate devastation created by such an invention, so much so that some argue that this was the true ending of the Second World War. As it was a frightening future if peace was not soon achieved.

Lets talk about innocence, in times of war.
Lets get one thing straight, if anyone picks up a weapon even in self-defence, you are no longer innocent. I’m getting very tired of hearing about soldiers deaths reported in the media. I have no sympathy as we don’t have conscription in this country anymore.
If you invade a country with the intention of attacking its occupants expect collateral damage. Expect that you could die.

I repeat, if you pick up a weapon, even in self-defence, you are no longer innocent.

I don’t claim my self as innocent either, just so you don’t think that my ego has swelled to Supreme Being importance. I spent over five years in the Army Cadet Force in my youth and reached the rank of Sergeant, so I am by no means innocent and definitely not ignorant of this subject either.

Why are you telling us this mike? What’s your problem? Well.
This week North Korea has tested at least one nuclear weapon.
This has dramatic repercussions for the world’s population, as North Korea is already on the most extensive hate list ever devised, George W. Bush’s Axis of Evil list.
Lets not forget that Iraq was invaded and destabilised due to the fraudulent intelligence that Saddam Hussein harboured weapons of mass destruction. Now North Korea has openly admitted and tested that it has such weapons.

Now lets get another thing straight, I have no problem with nuclear power, I think it has a lot of potential and needs to be studied more. But weapons on the other hand are a different kettle of fish, so to speak. Nuclear weapons are indiscriminate they can’t help but destroy innocent lives they are too devastating.
There was no need for North Korea to display this.

OH BY THE WAY. NORTH KOREA DIDN'T TEST THE NUCLEAR WEAPON. NORTH KOREA IS A COUNTRY. Certain members of the North Korean population intiated its nuclear programme and the this test.

Why are wars still fought? How can one man (now a politician) justify committing armies of essentially living people to kill other people just because he disagrees with another country’s leader’s views? I want to see Politicians fight, I mean really fight for their beliefs see how committed to their cause they really are. I think that would make BBC Parliament a hell of a lot more interesting. And it would certainly restore my faith in democracy too. As all this text voting for big brother and pop idol gives us a crude deluded democracy that needs changing really soon.

The Worst Thing Since Sliced Bread.

Those master bakers at Kingsmill have cashed in on fussy eaters now.
Bread without crusts, called “Crusts Away”. Have we all gone mad?

Why do we need this sort of product?
Parents are already up in arms about the diet of our children. So why is there still a market for fussy eaters.

One example is Big Brother’s Nikki Graham who had a major tantrum because she couldn’t have any bottled water. Apparently this is all she drinks.
I would like to see her try and survive anywhere on earth, besides suburbia.

If this sort of over marketing to children isn’t stopped there will be a whole generation that will not know the sound of rivers and the taste of real foods like fruits and vegetables.

Allied Bakeries owners of the Kingsmill brand has recently came under fire, by upsetting Elvis fans, with their “by Appointment to the king” adverts. But nothing can upset an Elvis fan like dying from gluttony.

Thank You

Thank you for all your interest in my blog but unfortunately I have decided not to have a comments section for you all.

This is a blog, not a forum. I hope this doesn’t discourage people from reading it, as that would be the last thing I would want. If need be start your own forum based on my soapbox if you so wish.

As Mark Twain once said if God had intended us to speak more than we listen, he would have given us two mouths and only one ear.

I have spent my whole life listening to others, and now I feel its my turn to speak. I was beginning to think that there was no point at all in even having one mouth. Hence the name “Mike’s Soapbox.”

I’m going to stick to airing my personal views. I’m sorry if you find my views offensive, my solution is for you start your own blog. I really don’t mind if you steal my views either, I think that the more people to hear different views the better.

If you do start any blog, forum or pod cast relating to this site then please let me know. My email address is the Levellers debut album with no spaces between words @hotmail.com. I have to be cryptic, as I do not want Spam etc.


Fondest thanks

Michael P. Wootton.
Of Mike’s Soapbox.

