The 2011 inductees of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame are in and guess what RUSH is not in it again. This is a crime of music. Can you believe that some of the best musicians in Rock and Roll history never get inducted? Maybe its because they haven't been together or around for a long time. They say you need to be in the business for at least 25 years. Let's see RUSH's first album, Rush, came out in 1974. Yup, they have been around and still creating music for 37 years, only 12 years longer then the requirements. This is a pure shame to me and many because I love RUSH and not afraid to say it. Yes, I realize they were never the big popular band on the charts but their albums have sold in massive amounts. Rush currently places fourth behind The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Aerosmith for the most consecutive gold and platinum albums by a rock band. The three bands before them are all in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. There fan base isn't as big as those bands but really, why doesn't RUSH belong in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame?
I researched this a little bit online, I had to find out why RUSH doesn't get their fair shake at the Hall of Fame. I decided to look at Canadian Rockers and see if maybe the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is just prejudice against Canadian Artists. Not knowing many Canadian Rockers besides RUSH I looked into it. Well a lot of the people in Canada I didn't know but some that I did know were; Anne Murray, BTO, Neil Young, Bryan Adams, Triumph, Loverboy, The Guess Who, and other smaller bands. OK, Triumph had a couple of hits but overall just a small time metal band (sorry, Triumph fans), so what they aren't in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The funny thing is that in that small list of Canadian Rockers (hey Anne Murray had some hits), only one is actually in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Can you guess which one? Neil Young is the only one. Who knew he was from Canada? I didn't know that. All I knew is he has some great songs and has a lot of political views and talk out about war. Neil Young deserves to be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, no doubt. But look at that list of rockers. BTO, Bachmann Turner Overdrive, has a little known song called "Taking Care of Business". I don't care how old you are you know that song probably more then a bunch of the people that are in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Aah, the Guess Who, never heard the song, "American Woman" and yes it was covered by Lenny Kravitz and again the song became famous. Dion is in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. How many songs can you name from him? I'm guessing two, Runaround Sue and The Wanderer. I love these songs. What makes him qualified to be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame? Loverboy's "Working for the Weekend" is another iconic song, will they ever be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame?
Now on that list is one of the most prolific song writers ever, Bryan Adams. He and his song writing partner, Jim Vallance have written songs for bands like Kiss (not in R&RHF), Bonnie Raitt (in R&RHF), Rod Stewart (in R&RHF), Neil Diamond (2011 inductee in R&RHF), and Joe Cocker (not in R&RHF), plus many others. Wow they can write for inductees but they can't be in it themselves. Bryan Adams as a Canadian Rocker has tons of hits over the years and he isn't in it. I'm starting to think that maybe the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame does have something against Canadians. Bryan Adams wrote a bunch of songs with Jim Vallance but I don't want to hear that this is an issue because Bernie Taupin has been partnered with Elton John and Elton John is in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame by himself.
It makes me feel better about RUSH not being in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame considering the other bands, just from Canada, who isn't in it. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is definitely prejudice against something because year after year bands and many bands that deserve to be in it, aren't. RUSH is a great band they have written many albums of songs and their musicianship is awesome. Geddy Lee is one of the best Bassists of all time. Alex Lifeson is one of the best underrated guitarists of all time. Neil Peart is one of the greatest Drummers/Percussionist and underrated Lyricists of all time. Hands down. Try to fight me and argue those points.
RUSH deserves it more then Metallica, The Alice Cooper Band (really???), ABBA, Jackson Browne, Traffic, and so many others I never heard about. And I do love Metallica. I can't even look at all of the inductees because I get sicker and sicker with some of the bands that are on the list. I love some of the bands that are in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame too. AC/DC, love this band but they play overall the same beat in every song. The Ramones, love them too but they are 3 chord song writers and talk about having almost the same beat in every song. I love The Eagles (in there), I love Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (in there), and I love Black Sabbath (in there) but do they deserve to be there over RUSH. For those who only know songs like Tom Sawyer, Limelight, and Subdivisions you really need to go on you tube and listen to a couple of more songs from the beginning in 1974 til now 2010. I bet you will find a couple of more you like. And please listen to the lyrics and come back to me with poetry, lyric writing, rhyming words that Neil Peart comes up with. One simple verse in Tom Sawyer; "no his mind is not for rent, to any god or government, always hopeful, but discontent, he knows changes aren't permanent, but change is". I can sit and write tons of reasons what made each album RUSH put out new and different in music in the Rock category but then I might be considered preachy.
