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MySpace: Fair & Balanced®
Posted by D-Rock on 08/03/05
Looks like this is a couple of weeks old now, but nonetheless, news that FOX has purchased Intermix Media - purveyors of the wildly popular and incredibly boring MySpace.com - generated some laughs around the office (aka. back alley). It’s like we saw into the future, knowing that what was once lame could only get lamer.
In other news, we predict that America’s Army will sponsor the Warped Tour, and, in an ironic and sad twist of fate, their logo will appear right next to Propagandhi’s US record label’s logo on the Warped Tour website.
Oh wait, that already happened.
125 Comments on “MySpace: Fair & Balanced®”
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Comment by jerkemy on August 3rd, 2005 at 12:52 pm:
Oh, for fuck’s sake. That like, almost literally hurts to look at. Not that Propagandhi being on Fat hasn’t always kind of been a needle in a turdstack type situation.
While MySpace is objectively lame, it has been a somewhat useful tour-booking tool. But we’re deleting our account, ’cause useful or not, we just can’t hang with Rupert Murdoch.
Comment by tom on August 3rd, 2005 at 1:04 pm:
I just cant fucking stop laughing. I cant believe theres an OFFICIAL US Army game. Im not sure if theres is anything else on the planet right now that illustrates how absolutely bankrupt the American dictators are. Morally, bankrupt obviously……
Arent the religious right against video games? Is this not a whole paradox of self cancelling oxy-morons?
Im still laughing. I wonder if you can actually bomb Canadian soldiers by accident in that game, or if they give you extra points for raping unarmed iraqi women. do they have a guantanamo stage? im not laughing any more. i think i have some molotov. im going to future shop.
Comment by xFirecrackerx on August 3rd, 2005 at 8:26 pm:
Hey! I like Fat!
They have plenty of other great bands in addition to Propagandhi, such as Strung Out, Good Riddance, and the legendary Descendents.
Comment by xFirecrackerx on August 3rd, 2005 at 8:36 pm:
^Oh yeah, they just signed Strike Anywhere too!
Comment by Murderdeathfight on August 3rd, 2005 at 9:15 pm:
myspace is boring but it’s a great way for unheard bands to get heard by people all over. now propagandhi is about the only good band on fat and also the only band on fat to not turn into radio-friendly pop “punk”.
Comment by Marc on August 4th, 2005 at 1:12 am:
Myspace is a hotspot for the conditioned “emo” kid and their egocentric “slanting-mirror with digital camera” photography. What’s sad is the aggregation of hipsters and arm-chair liberals don’t give a shit about this buyout. Family Guy is more important. LOL @ TEH AIDS JOKEZ lolololoz!11
I don’t know what will get someone to care about anything that’s going on. Stupid haircuts and American Dad are more important..how?
What’s funny is that America’s Army is actually a good game. Good in the sense that it has really balanced gameplay and is very addictive. It’s bad in the fact that the US Army developed a videogame that has really balanced gameplay and is very addictive. You have to ask yourself, does the army really need the funding from videogame sales, or is there something else behind this.
Comment by yannig on August 4th, 2005 at 4:37 am:
obviously, yeah. just some more brainwashing. have you read what it says on the cover? “empower yourself. defend freedom.”
Comment by D-Rock on August 4th, 2005 at 8:33 am:
America’s Army is a free download (or they’ll even send you a free CD). They make no money on it, and in fact have invested gobs of money to develop it. It is purely a recruitment tool, and admittedly so.
Read more here.
Comment by Kirbie on August 4th, 2005 at 12:31 pm:
DK said it best, “Punks not dead, it just deserves to die”.
I quit my scene.
Comment by Neil on August 4th, 2005 at 2:52 pm:
Seriously, has Propagandhi EVER considered other options for American distribution? I mean, I don’t know who would be better than a label like Fat, but are they really the lesser of all evils in terms of American record labels? Looking at that sponsorship page is just sickening.
Comment by jerkemy on August 4th, 2005 at 7:35 pm:
“Aren’t the religioous right against video games?”
Nope.
Comment by jerkemy on August 4th, 2005 at 7:46 pm:
About Fat Wreck though - While I think it’s important to try and stay at least marginally aware of whose pockets your disposable income ends up in and what they do with it, sometimes there are obvious choices such as “I refuse to write music and post it on MySpace because creating content for Rupert Murdoch’s website is working for a warmonger, for free.”, but sometimes there are legitimate compromises to be made.
And who is anyone to get on their Nazi-collaborator IBM machine and use the DARPA-developed Internet to tell anyone else they shouldn’t compromise?
Keep in mind that a list of sponsors of the US Army would have us on it.
Comment by Kyle on August 4th, 2005 at 7:47 pm:
I almost downloaded American Army when it was first released. (I think I did download it, actually, but it wouldn’t run on my parents’ computer.) Hell, I almost rented one of those Socom Navy Seals games, too, but I just couldn’t shake the feeling that I was somehow supporting something I didn’t believe in.
I might be an arm-chair liberal, but after seeing that the US Army sponsors the Warped Tour, I don’t think I’ll go. Ever. (That’s easy for me to say because I live in NS, and the closest it comes to here is Maine.)
As for another US record label, how about Alternative Tentacles?
Comment by Neil on August 4th, 2005 at 9:14 pm:
So at this time of day - having a look at that sponsorship page - America’s Army ain’t on there anymore?
Comment by kevin on August 5th, 2005 at 2:41 am:
Correct me if I’m wrong but wasn’t there representives from the american army at the warped tour last year..looking to enlist young “hipsters”?
Comment by Danarcho on August 5th, 2005 at 12:40 pm:
At least on Myspace, you can post your own personal blog thing unlike this site……
Murdoch owning myspace wont make a difference. There was already a shitload of ads (for fox especially), there was already a ton of censorship, and it was as orthodox and pro-western as News Corp is. Probably the only change will be more Fox ads.
And for the above comment, I heard that military recruiters were at Warped Tour. Fucking Vans. Exploits the third world with making shoes and sending troops.
As for Propagandhi on Fat, Michael Moore said it best in The Corporation - they’ll sell the rope that will hang them if they can make a buck off it. Yeah, people will get the message! (just like they got the message of ratm and soad who were on the major of the major record companies).
Comment by Jason on August 5th, 2005 at 1:38 pm:
In the immortal words of GG Allin - Eat My Fuck.
Comment by Marc on August 6th, 2005 at 1:42 pm:
Yeah, reps from the army had recruiting booths set up last year. A very strange atmosphere indeed.
Warped tour is a waste anyway. There were some political merchandise venders I talked to last year talking about the futility of marketing anti-bush stuff to the majority of youth who either don’t vote, or hold up a lefty front to pose the “smart punk” persona. What else is new? Nothing.
Comment by fuK on August 7th, 2005 at 6:03 am:
just face it guys we all doomed no matter what we do. i just wanna hear the new album.
Comment by drew on August 7th, 2005 at 2:15 pm:
i think propagandhi and fugazi may be the only two bands in the world to turn down something so fucking lame as warped tour. what went wrong? i do agree with some of the people on this blog that myspace is helpful for unsigned, brand new bands that want a place to put mp3’s and start to get their music heard. and, it is free at least, for now.
Comment by drew on August 7th, 2005 at 2:33 pm:
yea that warped tour sponsor page is pretty amusing
Comment by Neil on August 8th, 2005 at 9:48 am:
www.purevolume.com
It may be full of whiny emo/screamo/teamo supremo fucks - but it’s an alternative to myspace.
