| The Mercury Music Awards Rant By Nige |
| What's the point of the Mercury Music Awards? To celebrate bad music? Music no-one listens to? To award the acts the critics think deserve it? PJ Harvey? Come On! A po-faced Patti Smith tribute act with a middle aged backing band. She's been around for yonks, if she's ever done anything remotely of any interest then her music would stand on it's own merit rather than having to be 'passed' by a panel of utter whores. Harvey, like Nick Cave is really a librarian who should be working in radio playing their favourite tracks rather than repackaging (Pillaging) them and passing it off as 'original' and 'innovative' NO FUN that's what it looks like to me. PJ Harvey's a retro archivist that has turned the genuine joi de vivre amateurism of punk into nothing more that an impotent display of sterile, humourless academia. Mercury is pathetic pretentious and entirely without merit, and how middle class is indie or guitar based music these days? Everyone seems just SO nice, articulate and pleased to be nominated. Bands like Radiohead are regarded as the 'elder statesman' of Brit music, Excuse me! A band who detest their own back catalogue (and their fans probably) 'Play "Creep"! Never! We pay difficult music these days'Like, Yeah man.. Radiohead heard some Charles Mingus on the tour bus and are now trying to play jazz, Bless 'em the little fucking fools Mercury is the equivalent of the government sponsoring The Arts. Music IS populist and artistic, but it's unlike the bougeoise 'Arts' that need constant supplements of public money to keep them from disappearing without a trace as the public can't be arsed with the stale monotony of 'Theatre' . So the vile Mercury judges sit in moronic contemplation and pass off this shit as relevant when in fact it's as derivative and guilty of plagiarism as any British R'n'B act or manufactured 'pop' band. Infact there's no difference between these so called 'for real' acts and the bands that are put together by the Nigel Lythgoes of this world, the 'serious' bands are simply aimed at a differing audience demograph. They all occupy different rooms in the same corporate office block. Don't let the Mercury Scum turn music into such a precious commodity, check out some gnarly nasty bands who don't give a toss about being 'honoured' (Chunky, The Backing Band, Slimeball, The Men In The Boat, to name a few) don't let the Mercury Awards turn music into a museum exhibition of the great and the good, fighting the 'good fight' against the shallow conformity of popular musicRemember, how stale music was prior to punk rock and all the 'prog' bands engaged in triple concept albums with middle earth gatefold sleeves..Give these insular egotistical little wingers enough rope and they'll turn it into a kaftanWe don't need to be told what deserves to be celebrated and we certainly don't need PJ Bloody Harvey doing her sick puppy mid-Atlantic Faux Drugged out drawl than you very much.. Now if you'll excuse me I'm off to watch Duane & The Duellists playing in the Penis Envy in Glasgow. |
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