Overall this is an outrage for Canada and especially RUSH. I'm not even Canadian, and I'm appalled and outraged. I will never go to that place called the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame because they obviously don't pick bands on merit or style or longevity or song writing ability. And don't give me that the ones in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame were the pioneers of music there are few artist that really changed things most were just lucky to be born earlier. We need to find out what criteria bands and artists need to fit in. Some say it depends on what they do within society and life beyond the music. So a band that plays great music, are great musicians, and have sold many albums can't get in if they aren't public with their ......FUNDRAISING!!!!!
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Monday, December 13, 2010
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Politicians and Parties
I can't believe how bad this country is being run. It all started as a place to be free and believe in whatever you want. The government was created so no one power had two much and there was a bunch of checks and balances put in place to keep it that way. The checks and balances are in place but they are corrupted by the persons put in charge, the politicians. The government on every level is not about the people anymore. It's about how much money I, in power, can make. They will help only people that help them get the power whether its a large corporation or a couple of small businesses supporting the local county. The phrase "its who you know" is an everyday occurrence and practiced policy for those in power. The only checks and balances rely between the two party system that has a hold on the US Society, The Republicans and the Democrats. Their names corrupt the truth of there own definitions and they are constantly in battle and only protect themselves. They say the Democrats are for the people and the Republicans are for big business but at the end of the day they are here for themselves only. It doesn't matter what happens to the majority of Americans out there, it only matters who wins.
President Obama, had a press conference the other day. He talked in his role as a president about a deal made between him and the Republicans about Tax cuts/breaks and unemployment. The Press practically called him weak because he came up with a compromise over these issues. In his eloquent way, he spoke on how he needed to do something that would work for everyone even though all of his ideals were not held. I don't see that as being weak but actually working for the American people. I know many people might not like President Obama but he seemed sincere and there was a logic to his "madness" and he kept unemployment going in it. I realize that many people that have great jobs and don't worry about money every day can't understand how important unemployment is, but to those who depend on it, its a big deal. If this country was perfect maybe we wouldn't need unemployment, but as long as US companies keep working outside this country, finding labor in third world countries, we have less jobs here. We need unemployment for those who lose their jobs and can't find another one quickly.
President Obama did things to actually help the American people but the parties still cry. He stood up where many wouldn't compromise between the battles of the political parties and we should be grateful for a President that actually is trying to help the majority of Americans. The president isn't perfect and not all of his ideas are shared by all but it meant something to me. The fact is that I don't have political friends or friends in high positions, I only have friends in the same position I am in. At the moment I'm unemployed and looking for a job. Mind you, I have been working all my life and have only been on unemployment once before. I have been working for almost 25 years and only under a year when I didn't work. The economy has put me in a bad situation and I was laid off and put on unemployment. I have been looking and still no job. If they took unemployment away from me, I would literally be homeless at 41. I'm one person out of millions that are having similar problems imagine if they took it away from everyone that was unemployed, then what would happen. Yet, the parties are fighting these things with no solution for many of us.
We need to make a real change in this country. We need to get rid of all the current politicians and start anew. I know this will never happen but I feel that without that we will never be safe. The government has taken all control out of the people's hands and we are left there stunned in belief. We aren't free anymore we are constantly being watched and constantly politicians are trying to take away everything. The Internet is one of the last bastions of freedom or at least a way to practice some freedoms, like of speech. Right now I can type and say whatever I want because I have that freedom. God forbid, I don't put my seat belt on because even though I'm only endangering my life I could be fined for not putting on one. No one else gets hurt by a seat belt but laws needed to be passed. It happens in many facets of our lives. The politicians are the main cause and hurt for all of these things. This Country is being dumbed down not by our schools but by us being treated like children from those in power. We just sit around and let it all happen, we are just too busy or something. It seems that it is too late but we can't give up can we?