Comment by Chris! on August 8th, 2005 at 11:52 am:
What’s DARPA? I wanna know more about that.
Comment by sean on August 8th, 2005 at 2:36 pm:
Fat Wrech is the definition of hypocracy. I mean just look at NOFX, they sing songs about how they want the scene to be, but then they turn around accept sponsers from the army. Man, Hypocracy makes me sick to my stomache. I think I am going to go take an aspirin and listen to my g7 comp to assure my self that their is atleast one record label with a consistant set of beliefs.
Comment by jekemy on August 9th, 2005 at 1:04 pm:
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
Basically, a bunch of scientists who sit around and come up with a lot of really fucked up shit. If Empire is James Bond, these guys are Q.
DARPA
Comment by jekemy on August 9th, 2005 at 1:08 pm:
here’s another page about the history of the internet as a military intelligence/command project.
Comment by ben on August 9th, 2005 at 5:09 pm:
I’m not getting the anti-Fat Wreck Chords thing. I am not an expert on it, but i don’t see how it gets funding from the army. If you have a beef with them co-sponsoring a tour with the army, i can understand your point, but have to disagree that it turns FAT into vicious, war-mongering military profiteers (i’m ad-libbing a little here).
I still like NOFX, and still like their message. It is still beats the fuck out of stuff like Simple Plan and most emo stuff out there in my opinion. I think its great to have bands like NOFX and labels like Fat who are big enough to give a little compition to the majors. It gives kids (like me 10 years ago) a starting point into the world of ‘punk’ and politically challenging music. I probably would have never have heard of Propagandhi (or get into ‘punk’, for that matter) if it wasn’t for them. How about you?
If they want to sponsor a tour along with the army (and be able to give the kids an anti-bush message in an easily digestible form) then i don’t have a problem. There are so many bigger issues to deal with, for fuck sakes. Like how am i gonna pay off my $5000 loan working a shit job in Japan (and stay vegetarian over there when they put fish in EVERYTHING).
Same with propagandhi. If they want to be on a label (that may not share the same workplace values) but enable them to be heard on a wide scale without sacrificing anything important, then screw the haters.
And hey, at least Fat Mike isn’t singing anti-vegetarian stuff anymore.
Comment by drew on August 9th, 2005 at 11:17 pm:
yea i think its lame when bands get slack for what label they are on. bands should not feel like they have to justify why they are on a certain label.
Comment by Chris! on August 10th, 2005 at 1:12 am:
Holy fuck. Thanks jekemy!
Learning is either fun, or fucking frightening; I can’t decide.
Comment by Will on August 10th, 2005 at 9:46 am:
Propagandhi could move to Dischord for U.S. distribution. At least then you wouldn’t have an asshole running it.
Comment by Will on August 10th, 2005 at 9:46 am:
By asshole I meant Fat Mike.
Comment by D-Rock on August 10th, 2005 at 10:28 am:
I think they should. Otherwise, a “political” band could be applauded for being on, say, a white power label, as they would be ‘exposing those listeners to new ideas’. No?
Comment by jerkemy on August 10th, 2005 at 11:16 am:
Oops. I forgot the R in my name twice. Weird. It’s Jerkemy. Or, Jeremy in real life. Whatever.
But what makes Fat Mike an asshole compared to Ian MacKaye?
I mean, Fugazi’s low door price policy is cool, but not every band is in a position to be able to do that. When Fugazi comes to town, you know they’ll sell out whatever venue they play. They can afford to charge $5. But the fact is, shows have been $5 for 30 years now.
I also think a band should be able to justify their actions in the context of their claimed politics. But that doesn’t mean you never compromise.
Besides “they’re too big” and “they sign shitty bands”, what exactly has Fat Wreck done, compared to any other label that could distro Propagandhi records in the US, that is so odious?
Comment by drew on August 10th, 2005 at 1:10 pm:
i think what it is is that its hard to find a balance with compromise. and it can be really difficult. i mean, some of the things fat mike decides to do with fat may not concur with propagandhi’s ideals, but there is still many good reasons for prop to be on fat. but umm, i dunno. its just a crazy world i guess. i just want to know why bad religion made shoes.
Comment by jerkemy on August 10th, 2005 at 2:06 pm:
Yeah, the Bad Religion shoe is one of those things that’s just ridiculous.
…unless maybe they were ecologically sustainable shoes made in a participatory workplace by workers with balanced job complexes….I tend to doubt it though.
I got some shoes for free one time that were vegan and the box was signed by the Bouncing Souls! (not really signed, but their fake printed signature was on the box, along with a bunch of other terrible bands.) Weird.
Comment by drew on August 10th, 2005 at 5:13 pm:
lol, yea i dont think vans follows those kinds of humane business practices unfortunately. but yea, i wonder if it was the whole bands decision. it seems like brett’s the only one that would actually want to do that. not to judge the guy, but greg wanting BR shoes for fucks sake. i cant imagine that.
Comment by caítlin on August 10th, 2005 at 6:18 pm:
Its fuckedup indeed. I think the most hurtful thing is when you *expect* some common… i dont know the word. Decency/consideration/compassion?
Like Jerkemy said… it’d be corny, yes, but if it was just more merch i wouldn’t care…its the idea they’ve commodified their ideas and associated themselves with something so ridiculous - and the reason seems pretty clear.
I don’t think it’d be any better if it was just one of them either. I mean, if one of G7 decided they wanted to merge the label with Epic and the others went along, would we not want to slap them all with a damp bra?
Maybe thats just me :/
Comment by JohnT on August 10th, 2005 at 10:41 pm:
I just don’t get it.
You’re in a fucking political punk band and you own a fucking record label that is made up of a few of the most-loved political punk bands…yet you let your record label be affiliated with a game that is most-likely being used to recruit for the military. What is up with Fat Mike?
Maybe his apparent affiliation with the Democratic Party and with getting people to vote for Kerry (the apparent “lesser of two evils”) in the last election has clouded his judgement.
Comment by drew on August 11th, 2005 at 12:14 am:
no no, i do agree with you caitlin
Comment by thomas on August 11th, 2005 at 7:11 am:
I actually think G7 have protected themselves pretty well from being bought out by a major, or from merging with a any corporation. They are not owned by one person who has DICTACTORIAL control over the direction of the label. Ive read a lot of interviews about Fat and according to the people interviewed (Erin, Mike)(the two bosses) it is a mostly demcratically run label. but they do make it clear- mike has final say over every happening at the label. at least theyre somewhat honest.
and thats just the thing- though the stuff they put out might “challenge” authority, or “denounce” capitalism, theyre working structure only helps further capitalism and strengthen it. against me is also a fucking great band.
so in my opinion theyre nice people who believe in democracy but make a shit load of money off the system. including propagandhi.
i think id rather be an asshole anarchist than a nice capitalist. et toi?
Comment by thomas on August 11th, 2005 at 7:19 am:
BUT! whats profit compared to the ideas conveyed through music? these ideas have profound effects on us humans. and hopefully its positive. it was for me……i think.
Comment by caítlin on August 11th, 2005 at 8:04 am:
I think the point that the bands they put out are getting new, important ideas across, is a very good one… But I don’t think you have to “play the game” so much to do so.
We’re ALL holedup in this moronic fucking system until something big happens, none of us can be exempt from it [what was that bizzare thing about some label getting a percentage off every cd sold in the uniiiiverse?] short of complete retreat, but I don’t see why they can’t for example, restructure the work environment. If its a matter of getting their ideas accross - even if its just a matter of making money - what harm would that do?
