This Space For Rent!

It's Friday, the Weekend's Calling...And Time for Five Questions
September 19^th, 2003
9:28 A. M.

Well, this is the weekend that I should be moving as much as possible to the new place. As with many other weekends, though, there is a strong desire in me to simply seek out some fun...whether fun be hangin' with old friends, or finding a new place to go, or just doing one of my late summer/early fall drives in a random direction (so long as there is a road in that direction, that is).
This time I hope to have the control to get some things packed and moved, though. I will try my best to do so. I'm just not a homebody anymore. I'm here long enough to do a blog entry, take a shower, and go somewhere.

With that aside, let's get on with the show, shall we?

This Friday Five is on my favorite subject of the moment...one that I haven't even thought to approach simply for fear of getting sued...just wait 'til you start reading it!

1. Who is your favorite singer/musician? Why?

You're asking me to name only one? That's not fair! There are many that I love, but if you want one that I have pleasant memories of adolescence attached to, that would be Todd Rundgren.
Why? I think that's a bizarre question to ask on a matter of taste. Todd Rundgren's music, for the most part, appeals to me. I can say that about a lot of music, though....
So...Why Ask Why?

2. What one singer/musician can you not stand? Why?

Oh, now you're going to get me in trouble....I shouldn't even bother with this one....because, once again, I have trouble only picking one. Basically, you can pick any overhyped top 40 artist, and a counterpart billed as an "anti-overhyped artist", and I won't like either one of them.

3. If your favorite singer wasn't in the music business, do you think you would still like him/her as a person?

Well, from what I've read on Todd Rundgren's old site, I think I would like him. Through his writing on that site, I got the impression that if he weren't a musician, he would probably be doing very well writing comedy.

4. Have you been to any concerts? If yes, who put on the best show?

I've been to plenty of concerts. I've seen the Moody Blues four times, Stevie Ray Vaughn once, NRBQ twice (I even helped load their equipment up after the show!), and Todd Rundgren once. (By the way...If you ever get to read this, Mr. Rundgren, did you know that the theater in Lexington, Kentucky you played in was on a stretch of road that Marvin Gaye would shine shoes on before he got famous? It was really cool that you played some of his music that night...April 4th, 2003.)
Of all the groups I have seen, I'd say it was a toss up, with one leading more over the other. I would have to say my heart goes out to the two NRBQ shows I've seen with Stevie Ray being a verrry close second. Close enough to actually make Todd's show second. (I just love the more intimate settings...NRBQ played at a small music club here in town, and Todd had only himself, a piano, a couple of acoustic guitars, and a karaoke set up to perform some stuff he couldn't perform without a back up band.)

5. What are your thoughts on downloading free music online vs. purchasing albums? Do you feel the RIAA is right in its pursuit to stop people from dowloading free music?

Here's the biggy! I am trying to keep this toned down....but how? I'm fairly passionate about music...so if I come off as a little abrasive, towards everyone, then EXCUUUUUUSSSSE MEEEE!
Here goes...
Some of the stuff I've heard of people being sued for downloading, I ask myself...WHY? A lot of this stuff I don't even consider worth the time to steal! It is stuff that the market is positively over-saturated with anyway! There simply isn't enough out there worth stealing at all! And, if I think it's worth stealing, I have either already bought it, or it's on my wish list and I will buy it later.
As far as do I think that the RIAA is right to sue people to keep them from downloading music? Hell, if they're desperate enough, they might send hitmen to snuff a few of these "freeloaders" out...and then make it perfectly legal to do so by lobbying Congress pretty damned hard. Not my place to say whether it's right or not. I do have my opinion, though....particularly about Napster...

On Napster, I found some music that I could find no other way. I found music that was on labels that had folded before anyone could buy the catalogs. So, I found a bunch of stuff that I will more than likely never see again. Root Boy Slim comes to mind...If anyone's ever heard of him before, he's great! Very funny, and a K-A rocker sometimes, too. (If you want to know what K-A means, go ask D, she'll tell ya!)

But, Root Boy is dead, his label folded shortly after his death, and I've been searching everywhere for his music. Napster was the only place I could find it, and that site got shut down because some nitwits snuck a Metallica album out before it was released.

Metallica, I have some respect for...I wouldn't download any of their music (and I wouldn't buy it, either), simply because I don't like it enough. There's only so much growling and power chording I can take. But, if I hear them on the radio, I won't change the channel.
Funny thing about Metallica is that I don't think they would have had any problem at all with their music being downloaded. I've heard that these guys have actually encouraged their fans to bring recording devices to concerts...wow!
But, like I said, the only reason they sued to close Napster was because the material available there hadn't been released yet. I can say I don't blame Metallica at all for that.
I do blame the nitwits that posted unpublished material. Since that time, I've been trying, to no avail, to find some Root Boy Slim stuff.
Dammit! I miss Napster, but I would prefer pay to have some Root Boy stuff in my collection. How else is the frickin' RIAA going to know where my money goes? Hell, I figure if we spend enough money on our favorite music, the Industry would produce more of it.
So, I would, IF I had the money to do so, spend thousands trying to get ahold of some Root Boy Slim stuff. Maybe that would encourage someone to find and/or promote similar artists out there.