July 13, 2025Jul 13 Author 3 hours ago, WDSmart said: And here's another one from Frank Zappa that is true today, if updated to include not only TVs, but all online social media: I am gross and perverted I'm obsessed 'n deranged I have existed for years But very little had changed I am the tool of the Government And industry too For I am destined to rule And regulate you I may be vile and pernicious But you can't look away I make you think I'm delicious With the stuff that I say I am the best you can get Have you guessed me yet? I am the slime oozin' out From your TV set You will obey me while I lead you And eat the garbage that I feed you Until the day that we don't need you Don't go for help...no one will heed you Your mind is totally controlled It has been stuffed into my mold And you will do as you are told Until the rights to you are sold That's right, folks.. Don't touch that dial Well, I am the slime from your video Oozin' along on your livingroom floor I am the slime from your video Can't stop the slime, people, lookit me go!" That's a good one and you're right it applies very nicely to social media. Slightly off topic. I consider social media to be the most destructive force in contemporary culture today. Children are growing up now in a world where they expect immediate response, gratification and notification. Their brains no longer have time to evolve; they must adapt to change in an instant, and the results are distressing. The difficulties of growing up have never been so public. Social technology provides a platform where things can run wild. Imagine the stress of high school – the competition for popularity, the pressure to fit in, the judgmental nature of social activities – at an accelerated pace. We try to protect our children from wandering off into the darkness on their own, and it turns out they are doing exactly that – online. When they get older and “ready,” we send them off to college, where they face more pressures. But social media has an infamous dark side and the more people share, the more serious this side becomes. As it turns out, living your life online has serious consequences for your self-esteem, your relationships, and your career prospects. And law enforcement is now using your social media record to prosecute you, and put you in prison. And it is a strong indication of just how bent, warped and misguided contemporary culture and society is, that someone can be considered an idol or celebrity just because they have alot of followers on Tik tok, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. And what's even worse than that are the millions of people who are comfortable considering themselves followers of these ninnies, like Jake Paul, for instance. 80 million followers? That alone is proof that for the past 25 years or so society has been moving backwards, and mankind is marching back towards Cro Magnon.
July 13, 2025Jul 13 12 minutes ago, spidermike007 said: That's a good one and you're right it applies very nicely to social media. Slightly off topic. I consider social media to be the most destructive force in contemporary culture today. Children are growing up now in a world where they expect immediate response, gratification and notification. Their brains no longer have time to evolve; they must adapt to change in an instant, and the results are distressing. The difficulties of growing up have never been so public. Social technology provides a platform where things can run wild. Imagine the stress of high school – the competition for popularity, the pressure to fit in, the judgmental nature of social activities – at an accelerated pace. We try to protect our children from wandering off into the darkness on their own, and it turns out they are doing exactly that – online. When they get older and “ready,” we send them off to college, where they face more pressures. But social media has an infamous dark side and the more people share, the more serious this side becomes. As it turns out, living your life online has serious consequences for your self-esteem, your relationships, and your career prospects. And law enforcement is now using your social media record to prosecute you, and put you in prison. And it is a strong indication of just how bent, warped and misguided contemporary culture and society is, that someone can be considered an idol or celebrity just because they have alot of followers on Tik tok, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. And what's even worse than that are the millions of people who are comfortable considering themselves followers of these ninnies, like Jake Paul, for instance. 80 million followers? That alone is proof that for the past 25 years or so society has been moving backwards, and mankind is marching back towards Cro Magnon. Yes! But then, in 1973 when the song was released, all those things you say above were beginning to be done by the TV. Frank Zappa was, of course, like a lot of songwriters of that era, way ahead of his time. I especially like the lines: I am the tool of the Government And industry too For I am destined to rule And regulate you That's EXACTLY describes today's social media, IMO, and part of which you describe in your post above. And while we're "slightly off-topic," I also think my first example of a "profound lyric" also applies to today's political scene: "How many times can a man turn his head and pretend that he just doesn't see?" Thanks for your reply... 😉
July 13, 2025Jul 13 Every member on here will be reminded of this little ditty from an Aussie bar somewhere in Viet so funny even today. Listen to the words all of it.