The Politicians and Parties need to be changed and or stopped. As a people we need to take charge and make them all accountable. "We have problems with money", yea that's what they say but I bet if we sat down and saw where the money was going we could probably find a way to pay for it all and have a lot of money afterwards. The money that is made in this country on taxes could probably be spent in more prosperous ways. How do I know this? Well think about it. Have you ever worked for a company and saw budgets and where money went and was distributed too? As a normal person you could probably find better ways to spend it and still come out with a favorable product. If the smallest of companies spend money on unnecessary things why don't you think the bigger ones do the same thing. Nowadays governments aren't much less then big corporations with unlimited earning potential. They get more money by finding ways to charge us more. They don't even have to do a good job to be paid.
President Obama, had a press conference the other day. He talked in his role as a president about a deal made between him and the Republicans about Tax cuts/breaks and unemployment. The Press practically called him weak because he came up with a compromise over these issues. In his eloquent way, he spoke on how he needed to do something that would work for everyone even though all of his ideals were not held. I don't see that as being weak but actually working for the American people. I know many people might not like President Obama but he seemed sincere and there was a logic to his "madness" and he kept unemployment going in it. I realize that many people that have great jobs and don't worry about money every day can't understand how important unemployment is, but to those who depend on it, its a big deal. If this country was perfect maybe we wouldn't need unemployment, but as long as US companies keep working outside this country, finding labor in third world countries, we have less jobs here. We need unemployment for those who lose their jobs and can't find another one quickly.
President Obama did things to actually help the American people but the parties still cry. He stood up where many wouldn't compromise between the battles of the political parties and we should be grateful for a President that actually is trying to help the majority of Americans. The president isn't perfect and not all of his ideas are shared by all but it meant something to me. The fact is that I don't have political friends or friends in high positions, I only have friends in the same position I am in. At the moment I'm unemployed and looking for a job. Mind you, I have been working all my life and have only been on unemployment once before. I have been working for almost 25 years and only under a year when I didn't work. The economy has put me in a bad situation and I was laid off and put on unemployment. I have been looking and still no job. If they took unemployment away from me, I would literally be homeless at 41. I'm one person out of millions that are having similar problems imagine if they took it away from everyone that was unemployed, then what would happen. Yet, the parties are fighting these things with no solution for many of us.
We need to make a real change in this country. We need to get rid of all the current politicians and start anew. I know this will never happen but I feel that without that we will never be safe. The government has taken all control out of the people's hands and we are left there stunned in belief. We aren't free anymore we are constantly being watched and constantly politicians are trying to take away everything. The Internet is one of the last bastions of freedom or at least a way to practice some freedoms, like of speech. Right now I can type and say whatever I want because I have that freedom. God forbid, I don't put my seat belt on because even though I'm only endangering my life I could be fined for not putting on one. No one else gets hurt by a seat belt but laws needed to be passed. It happens in many facets of our lives. The politicians are the main cause and hurt for all of these things. This Country is being dumbed down not by our schools but by us being treated like children from those in power. We just sit around and let it all happen, we are just too busy or something. It seems that it is too late but we can't give up can we?
The Politicians and Parties need to be changed and or stopped. As a people we need to take charge and make them all accountable. "We have problems with money", yea that's what they say but I bet if we sat down and saw where the money was going we could probably find a way to pay for it all and have a lot of money afterwards. The money that is made in this country on taxes could probably be spent in more prosperous ways. How do I know this? Well think about it. Have you ever worked for a company and saw budgets and where money went and was distributed too? As a normal person you could probably find better ways to spend it and still come out with a favorable product. If the smallest of companies spend money on unnecessary things why don't you think the bigger ones do the same thing. Nowadays governments aren't much less then big corporations with unlimited earning potential. They get more money by finding ways to charge us more. They don't even have to do a good job to be paid.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Is Liam Neeson a God?