The army thing sucks immensely. I do think its pretty embarrassing for them.. I don’t particularly Fat, but we have bigger fish to liberate.
I’d quite like to be a nice anarchist. Or just a nice generic lefty (phobia of labels).
Comment by jerkemy on August 11th, 2005 at 11:29 am:
I’m pretty sure the company that gets a few cents from every CD sold is Sony; if not them, then whatever company it was that patented CDs.
I don’t think G7 could really be acquired in a hostile takeover…it’s not like they have a board of directors or shareholders or any of that crap. It’s apparently just 3 dudes drinking beer and hauling boxes up stairs all day. Who would want to acquire that? Heh.
I don’t know. Why don’t you just email Propagandhi and ASK why they’ve decided to go with Fat? They’ve answered every email I’ve ever sent them.
Comment by Bill on August 11th, 2005 at 11:44 am:
Well, i cant say i hate myspace, it is free and so i take the boring and bullshit with a grain of salt. I really hate spending money on internet bullshit so i dig it for that reason. Its also a great way to get your bands name out to people that you couldnt have before. As for fat wreck? i happen to enjoy the bands on there, i mean to say propagandhi is the only good band is just a lack of respect for good music what about Strung Out, or Only Crime, Good Riddance, Descendants, Strike Anywhere, and love them or hate them NOFX is still a great band. I love that Propagandhi is on Fat, otherwise hearing them would not happen for me in the states. I love G7 too. Thats all i have to say.
Comment by Bill on August 11th, 2005 at 11:47 am:
oh, and i forgot, dont let record labels fool you, just because you are on a major label dosent make you some sort of rockstar. I know this band from Los Angeles called Killradio, they have an amazing political message and among the best song writters i have ever heard. They are just an amazing band, and they are signed to Columbia, yet they get nothing, and are totally self funded. Yet, alotta assholes would call them sell outs. I do believe you have to make money, to sell out?
Comment by thomas on August 11th, 2005 at 11:57 am:
EMI is the company that has the patent on CD’s.
Its easy for me to be critical of a label, or capitalism as a whole. As a courier, i use up a lot of petro chemical fuel, just to support myself. thats direct funding to the war machine. we are all a part of it, its what we do within that makes the difference. in action and ideology. tear it apart. bring it down. muthafucka yea.
Comment by drew on August 11th, 2005 at 1:54 pm:
i just want to say, since this blog is all over the place anyways, that the new propagandhi song “name and address withheld” is absolutly fucking amazing. that song has made up most of what ive listened to since i got the comp a few weeks ago.
Comment by jerkemy on August 11th, 2005 at 3:10 pm:
Whatever “selling out” means, the fact that not only is that band on a major label, thus working for a corporation that’s linked to all kinds of terrible things, but that they don’t get any money for it, only illustrates further how rotten major labels are.
Your friends band are sellouts AND suckers.
Comment by jerkemy on August 11th, 2005 at 3:17 pm:
…and why, WHY, do people keep pointing to Strung Out as one of the “good” bands on Fat?
Strung Out are the most boring, formulaic, Mountain Dew-slamming-dude skate-rock ever concieved. Their musical precision doen’t make up for their total blandness or their goatees.
Comment by Krizzakk on August 11th, 2005 at 9:07 pm:
wow disturbing to say the least.. how can anyone actually listen to any of that shit let alone pay 45 dollars for a ticket to that shit… people are pathetic
Comment by Marc on August 12th, 2005 at 12:41 am:
A question I’ve always wondered? Is distributing music on an indie label like G7 profitable? Profitible being pulling in average, or above average pay for the amount of effort you put in? It may be hypocritical, but this is all some people got..and they’re hungry too. What do you/your parents do that put you in a position to judge bands like this?
I am a big supporter of Propagandhi..but some things just don’t hold up. I’ve researched Parecon economics a bit after reading that G7 functions using that framework. I think Parecon is great for workplaces - stores, restaurants, coffee shops…Yet, I don’t think a medical school student, or an engineer would put up with the rigorous course work and energy just to see some stoner at McDonalds make just as much (or more). Sometimes being too idealistic doesn’t make sense. Sometimes bands need to eat.
Comment by Lee on August 12th, 2005 at 9:08 am:
I just checked out the fat page. In their Fat Tour allies section they have myspace.com as a sponsor or and allie or something. Fat just becomes more corperate. I respect the lable and fat mike, they’ve done a lot for music and have signed some good bands but i feel have declined in recent years. Murdoch is supporting the Fat tour… rad.
PS. Propagandhi… awesome. G7… awesome.
Comment by jerkemy on August 12th, 2005 at 10:55 am:
“I think Parecon is great for workplaces - stores, restaurants, coffee shops…Yet, I don’t think a medical school student, or an engineer would put up with the rigorous course work and energy just to see some stoner at McDonalds make just as much (or more)”
The whole id ea of participatory economics is to do away with class divisions like enginerr/fry cook in favor of balanced job complexes where everyone does some empowreing tasks (like engineering) and some shitty ones (like making fast food…that is, if a society where people have input into decisions in proportion to how much they’re affected by the outcome decides it still wants shitty fried food).
Seriously, check out this website, it pretty much answers every concievable question/objection to parecon…
Participatory Economics
Comment by caítlin on August 12th, 2005 at 12:03 pm:
I’m by no means a professor and could easily be talking about of my ass here but I think parecon can seem kind of indigestible when the concept of mutual help is totally contrary to what we’ve been told for so long. To be successful, most people think, is to compete and to some extent, to exploit. So sometimes it feels threatening, survival of the fittest and all that bollocks. [I’m really not trying to patronise you here, sincerly sorry if it sounds that way]
That kind of thinking is hard to get out of, a whole lot of this stuff comes from re-training your thought processes. But if I became an engineer i would become one because i wanted to - if a job provides a living i’m happy. Of course no one wants to be broke, and if you work hard you want to feel it was worthwhile, but parecon isnt about you getting a worse deal; its others getting a fairer one. I can see the objection if you think you’re doing more work, or harder, but as someone who does both academic and physical labour of some sort I wouldn’t necessarily say that’s true. The path to the more intellectually engaging job [if we’re still sticking with the burgers vs engingeering analogy] may be longer, but there is a very important, reciprocal relationship between physical labour and specialised jobs.
The great thing about Parecon is you don’t need to be limited to one or the other. Why do es flipping burgers have to be your lot? I know when I get out of college sometimes I don’t want to sink my head into a book, I want to do something. And when I was at work I wanted to have something to think about other than which boxes went where. Plus college would be very difficult as much without the dudes lugging boxes of books as the dudes who wrote em. What I’m getting at is that both need to co-exist.
I think in old soviet jobs physical labourers got more pay than brain surgeons. I’m not saying thats right, but its interesting. Maybe parecon can be a happy hybrid.
Parecon might not work for you… Im sure itll keep evolving. Its just worth taking a look at, especially when you look at the alternative (that site is definitely a good one).
Comment by Marc on August 12th, 2005 at 1:05 pm:
Interesting..but in order for it to be ‘fair’ you have to look at what jobs are actually desireable. You said, sometimes I’de like to ’sink my head in a book’ and other times ‘lug boxes around’. Lets not forget that all the careers that involve a large amount of training and rigorous course work, and boast proportionally nice benefits are still in high demand because many people cannot/do not want to complete the curriculum. It would be interesting to know if there were enough Soviet doctors to go around. It would be very egalitarian to think, they cannot complete it because of the money (which Parecon takes care of), but at my university, i see kids drop/change their majors all the time, citing difficulty as a reason. Maybe they’re lying? Who knows.
