Selling out, if you ask any youngster, is supposed to be an ignominy, but why? The very artists that we so easily accuse of having "sold out their beliefs" would not have reached us in the first place if they weren't part of the commercial channels. Which then makes one wonder if they were ever true to the cause in the first place. An article on this will follow at a later date, but for now, some half-baked lyrical poetry:
Psst, Ms. Anthem! I'm talkin' to you,
You don't know what he's gonna do.
He's selling you down at Planet M,
He's whoring you and he's to blame.
Didn't I tell you not to talk to strangers?
Haven't I warned you of the dangers?
Why're you hearing what he's telling you?
I created you; what did he do?
You think he cares about any part of you?
Or what you'll cause the damn blessed to do?
You're his showpiece; he's the front-page story,
You're the sunshine; he basks in your glory.
I mean what I make, every word that I sing,
it's awareness not revolution that I try to bring,
How'll they hear you if it ain't through me?
How'll they know me if I don't cut me a deal?
He's just in it for the name and the fame,
his material thirst puts the causes to shame,
he could've walked around, guitar in hand,
a song on his lips, nights of head in the sand.
How would we then be known in the public domain?
All my efforts would've gone right down the drain.
So I chewed on that cigar; sipped some champagne,
stepped aboard and took a ride on the gravy train.
Now he'll talk of Dylan and other icons of the past,
well Lennon maybe a hero but never working class,
Mick Jagger no one buys was a street fighting man,
and the Gallaghers scripted their masterplan,
He could've stayed true,
if he really wanted to...
Well, me and you,
we wouldn't have got our rightful dues,
if I did what he wanted me to,
and stayed pure like a mule...
Happy new year Ms. Anthem I rest my case.
we're all whoring ourselves. Some at work, others in their own minds. The only Jai of the Hind that's happening is of the bend over kind
ReplyDeleteI am thinking and thinking and been thinking for quite sometime on what to write that will be fitting and do justice to this post, but I am honestly speechless.
ReplyDeleteThe poem's plain and simple AWESOME (I could go on with more adjectives but it all still would fall short). For me the best part is that I understood :P which again means that you have really written it well.
And agreeing with 'Angry Voices' we are all whoring ourselves. Can't wait to read the article. Keep writing.
-Priyanka
it's much more than a poem.. u must develop these thoughts in an essay (preferably on academic styles, with notes and references than random thoughts) very soon. For the issues u have raised, I did quite some reading, but as of now, only a few references come to mind.. try and read copyrights and copywrongs by siva vaidhyanathan , a book called cultural industries and another called the age of access by jeremy rifkins... if u get ur hands on these, u would be able to work out a very substantial essay... am amazed at the relative clarity with which u have put some interesting debatable points in a poem. relative-- coz poems for me are a very abstract medium and u have here managed to put in quite some info and logical arguments in it... good! :)
ReplyDeleteAwesome stuff.
ReplyDeletereally well written anthem i tellye! and yes.. are we nt all whoring ourselves in some way or the other!?
ReplyDeleteThat was some real good work I stumbled upon after such a long time. You write awesome stuff. Keep it up...
ReplyDeleteoooohh.. that's SOMEthing. Boy! You are a better writer than me.. :(
ReplyDeleteTeach poetry?
Wow....I just can't get the line ,"How'll they hear you if it ain't through me?", out of my head..
ReplyDeleteIf you are interested in making money through your blog by occasionally writing reviews of products and services please log onto http://www.createonlinebuzz.com/ and register as a blogger.
ReplyDeleteim back to blogging.
ReplyDeleteyou better get back to writing too!
solo
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thats the new home.