The Stars Shine On

This is a song by a band that separated a few years ago now but this song is fantastic. I want to share with you it’s lyrical and poetic genius.
Ah yes. You might want to have a go by singing this in an Irish accent; in fact I’ll do it for you.

Some people say that you are what you eat,
But in that case I’m nothing.
I don’t eat any vegetables. I don’t eat any meat.
I’m as empty as an unused coffin.

My thoughts are just reactions out of touch with my emotions,
I’m as shallow as a puddle in the sun (puddle in the sun)
And my life’s not that appealing cos I don’t have any feeling.
I wanna have little bit of fun.

And when I walk alone at night and think about it all.
In relation to the stars in the sky my trouble seems so small.
The nearest star so far away, and bigger than the sun and I’m just one.

When I compare me, to the galaxy.
My troubled soul begins to see.
I’m a grain of sand on the biggest beach.
And there are places my annoyances will never reach.

I don’t affect the colour of the Milky Way.
They are only really relevant today.
In a million years they’ll have disappeared.
My tears and fears won’t count in anyway.

But the stars shine on. (Repeat and fade plus instrumental)

Taken from the Album “Bummer” by the band “watercress.”
Rare as rocking horse shit now, especially my signed copy.

Just Some Questions.

How come it is taking Homo sapiens such a long time to sort things out for themselves?

It is thought that humans first began to think creatively over two hundred thousand years ago, so why do we still have problems socially, politically and well generally. Did the first human to think this way suddenly snap and grunt, “Why am I surrounded by idiots?” and then did he proceed to build a big wall around himself and his family group, away from the rest?

Is it a desire for more? And if it is, why should we have more? How can we justify having more?

Why are there such things as charities? I hate idea really. I always find myself asking the question “Why does a problem exist to such an extent to require other people to throw money at it?” and also “does just throwing money at a problem make it go away?”
I’ll give you a for instance. I’m doing my bit for the children’s charity the “NSPCC” by not abusing children. Now you see where I’m coming from. If everyone asked himself or herself what was the right thing to do, then surely everyone would be happier.
Why are there times of plenty and times of need, when every living thing on this planet can have exactly what it needs.

I remember after the invasion of Iraq in 2002, Tony Blair announcing that the Coalition was re-opening the “Oil-for-Food” programme. I thought how about no? How about give them fair trade on both items?

Why are we still fighting? Who says this patch of earth is yours or mine? Why are there people willing to kill for resources? Why don’t we share and we’ll all have more than enough?

Hang On to Your Ego.

What is wrong with people?
I don’t understand why humans don’t like listening to reason or logic.
They think I’m taking the piss or having a go. Everything I say that is blatantly fact is quickly squashed for no logical reason whatsoever. I have begun to think I’m in some sort of “Truman Show” conspiracy thing, which is of course ridiculous, wink nudge etc and welcome to the most read blog in the universe.

However I normally find my views vindicated later on though, through the natural course of time and space, but at this point everyone has conveniently forgotten what I have said so there is no point in reiterating logic to the deaf ears.

I just want to say some things that I have known and understood from a very early age. Now I understand that this, for some isn’t the most palatable news you will hear today.
We are all made up of energy. Energy in different forms like heat, light, chemical, electrical etc and we are all made up of atoms too which are made up of energy also.
And energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred. Well according to current scientific beliefs anyway.

Life is the accumulation of random events that occurred here and now over a relatively short period of time on a planet that has the So-called goldilocks effect, everything being “just right”.

I mean look at the Earth. We are standing on a ball of red hot molten rock, only the outer layer is cool enough to support life and this layer can be so thin that the true nature of the earth can be seen underneath. And we are built from atoms that were once part of this planet. We are built form bits of this and bits of that like our food and the air we breathe.

So in conclusion, we are all one. And my energy is yours and the Earth’s that you exist on. Stop, look and listen to each other and the Earth and lets all evolve together in unison.
Why do we try to protect ourselves against unpalatable truths? Why not embrace and accept them, and potentially learn from them too?