It all seems very hopeful, though. If we can get past the stubborness of our ways of thinking, I would be all for this. But it seems like everything is a stumbling block..at least to me.
Comment by thomas on August 12th, 2005 at 1:39 pm:
Parecon is a very complex economic/political/social model. the first two books are also extremely boring. but i totally think that it will keep evolving and that its what could be a part of a future model. but life isnt only about economic/political/social models.
Comment by jerkemy on August 12th, 2005 at 2:07 pm:
Parecon seems complex because it addresses so many facets of economic organization, which may be boring to read about, but look how complex and boring capitalism already is…. look at how much administration, sitting throug boring meetings, how many entire reams of paper, terabytes of data and years of planning are invested in say, just something stupid like the manufacture of “No Fat Chicks” bumper stickers.
I had a far easier time reading through how parecon might work than I’ve ever had getting someone to explain to me exactly what benefit day-trading or manipulation of corn futures bestows on human life.
Comment by jerkemy on August 12th, 2005 at 2:10 pm:
…oops, didn’t mean to post yet.
I dunno, there’s not space here for this discussion, really. If you have an objection/question/stunning revelation as to why a just economy could never work out, check out that Parecon site and I’ll bet it’s answered more thoroughly than I could here.
Comment by jerkemy on August 12th, 2005 at 2:14 pm:
oh, but one thing….a common response seems to be “yeah, but being a brain surgeon is really hard and not everyone could do it, even if they had every opportunity” which is absolutely true….parecon (or anyone who’s thought about this for 3 seconds) doesn’t claim everyone should take out the trash, then do a little brain surgery and maybe put in a couple hours down at the nuclear plant for good measure…. the main thrust of Parecon is balancing empowerment vs. shitwork and rewarding effort and sacrifice instead of (genetic) good luck.
Comment by caítlin on August 12th, 2005 at 3:48 pm:
I think the education point is interesting. Its commonly percieved that the people who go on to further education are smart or capable, and that those who don’t arent. (I’m not putting words into your mouth here, but I do think its relevent to this)
Where I’m from at least - we don’t have a lot of grants etc - its simply not the case. Those of us in further education are often just those of us lucky enough to be in the economic position to do so. Seven years ago I would not have been on my way to university education, I would be doing some sort of manual labour full-time. Its [luckily] my personal situation which has changed, not my aptitude or interest.
I can’t speak for the kids at your college though. I find it really interesting how differently I see this. A lot of stuff I (and we, unless I’m just a fucking moron) take at face value, quite often it takes personal experience to change that outlook. Which is fucking depressing really.
And BELIEVE ME, we’ve all come across stumbling blocks in our time. Too many to count, in my case… but do keep going!
Incidentally, I think the soviets also thought it was possible for you to be a gardener in the morning, a party official at noon and a poet in the evening. Sounds quite nice, but I don’t think it worked.
Comment by tom on August 12th, 2005 at 4:24 pm:
hey jerk,
all books about economics are inherently boring in my opinion. but thats not saying its not an important thing to read, or a beneficial thing to read, i just dont have my eyes glued to the pages and my fingers poised to turn everypage as soon as im done the last one. let me repeat that i have read 2 books. itd be good for insomiacs and everyone else to read too. i do agree with most of the concepts and the way they are presented, though much more work must be done.
Comment by Jennifer on August 12th, 2005 at 9:58 pm:
Defending NOFX for being better than Simple Plan is just unjustifiable. It’s not like punk rock extremes are limited to Epitaph and Fat Wreck, then the Sex Pistols (ha) and mainstream pop’s “punk” - there are far more politically-stronger (and might I add, less nauseating) bands being supported in the underground punk scene, whether independently or through record labels like this one.
I always felt as if Propagandhi never fit in with Fat Wreck - in fact, if it weren’t for Propagandhi I probably wouldn’t have been amused by what I thought punk rock had to offer at the time - songs like “My Vagina” and whatever the hell Less than Jake writes, and given up on it completely. I’m indebted to them greatly. I think the only reason Propagandhi might be staying with Fat because they are indebted to /them/ for supporting them, but with Propagandhi being such a polemic band, maybe they need to confront the fact that Fat Mike’s label misrepresents their politics, which are more likely than not very important to them.
And about myspace, I have an account but I have no idea what the site really functions for. The news made me laugh when I first heard it. Some people overreacted and were treating myspace like an ex-boyfriend, which was equally amusing.
Comment by D-Rock on August 13th, 2005 at 11:31 am:
Just thought I’d post an update here - Chris has informed me that Warped Tour has removed the America’s Army™ logo from their sponsors page. Huh.
Comment by jerkemy on August 13th, 2005 at 11:36 am:
Our messageboard shittalking scared the Army away! Alright!
Comment by thomas on August 13th, 2005 at 1:36 pm:
oh that g7 logo is so cool drock. represent. now we know where all your posts are. way to go. yeah.
Comment by Jennifer on August 13th, 2005 at 5:54 pm:
according to indietorrents.com:
“2005-08-09 - The RIAA has been allowed to assimilate the following labels: Epitaph, Absolutely Kosher, Hush, Jetset, Equal Vision, Sub City, SpinArt, Lookout, Fat Wreck Chords, Relapse, Nitro, BYO, Ferret, Tommy Boy, Taang, Kung Fu Records, Smash and others. Please check the RIAA members list before posting, and be sure to keep supporting ONLY independent labels and artists.”
whoohoo.
Comment by jerkemy on August 13th, 2005 at 6:33 pm:
what does that mean, “allowed to assimilate”?
The RIAA is an association of people in the music business, not a major label.
Is Fat now against filesharing?
Comment by manji on August 14th, 2005 at 3:25 pm:
About the whole bands being on certain labels and whatever thing, I view it in the same way as all the other points that were brought up about Fox buying myspace.com and DARPA. They’ve got us by the nuts and they know it, and they don’t want us to know it. How much can you really not buy in? Where did the materials for your house come from, or your car? Where was the metal for the microchips in every one of these computers mined? As far as I know, Intel does it all in Africa, and I THINK AMD does too, but I’m not sure. Something tells me these mines aren’t filled with happy people working 8 hour days with fridays off, a good cafeteria serving healthy food and full benefits with salary pay. But, where do these processors get us? I wouldn’t have found out about Parecon today, that’s for sure. And things like myspace do serve a purpose, like getting bands out there. Of course there’s other ways to do it. People seem to forget that the world worked perfectly fine, if only harder and less effeciently, before computers. But, computer’s allow my band to record, “press” (really burn cds, but is there really a difference these days?) our own recordings, make professional looking cd covers and images on the cd, trade mp3s/wavs back and forth to a member across the country, and do other things that would have cost thousands of dollars 5 years ago.
Point being, don’t kid yourself, you are as an important part of the system to the system as everyone else. You have to buy in. But don’t use that as an excuse to be an idiot. Know what you’re buying into, use your head. It’s there for a reason. If you don’t want to support Fat because they get money from the army, then don’t. That is your choice as a free thinking individual. It can’t be one way or another, it has to be a comprimise.