Well If he isn't a god, he definitely played one in the recent version of Clash of the Titans. His career has been an onslaught of great characters in a wide range of movies. His movies didn't always do well but he shows up being maybe the coolest character in that movie. For instance, Star Wars, Chapter I, The Phantom Menace. Sure the movie sucked especially for a Star Wars movie but you can't say that him being Obi-wan-kenobi's Master isn't a cool role to have. He has been in and lent his voice to some of the coolest movies out there. His role wasn't that big but if you can remember he played Sir Gawain in Excalibur. Oh sure, it wasn't the biggest part but that movie was epic to the story of King Arthur and he played a part that most remember his name. He has done other movies as well worked with some of the biggest actors and he hasn't stopped yet. Batman Begins was the revision on the Batman movie tale and not only did he wind up being the villian he initially started as Batman's trainer. Again, he became the Master of one of the greatest Heroes in movie land. I'm starting to wonder if I'm not that far off of Liam Neeson's godly representation, he definitely has great choices in movies.
Taken is a great example of a good action film that he is great in. That movie rests on him and him alone. If he wasn't good in it the movie wouldn't have done as well. Although the plot was easy to back. Who wouldn't kill everybody in his way of getting his daughter back from the bad guys. I don't think any man that has daughter wouldn't do and feel the same way he did in that movie. What made the movie work is that he didn't apologize for the killing and he killed everybody. The timing of the movie was perfect too. In this bad economy and people losing jobs, who couldn't get behind a man who had a job to do and did it to its best.
He has been in some great movies. Does anybody remember the little sci-fi, knightish flick, Krull? Ok, I know it wasn't the greatest movie and the big weapon should have been used a lot more in the movie but still it was a cool movie to be in and there he was. Mind you, I don't know anybody else that has a career like his coming out of that movie. It was still a good kidish movie, well at least I enjoyed it. He played another father in Before and After, along with Meryl Streep. Another protective story about a son that might or might not have killed and the father and mother that try to protect him through losing evidence. The list is endless from being a sex psychartrist in Kinsey, doing the voice of aslan in the Narnia Series, and of course we can't forget him in Schindler's List. I can name a bunch of other roles that he either had cool small parts or big parts but then this would be so much longer. Liam Neeson is truly a great actor who has a lot of great roles. I'm sure we will see more from him in the future, I can't wait to see what happens next.
Taken is a great example of a good action film that he is great in. That movie rests on him and him alone. If he wasn't good in it the movie wouldn't have done as well. Although the plot was easy to back. Who wouldn't kill everybody in his way of getting his daughter back from the bad guys. I don't think any man that has daughter wouldn't do and feel the same way he did in that movie. What made the movie work is that he didn't apologize for the killing and he killed everybody. The timing of the movie was perfect too. In this bad economy and people losing jobs, who couldn't get behind a man who had a job to do and did it to its best.
He has been in some great movies. Does anybody remember the little sci-fi, knightish flick, Krull? Ok, I know it wasn't the greatest movie and the big weapon should have been used a lot more in the movie but still it was a cool movie to be in and there he was. Mind you, I don't know anybody else that has a career like his coming out of that movie. It was still a good kidish movie, well at least I enjoyed it. He played another father in Before and After, along with Meryl Streep. Another protective story about a son that might or might not have killed and the father and mother that try to protect him through losing evidence. The list is endless from being a sex psychartrist in Kinsey, doing the voice of aslan in the Narnia Series, and of course we can't forget him in Schindler's List. I can name a bunch of other roles that he either had cool small parts or big parts but then this would be so much longer. Liam Neeson is truly a great actor who has a lot of great roles. I'm sure we will see more from him in the future, I can't wait to see what happens next.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
comments made
Comments are wonderful things whether or not they are good ones or bad ones. The fun part about putting something out there for the world to view through "youtube" or some other site is that you want people to react one way or another. Some people try to be funny and make fun of you. Some people are honest with you and some actually like you. Either way its all good because at least somebody took that extra time no matter how small to comment on you pieces. I love them all. I figure if you took the time to listen or watch a video and you make a comment I have inspired you to do something, more then most people can say. I am a writer and now a novice blogger and vlogger (at least thats what I think you call it when you talk on a video type blog). Just like bad publicity is good publicity bad comments are just as good as good comments. Am I wrong, I sincerely doubt it.
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