Sunday, August 16, 2009

Sunday Media Review: Need More Music!

It might have been smarter had I saved my video and pics of the DMB concert for today, but alas I lack the ability to think that far ahead. Instead I find myself in a musical black hole right now. I've obviously been listening to a lot of DMB but the first half of this year has left me with little in the way of new music.

I'm hopelessly addicted to music. New music, old music. The only music I really don't get into is country or hardcore rap. Other than that I keep a totally open mind. To that end I'm curious what you all are listening to. What are your favorite new bands (or favorite old bands)? What should I be listening to?

Let me know in the comments and I'll buy it and give it a shot!

What else? Okay, while I was visiting my friend in Chicago, I watched Whale Wars. It was a sobering sort of thing for me. I like to believe that I'm at least trying to be environmentally friendly but the truth is that if something is not shoved right in my face I tend to not think about it. I am the epitome of "Out of sight, out of mind."

I find myself of two minds about the show. In the show, the Sea Shepherds chase the Japanese whaling ships. They keep them from whaling. Now most countries have agreed not to kill whales but the Japanese claim they're killing whales in the name of science. I get that science sometimes requires sacrifice, but the Japanese allow almost a THOUSAND whales to be collected every year in the name of science. WTF!!! It's crazy. And the Sea Shepherds are the only people out there, putting their lives in danger, to keep the Japanese ships from killing whales.

On the other hand, some of the tactics used by the Sea Shepherds make me angry. They operate with a foot dipped in a sea of hypocrisy. They frequently cross the line and claim to do it because they're provoked, but the evidence shows otherwise. Maybe it's not even their actions that disturb me so much as their hyperbolic statements.

And yet I can't side with the Japanese even for a second. In an enlightened world there is no justification for killing whales. None. I may not agree with the tactics employed by the Sea Shepherds but I do admire their tenacity and bravery. Without people like them doing what they do, I might never have even known there was a problem.

I encourage everyone to watch an episode or two. It's on Animal Planet. If you ignore all the blustering you can really get to the heart of what's at stake. The lives of some beautiful creatures.

2 comments:

  1. Do you listen to pandora.com? It's fabulous for introducing you to music you may/may not have heard of.

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  2. I've played with Pandora and found a lot of great music there but they tend to be less adventurous than I like. I'll put in something like Jason Mraz and all they'll play is Jack Johnson and David Gray.

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