And another note on the purpose of labels like Fat or Nitro and bands like Snuff and The Vandals. Somebody said it earlier. They serve as a gateway into something you’d never find out about. Nobody jumps directly from Brittany Spears to Aus Rotten. But they do jump from Brittany Spears to NOFX to Good Riddance to Bad Religion to Black Flag to Aus Rotten. I know me, nor my friends, would have gotten into any of these bands that way. And we’ve spent the better part of ten years doing our best to advance what we enjoy, to grow politically, socially, economically minded, and just generally better ourselves in ways that would have never occured to us if I hadn’t heard an Offspring song on the radio one day. And I know it still works, because a year ago my little sister would be listening to Linkin’ Park. Right now I hear The Descendents. All because I let her borrow an old, funny Blink 182 cd. Funny how that works out, huh?
Comment by caítlin on August 14th, 2005 at 4:18 pm:
I agree with manji to a large extent - we are all complicit, but I don’t necessarily think its Fat or obscurity. To be honest, I think arguing about this is pretty pointless. Look who Rage were signed to - and I still deeply respect Zach.
“If you don’t want to support Fat because they get money from the army, then don’t.” Fuckin right. There are alternatives. At the end of the day, its not up to us - and to some degree, its not really our business - who the bands we listen to sign with. If I don’t like a label but I like a band, I’ll find another way to listen to their stuff and (hopefully) support them at the same time. I think Propagandhi are to be applauded for providing an alternative for “fans” (i hate that word) who don’t want to support Fat, whilst not being there solely for the “elite” who have seen some proverbial light. I don’t see the point in staying within a group who’ll always agree, and preaching to the converted…
Comment by drew on August 14th, 2005 at 6:58 pm:
yea its awsome that propagandhi’s releases are available through G7 and people anywhere in the world can order them directly. thats how i get them. so if you all hate fat so much, quit your bitchin and hit up the online g7 store and give chris something to do!
Comment by caítlin on August 15th, 2005 at 7:28 am:
I was trying to find this yesterday;
Chris: Boycott Cargo! Boycott Dutch Esat! Don’t buy our records from them. If you buy our record at from anybody take off the plastic wrap and send it back to Fat Mike.
Interviewer: Oh, where can people get your records? Do you have any distributors?
Chris: Blacklist.
Jord: Go for Blacklist.
Chris: If you want to get the Fat Wreck Chords record… don’t.
Comment by D-Rock on August 15th, 2005 at 11:24 am:
I just need to clarify here: Fat Wreck does NOT get money from the army! I was just pointing out the sad irony of both of those organizations sponsoring the same event, and having their logos appear side by side. They are NOT related folks. That would undoubtedly step over the proverbial line (if it has not been stomped on already).
The question, in my mind, isn’t so much whether Fat is “good” or “bad.” Instead, what has transpired that “punk” music - historically a music of resistance to and rejection of the status quo; hierarchical, authoritarian power structures; and dumbed-down, sugary, passionless music - has turned into a shoe/skateboard/clothing/video game/cellphone/electronics-retailer/battery/U.S. Army (and on and on)-sponsored mallfest filled with … you guessed it … dumbed-down, sugary, passionless music?
Count us out is about all I can say.
Comment by Neil on August 16th, 2005 at 12:17 am:
Jesus fuck, THINK about what you’re posting before hitting the “submit comment” button. For fuck’s sake how could you even think Fat gets money from the army? Fuckin moron kids, you’re gonna get this shut down just like the old message board this site had for about 5 hours a couple years ago. Go post your own “blog” on your space of right-wing cyberspace and leave this site for people who may actually know what they’re talking about.
(My thoughts do not represent the kind folks of G7 Welcoming Committee)
Comment by caítlin on August 16th, 2005 at 1:41 am:
My, that was quite an outburst. Imagine being so stupid as to entertain the thought a capitalist company could have links to a military machine. Where would we be without you, eh?
I suggest redirecting that anger to something a little more worthwhile. Picking fights on message boards seems a waste of your infinite wisdom..
Comment by Chris! on August 16th, 2005 at 3:58 pm:
RE: the RIAA thing. I remember reading an interview with FM or his wife a long time ago in which they mentioned how hard they’d had to fight to be “dropped” or whatever you’d call it from the RIAA back in the 90s. It sounds as if they don’t really have much of a choice.
Comment by caítlin on August 16th, 2005 at 4:06 pm:
That’s horrible! It seems bizzare they could have the right to do it beyond your will. I wonder if you can get a program or something to detect it..
Comment by D-Rock on August 16th, 2005 at 8:18 pm:
This is straying off-topic but … no one can force anyone to join the RIAA, it’s a membership-based organization. Fat Wreck and others are members because they’ve signed up and paid dues. The exact benefits for a label like Fat in being a member I’m unsure of. They probably get a bunch of shitty newsletters and are invited to lame industry dinners.
UPDATE: According to Fat Wreck Chords, they are NOT a member of the RIAA, do NOT pay dues, and have been fighting them to get their name removed from the RIAA’s list of members for years. So everyone can cool their heels in Alaska on that one.
Comment by 420 on August 17th, 2005 at 12:24 pm:
I heard by 2015 80% of all USA warfare will be fought from behind a screen, using robots controlled by similar video game tools that we see now a days. They dont need a draft they have already 20 million video game addicts in training.
Comment by marc on August 17th, 2005 at 2:42 pm:
That’s like saying…Because kids play hide-and-go-seek they are already in training to be spies. People are not robots. Just because you can play a videogame well, doesn’t mean you give up all moral judgement for shooting someone’s head off with a rail gun. What kind of characteristics does an average soldier employ - Physical fitness and gun-toting..so:
BAN ALL SPORTS AND VIDEOGAMES! HUMANS WILL USE THEIR FUN FOR EVIL!!
I can’t think of a single thing, save staring at my wall all day and fall into a hopeless depression, that would/could not be used against my fellow man. We have brains..we just need compassion. Videogames don’t brainwash people.
Comment by marc on August 17th, 2005 at 2:49 pm:
Unless of course the developers have intentions of brainwashing…obviously - but that goes for any communication medium.
Comment by thomas on August 18th, 2005 at 12:48 pm:
Neil,
you mean Fat DOESN’T get money from the army? oh, please forgive my ignorance. i guess we can’t all “know what were talking about” like you do. do you think maybe all us “fuckin moron kids” should go jump off a bridge somewhere? would that make the scene a better place?
i didnt know that if you disagree with me that that means i am right wing. i didnt know that this blog was a forum for left wing discussion. but youve made it oh so clear:
there are assholes everywhere.
warped is corporate. so is my space. almost everything in this world is, as so many have pointed out: these computers we use. individual people cannot control every single aspect of the countless facets of everyday life including musical distribution. any action performed in this capitalist state causes some amount of violence no matter how small. even these posts were posting. but the ideas shared are worth so much more. we cant be police, dude. if theres one thing ive learned in my 5 or so years of thinking about resistance, is that the worst thing you can do is alienate someone because you think they are wrong. everyone is different. everyone is the same.
Comment by 420 on August 19th, 2005 at 10:18 am:
Marc I never said these people are brainwashed by video games but my point was that war will eventually be fought from behind a screen controlled by similar gadgets that we see
Some have no physical ablilities besides playing video games and these are the people the army will use to fight new battles.
Comment by 420 on August 19th, 2005 at 10:29 am:
My point was that the army well be remote controlled from behind a screen and that a person will not need to be physically fit.!!!
There will be less and less americans sent home in body bags which will keep the american public happy.
The army is already using robots in Iraq and
www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6852832/
as seen by this article.