July 13, 2025Jul 13 Steely Dan always gave more than their money's worth when it came to lyrics. Sardonic, never maudlin, great wit ("California" with "Tried to warn ya") etc. Deacon Blues (from Aja) is a great tune. "I crawl like a viper Through these suburban streets Make love to these women Languid and bittersweet I'll rise when the sun goes down Cover every game in town A world of my own I'll make it my home sweet home"
July 13, 2025Jul 13 On 7/12/2025 at 12:18 PM, spidermike007 said: For some of us older guys we would make an argument that music used to be a lot more profound than it is these days, but the cream always seems to rise to the top and even now there's some very good songwriters out there. How often do you hear a song where the lyrics blow your mind and really stick with you? I was just listening to "I will survive" by Cake. Gorgeous lyrics and an amazing song. At first I was afraid I was petrified I kept thinking I could never live without you by my side But then I spent so many nights Just thinking how you've done me wrong I grew strong I learned how to get along And so you're back From outer space I just walked in to find you Here with that look upon your face I should have changed my f©©king lock I would have made you leave your key If I had known for just one second you'd be back to bother me Oh now go Walk out the door Just turn around now, you're not welcome anymore Weren't you the one Who tried to break me with desire? Did you think I'd crumble? Did you think I'd lay down and die? Oh not I, I will survive Yeah As Long as I know how to love I know I'll be alive I've got all my life to live I've got all my love to give I will survive, I will survive Yeah, yeah It took all the strength I had Just not to fall apart I'm trying hard to mend the pieces Of my broken heart And I spent oh so many nights Just feeling sorry for myself I used to cry But now I hold my head up high And you see me With somebody new I'm not that stupid little person Still in love with you And so you thought you'd just drop by And you expect me to be free But now I'm saving all my lovin' For someone who's lovin' me Oh now go Walk out the door Just turn around now you're not welcome anymore Weren't you the one Who tried to break me with desire? Did you think I'd crumble? Did you think I'd lay down and die? Oh not I will survive Yeah As long as I know how to love I know I'll be alive I've got all my life to live I've got all my love to give I will survive, I will survive To be honest, my answer is never. Whatever genre of music we enjoyed over the decades it is still 'pop music', the lyrics are not important to me. I remember my dad saying to me, music is not what it used to be, the real fact was he was old, now we are the old ones and many of us are saying the same thing as will the next generation. I remember at my son's wedding his friends all sang along to a song from their own generation, they sang it like an anthem, in 40 years time they will be saying the same thing too.
July 13, 2025Jul 13 Listen to these words in " The Winner Takes it All " Apparently he wrote it in 10 mins abuot his break up from Agnetha. Anyone thats gone through a painfull divorce will understand the lyrics. His opening few lines say it all.
July 13, 2025Jul 13 Tom Waits .... but some of his songs like this one are not for the faint of heart what did you do before the war? i was a chef, i was a chef i lost my buddy and i wept, wept
July 14, 2025Jul 14 On 7/13/2025 at 2:01 AM, fredwiggy said: Look up Mark Knopfler's work, both in Dire Straits and solo, unless you already have. Not much better, especially if you're talking about the UK. Except Dire Straights disbanded decades ago not writing now.
July 14, 2025Jul 14 1 hour ago, englishoak said: Except Dire Straights disbanded decades ago not writing now. Yes, but it's still as good as anything written today. Timeless.
July 14, 2025Jul 14 20 hours ago, JamesPhuket10 said: I remember my dad saying to me, music is not what it used to be, the real fact was he was old, now we are the old ones and many of us are saying the same thing as will the next generation. I remember at my son's wedding his friends all sang along to a song from their own generation, they sang it like an anthem, in 40 years time they will be saying the same thing too. That’s pretty much how it’s always worked; parents don’t appreciate the music of their children. When I discussed this with my mother years ago, she confessed that as a teenager in Tartu, Estonia, in the 1930s, she would drift around in the streets, her head filled with decadent Viennese waltzes, while her parents fretted that she wasn’t paying enough attention to the classical German composers. When I was in high school and college, music for me pretty much began and ended with the Grateful Dead. Then sometime in the early 1980s a housemate played something by U2 (their song “Gloria”), which knocked me flat, especially the song’s opening guitar riff, and this opened whole new possibilities for music appreciation. So since then I’ve tried to keep listening to new music; a current favorite is Fontaines D.C. (another Irish band!), whose members are almost 40 years younger than me. (I think they have a lot of geezer fans.) It’s quite possible to break the pattern.
July 19, 2025Jul 19 On 7/14/2025 at 9:42 AM, Cory1848 said: That’s pretty much how it’s always worked; parents don’t appreciate the music of their children. When I discussed this with my mother years ago, she confessed that as a teenager in Tartu, Estonia, in the 1930s, she would drift around in the streets, her head filled with decadent Viennese waltzes, while her parents fretted that she wasn’t paying enough attention to the classical German composers. When I was in high school and college, music for me pretty much began and ended with the Grateful Dead. Then sometime in the early 1980s a housemate played something by U2 (their song “Gloria”), which knocked me flat, especially the song’s opening guitar riff, and this opened whole new possibilities for music appreciation. So since then I’ve tried to keep listening to new music; a current favorite is Fontaines D.C. (another Irish band!), whose members are almost 40 years younger than me. (I think they have a lot of geezer fans.) It’s quite possible to break the pattern. My music changed very frequently when I was young, it depended on the girl I was trying to shag at various times and so her music suddenly became my 'favourite' music. 😃
July 20, 2025Jul 20 14 hours ago, JamesPhuket10 said: My music changed very frequently when I was young, it depended on the girl I was trying to shag at various times and so her music suddenly became my 'favourite' music. 😃 Also a good reason to diversify your musical tastes!
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