This video game is training for the new 21 st century fighters and you cant tell me that if you have shot 1000 fake video game people in the head for 10 years that you do not become desensetized to killing !!!
Fight the new world order!!!
Comment by Marc on August 19th, 2005 at 1:47 pm:
Killing in a videogame character and killing a real person are two entirely different things. I am uneasy when I physically see someone get hurt in person, yet I’ve probably seen more pixelated blood and guts in the 15 years of videogame playing (i’m 20 now) than ever. I assume this is because we don’t necessarily associate someone getting blown up in a videogame the same way we associate someone getting blown up in real life, in our minds.This debatable topic has been going on since violent gaming’s conception, so I won’t clutter the G7 board with it. I don’t won’t to prod this. :P
You make a great point - wars fought digitally create this sense of security in fighting a “cleaner” war, thus making it easier, in essence to kill living beings. You and I know that killing is killing.
However, I think the same lack of compassion that soldiers are taught to assimilate in themselves (during training), for the purpose of killing their enemy is what would drive these “robot-using- soldiers” to be desensitized to violence- not the videogames they’ve played. A soldier present on the battlefield and a soldier behind the computer screen, both showing no remorse in eliminating a human life, are one in the same; both are desensitized to the same degree.
Among societal laws, human compassion, control, and empathy are huge reasons why we don’t go up to someone and shove a knife in their stomach if we don’t like them. If someone lacks these qualities, then of course a videogame would simply be a training video for those trying to hurt someone. But if it wasn’t a videogame, it would be a violent movie. If it wasn’t a violent movie, it would be watching someone commit a violent act.
I do share your distress with fighting wars through automated machines. I could definetly see a rehash of Jello’s “Kill the Poor” with the lyrics “Nice, quick, and clean” being used to describe a walking gattling gun instead of the neutron bomb. Ugh.
Comment by Paul the conquered on August 21st, 2005 at 7:46 pm:
As a citizen of a US ally (read: country that gives dubya hand jobs while he’s pointing at which A-rab he wants dead next), I have to say that seeing this Americas Army website is one of the most disturbing pieces of shit I have ever seen & just proves that this “war” is being managed by a group of people who hocked their moral compass for their addiction to cash.
Comment by uberlfp on August 22nd, 2005 at 5:08 am:
yes, myspace does suck indeed. I have a profile and group set up on this piece of shit Fox owned, for lack of a better insult, piece of shit. Currently, a group of religious zealots have taken the fine job of policing this feces covered myspace thing. They keep going after atheist groups and have gotten a couple of them deleted so far. The creationist swine is called “The Catholic Crusaders”. It’s a bunch of stupid kids that cannot deal with free thought. It’s sad times in the United States, and I wish I could give up my citizenship of this imperialist nation. Oh well, no matter. I’ll just deal with it. That’s ironic about the Army posting thier banners and such at the Warped Tour. I am glad I am no longer associated with the lame, marketed punk rock scene. I won’t even buy music because the money I spend will probably go to funding the Bush Death Machine.
Comment by Dave on August 26th, 2005 at 6:57 am:
well over in the “lesser of three evils” Australia, this myspace bullshit is particulary rife. My band had a myspace page but basically jumped into the boat too quick without actually knowing what it was. We are currently having a fuck-;oad of a hard time deleting our membership. they suck you in promising you “thousands of people per day will veiw your music and download shit. bullfucking shit my friends.
as for the fucking catholic crusaders they can just go and suck a fuck cause i have absolutelty NO TIME for uppity creationists who dont have the time or answers for other peoples questions or beliefs.
If the Australian Army ever began sponsoring our music festivals there would be such an outrage from the ‘punk’ community that the festivals would proberly not be able to make ends meet. ******suggestion for all the yanks out there********
Comment by xFirecrackerx on August 29th, 2005 at 6:16 pm:
My review of Fat Wreck Chords…
Positives about Fat:
- Sells all full-length CDs for only $10 through website and mailorder, $2 shipping anywhere in the US no matter how much you order. Quick shipping. Doesn’t steal your money (anyone ordered anything from Go-Kart records? Don’t).
- Prints all newer shirts on American Apparel.
- Pays one of the highest percentages of royalties to bands from albums sales.
- Friendly to the bands.
- Consistently puts out good music (not regressing like Epitaph or playing to the scene kids like other indie labels).
- Good bands… Propagandhi (obviously), Strung Out (amazing lyrics, especially the political songs), Good Riddance (fronted by Russ Rankin, vegan straight edge), Only Crime (members of Good Riddance, Descendents, Black Flag), NOFX (Hey, I like them…listen to “The Decline”), Descendents (legendary), Strike Anywhere (newly signed), Rise Against (not on Fat anymore, though), Anti-Flag (not on Fat anymore, either), 88 Fingers Louie (RIP), None More Black (Jason from Kid Dynamite’s band), Zero Down (RIP), Lawrence Arms (rad band), Dillenger Four (crazy band),
Negatives about Fat:
- MySpace sponsoring the Fat Tour (This was likely confirmed before the FOX takeover).
- Fat Mike has final say over everything. (although to be fair - it is his money and he built it up DIY. also, this is a positive if you share the same music tastes as Fat Mike, like I do)
- RIAA membership (terrible, terrible, terrible, nothing good to say about this one).
Anyway…the good outweighs the bad.
Comment by thomas on August 29th, 2005 at 10:02 pm:
good bands are all a matter of taste. you forgot against me!
Fat is a dull knife, though in my opinion. the blade is polished to shine rebellion and self-determination, but when HE attepmts to stab the capitalist power monger he instead slices him some butter for his toast.
also note that 95% of the bands on Fat, and all bands listed by you (and me!) include no women. since when was punk rock about young white suburban male homogeneity? always? never?
and dont feed me the pink and black line.
Comment by caitlin on September 1st, 2005 at 8:11 am:
While were on the subject of women, lets not forget that American Apparel big shot Dov Charney is a sexist piece of poop - one who now finds using sweatshop free clothing “boring”….
Comment by marc on September 1st, 2005 at 12:26 pm:
Fair trade and women’s rights is so year 2001.
Comment by thomas on September 1st, 2005 at 3:11 pm:
g7 also uses american apparel. in fact they aknowledge that the ceo is a “fucking idiot” yet still fill his coffers with money. better than nike, i guess.
im beginning to feel that we should all walk around naked.
Comment by drew on September 2nd, 2005 at 2:44 pm:
yea this new stuff is just fucking amazing.
Comment by Marc on September 2nd, 2005 at 3:27 pm:
“yea this new stuff is just fucking amazing.”
Fucking seconded.
Comment by C-Wipe on September 2nd, 2005 at 3:46 pm:
we won’t be using american apparel anymore. once this batch of shirts is gone, that’s it.
hopefully we will be fully and permanently withdrawn from the business of selling people clothes.
Comment by drew on September 3rd, 2005 at 4:16 pm:
read this!!
i found this at behindthelabel.org
its about american apparel:
“In September 2003, workers at the factory began organizing a union with UNITE (now UNITE HERE) to address their concerns and to gain a voice on the job. Issues such as no paid time off, lack of affordable healthcare, production methods, and treatment by supervisors were the main issues of workers trying to organize.
The workers efforts to organize and gain the right to collective bargaining were immediately met with serious resistance from the company. Owner Dov Charney and his management team immediately launched an anti-union campaign, even though Charney had publicly stated that he would never interfere with employee organizing and would remain neutral in the process. Through intimidation, interrogation, and threats of closing the facility, American Apparel created an atmosphere of fear that quickly chilled the workers attempts to organize.”
You can read the whole article here:
www.behindthelabel.org/infocus.asp?…
there is also some info about it here:
www.nosweatshop.org/americanapparel…
i thought this was all pretty interesting.
Comment by Lee on September 4th, 2005 at 7:00 am:
“yea this new stuff is just fucking amazing.”
Fucking Thirded. I Love It.
Comment by Jennifer on September 5th, 2005 at 3:53 pm:
I don’t understand why people like the Descendents.
The new Against Me! full-length sucks.
Comment by drew on September 5th, 2005 at 8:18 pm:
lol. ive never gotten into the descendants either. ive only heard one song off the new against me. ive never gotten into them much either. i just cant stop listening to the new prop. thats really all that i care about lately.
Comment by Suicide_Green on September 7th, 2005 at 7:51 pm:
The best thing about Americas Army is the interesting bit of code they added in that swaps team and enemy player models, so the team you’re playing on is ALWAYS the american military, and the team you’re playing against is ALWAYS stereotypical towellheads.
I guess this may be due to the many instances where playing as the terrorists in Counter Strike caused children to plant bombs that blow up crates and barrels.
For the record though, this is one of many games that the U.S. military has sponsored, going back to a version of the atari Battlezone and a total conversion of Doom. There was also a Real Time Strategy game co-developed with the military called ‘Real War’, which is a funny thing to call a video game.
Comment by caítlin on September 8th, 2005 at 2:14 pm:
^ that, added with a new-found disinterest in sweatshop free labour and institutionalised sexism [and apparently exploitative catalogues, ive never seen them] = the company who were called “100% ethical” in le figaro today. Woo.
Good news that G7 are done with them. Shame about clothes entirely though - I know merch is merch but the ethically made stuff can be hard to get your hands on if you’re not batch-ordering (or loaded).
Comment by falcore on September 8th, 2005 at 10:45 pm:
mabey the fat records crew should pull outta warp tour and not contribute to that crap. warp tour sucks anyways. its like a shopping mall that happends to have live music and skate boarding. its #1 goal is to line up high school kids and kids in their 20′S and expose them to the new trends of the counter culture ,(whatever the fuck that is), its a huge marketing extravaganza.
Comment by d-train on September 9th, 2005 at 6:04 pm:
that’s a real bummer about american apparel. Unfortunatly, they are one of the only “ethical”(ish) companies to offer shirts sized for girls. Show me another company that offers both sexes shirts, that are wearable (ie, fit), and I’ll pledge my support.
Comment by caítlin on September 10th, 2005 at 5:42 am:
Therein lies the problem d-train :(
I guess it depends on your figure (and your stance on animal rights obv) but i think animalsrightsstuff.com are pretty reliable with sizing..
Comment by Jennifer on September 13th, 2005 at 8:45 pm:
“g7 also uses american apparel. in fact they aknowledge that the ceo is a “fucking idiot” yet still fill his coffers with money. better than nike, i guess.”
That’s pretty stupid, actually, it’s like aknowledging the ethical problems within it, but instead of boycotting, supporting it. Which really defeats the purpose of selling the product to begin with. Didn’t Nike aknowledge their labor problems before?
I’m not comparing G7 or American Apparel with Nike or anything, I’m glad that they are working towards not supporting American Apparel since they believe there are serious problems with it. But that train of logic is kind of stupid. Don’t nod your head “YES” to whatever something ‘punk’ may say.
Comment by caítlin on September 14th, 2005 at 3:37 pm:
To be fair, I dont think the guy who said that is one of those people. I don’t know him personally but he seems fairly independent-minded.
I guess a lot of people feel (when we’re consuming) that its a lesser-of-two-evils situation. It fucking sucks, but I don’t think theres such a thing as “good capitalism” and “bad capitalism”. More bad and worse.. and then there are people trying to get ideas across from within, and you can’t remain completely outside the system, short of retreating.
I emailed g7 ages ago about this and I could see their logic. I don’t buy stuff from them thats made by AA, but if I was faced with the choice of them or Nike I know which I would choose.
Sometimes, for [humane] suppliers and for buyers, its a matter of a rock and a hard place. If you buy a shirt from a company with a shithead for a CEO, can you afford to throw it out? And who do you buy from instead? If its a batch, what happens then? I got some leaflets printed from an organisation [the cheapest] who also do business with white priders. I didnt know this at the time. Should I throw them away? Somehow I dont think g7 went into this knowing Charney was such a twit. If I’m wrong, I will happily retract.
Essentially, I’d rather G7 continued what they were doing and ended their dealings with AA as soon as they could, than throw away all the shirts and cds and books that werent made in ideal circumstances, and run to the hills.
I suppose you just have to ask if the ideas outweigh the complicity.
But then we’re all using the internet, energy, and programs like microsoft..
I do think you’re right, though. Critique and discernment are essential.
Comment by Luke on September 15th, 2005 at 12:18 am:
hasn’t the United States throughout its history through mediums such as financial aid and military action freed more people than any other country. What’s the communism vs. capitalism death toll… just wondering? I think communism has claimed around 100 million. I saw a high estimate of 40,000 iraqis dead from US bombs.
Comment by sheezus on September 15th, 2005 at 3:52 pm:
yuo guys are such whiners. you talk the talk but do you walk..well you know the rest
Comment by Jennifer on September 15th, 2005 at 8:58 pm:
“hasn’t the United States throughout its history through mediums such as financial aid and military action freed more people than any other country. What’s the communism vs. capitalism death toll… just wondering? I think communism has claimed around 100 million. I saw a high estimate of 40,000 iraqis dead from US bombs.”
Read a book.
Comment by John on September 16th, 2005 at 12:02 pm:
I love how the Warped Tour site says “The Tour That Won’t Die”. It’s so true.
Comment by Paul The Conquered on September 16th, 2005 at 7:15 pm:
In the end you’ve gotta live your life, try and be aware of where these products come from and who’s profiting. You can drive yourself fucking crazy analysing every move you make (and every breath you take - sorry that was cheap but I couldn’t stop myself).
It’s nigh on impossible to live a day in this world without some of your cash, labour, sweat or blood improving the bottom line of some morally bankrupt cash driven shithead. Like I said all you can do is surround yourself with enough information to make educated decisions in everything you do, and slap those motherfuckers silly when you get the chance.
-I love the Descendents, but their post ALL work isn’t a patch on the pre-ALL work (and I love ALL.) Speaking of which, there was a great Scott Reynolds post on the Pavers (RIP) website once about him ringing up Fat Mike to harass him into signing his band and Fat bullshitting him and then playing him Sum 41 over the phone, telling him how hot they were.
May not be true, but funny nonetheless. And the Pavers were a fuckin ace band.
-I also want to apologise for my previous nonsensical post re America’s Army website, i was drunk and appalled.
-Die Jugend rocks, but is that a Boys Of Summer lead break rip off. The Ataris will be so pissed at you. (speaking of talentless asshole sell outs)
Comment by drew on September 20th, 2005 at 3:27 pm:
hey why’d my last post get deleted?
D-Rock says: Sorry, off topic!
Comment by terryaki on September 24th, 2005 at 4:13 am:
hi there!
I don`t read all messages in here, only want to leave my opinion. WHY EVERYONE here bother about FAT, there are a lot more “Punkbrands” who are on this damn Sponsorlist, whats about Equal Vision? If you bother at all, why not at them? they made the label with a clear vision of politics and if they appear on this “blacklist” it`s more hippocritical then most other brands,
That the Warped tour sucks, everyone knows (but not my prob, cuz I´m an italian guy, which excuses my badly english)
I think you all can be Anarchist as hell, but in this world we must earn money to pay the rent! you compare with that?
in this world you have to make decisions, which are not in line with your attitudes, that`s sad, but I don`t think that Fat is lame only because they are on Warped Tour, cuz most everyone is there, and if they don`t, they can shut the door!
I don`t want preach, but live your life as possible as it gets, speak to the people around you, about the shit, the major companies are doing with this planet, but stop preaching on webblogs!
without Bad Religion I never would have begun to listen to Punk and Hardcore, stop blaming on them! I hate this scene
hippocrites
1000excuzes for my bad language
Comment by ALE on September 27th, 2005 at 2:47 pm:
y la seccion en español cuando??????
Comment by Ricktopher on September 27th, 2005 at 3:01 pm:
why are you comparing the death toll of capitalism and communism when theyre both part of the 10,000 year slaughter-fest called civilization that has been forcing people to work and conscripting culture and land from the beginning through organized violence. im not sure why punk bands are even worried about where their economic place is in this web of capital anyhow since music has become utterly useless for resistance as it has become a revolving door of consumer garbage before teens/college students make their way into the labor machine. ask public enemy and rage against the machine about where their political consciousness went from 10-15 years ago. out the window for the next flavor of the month. dont depend on punk or music for resistance. youre more worried about what bands are “punk” when youre sitting on computers, cellphones and taking your car to these stupid shows getting full on a mega-destructive agricultural diet. splitting hairs over CRAP. consumer resistance. thats all this comes down to. its useless when its all part of the same web of exchange.
Comment by ksup22 on October 5th, 2005 at 10:24 pm:
I think the basic principals that I have read about Participatory Economics are great. I go to University and do a degree not cause I want to make more money than the average joe when I finnished,but because I love what I am studying and learning about and hope to work in those fields, If at the end of the day there is food on the table and warmth in my home I don’t care if someone frying chips is making the same as me, for fucks sake they deserve it the poor bastards have the shittiest jobs for the minimal of wages and work their arses off for some rich arsed baboons(me can’t spell)sucking on cigarettes made from hundred dollar bills. As for politically ideological bands on majors and so forth seriously how far are we going to go with this? ok RATM were on a major, but for me they were still important about teaching me about the injustices in Mexico and the struggle of the Zapista(i cant spell), Boy Sets Fire i think are on a major but if not for them I would not have developed an interest in workers rights and thought about that shit, Bad Religion opened my eyes to more philosophical questions about politics and they are on a major or were, Propagandhi just brutally shoved it into my face or ears(but I loved it) and they are with fat, my point being if these bands were not with the companies they were or are with many of us would not have heard the message in the first place to pursue the interest in becoming more active or thinking against the norm so to speak. Being in a band myself if we were ever asked by a major to sign it would be a hard thing to refuse as it gives bands a chance to do what they really love, if the message and politics that the band convey or carry is not compromised or wattered down by the company that has signed them, then I can’t see the problem. Think about what made you first politically alert or thinking, for me it was Dead kennedys, later Propagandhi,Bad Religion, Boy Sets Fire,Anti product and so on,w ith out the labels putting this music out I would probably be eatinga big fat big mac on my way to buisness economics classess thinking about how I could get rich by marketing a new fad or fashion to the media brainwashed youth………..I have almost written a book here I apologise
Comment by ksup22 on October 6th, 2005 at 12:13 am:
“hasn’t the United States throughout its history through mediums such as financial aid and military action freed more people than any other country. What’s the communism vs. capitalism death toll… just wondering? I think communism has claimed around 100 million. I saw a high estimate of 40,000 iraqis dead from US bombs.”
So shall we add up the dead like poker chips?? Sorry I by no means am justifying Communism or Stalinism or Leninsm or any other ism out there. But If you do a bit of research you migth have a different opinion on aid and so forth. I’m from Australia and our government donated millions to the Sunami relief, but it was funds in the aim of contracts to rich private contractors to rebuild a Western style infrastructure, be careful by the illusive word “aid”. As for America freeing people please tell me you are not thinking Iraq, vietnam, korea, Panama, Granada(spelling right hurts),Afghanistan, Somalia, the philippines or basically anything else
Comment by Taylor on October 6th, 2005 at 8:19 am:
Obviously the American Military is demoralized. Is this some sort of last ditch effort from the US Army Recruiters, to recruit the online gamers? Doesn’t a video game contradict the long standing family values of the gun-toting right wing? Consequently, this game has got to be one of the most disgusting games I have EVER seen!
Furthermore, I purchased records from FAT because of Propagandhi, now I can buy exclusively from G7 (being that I’m a Canuck!), if only Americans should be soo luckey!
Ok…NOFX…and possibly Strung out.
Comment by Commander Cool on October 14th, 2005 at 9:30 pm:
the army gives away the “america’s army” game away at my lunch - at least they will mail it to you if you ask. they gave me a pen because they thought i was gonna join.
also, of what i have heard of the cd, thank propagandhi for not selling out.
Comment by Moe on October 15th, 2005 at 12:33 am:
f myspace. a zillion adds and a bunch of other useless crap. blogger is a million times better and ad free. I work with America’s Youth(tm) and they love the myspace though…
Comment by fight me now on October 17th, 2005 at 8:32 am:
im totally going to download americas army…
then, if everything is correct,
im probably going to kill somone….
no wait, tha only happens w/ games like gran theft auto, b/c army games teach self dicispline.
propaghnandi thank you guys for being totally neato.
Comment by fight me now on October 17th, 2005 at 8:33 am:
and i couldnt spell if my fucking life depended on it.
Comment by [notes - et cetera] on October 17th, 2005 at 4:25 pm:
Notes 10-17-2005
Food Defects - Ever wonder how much rat hair and mold is in your food? My first addition to Wikipedia - A starter page on Lewis Terman. Let’s see if, and how, it gets revised. Ban on Secondary Strikes?…
Comment by ksup22 on October 19th, 2005 at 3:03 am:
New album is absolutlely awesome guys!!!
Comment by Ellis Yu on December 22nd, 2005 at 6:27 pm:
Me and my friends are trying to make the blogging community aware of a stealth censorship campaign that is being conducted by MySpace. They are not admitting to it, and are trying to do this in secret.
For the last few days they have been trying to eradicate all mentions of the site YouTube (www.youtube.com) from our profiles on MySpace. Tons of MySpace profiles have embedded YouTube videos because it is a great service, but now MySpace is feeling threatened by this site and is modifying member profiles to remove any mentions of it. If you mention YouTube in your MySpace profile it gets replaced with “..” We also can’t discuss this on the boards because MySpace is censoring YouTube there as well!
There was an outcry by some members after MySpace’s acquisition by News Corp. People were afraid they might start monitoring or censoring MySpace. At the time their CEO said that nothing like that would happen. Well, now it has. MySpace was built on an open community and now they are trying to censor us, putting business interests above its members! We are going to fight back.
See these links:
MySpace group protesting YouTube blocking (we have to spell it “Y-O-U-T-U-B-E”)
groups.myspace.com/youtube1987
Myspace in the Brave New World (comments discuss how to get around block)
samkoma.net/videoblog/?p=17