Keeping up with the latest music news these days is such a drag.
There’s the newly brewing rap beef, pitting practically
everyone against everyone, pro-wrestling style. It’s getting
ugly: Rappers are publicly airing things out, people are getting
shot and Al Sharpton is talking about radio bans. There’s
also the Lil’ Kim trial, and Ja Rule getting fined for
assault in Toronto. Fred Durst has a sex tape out. Sir Elton John
is sick. A recording engineer who used to work with Ray Charles got
arrested for allegedly stealing his tapes. It’s a train wreck
““ including that Coachella lineup, too.
Then there’s the Michael Jackson trial, which is
dominating entertainment news. I don’t think there’s a
face in this world that I want to see less than Michael
Jackson’s, but that’s pretty much wishful thinking now.
The media is covering it blow-by-blow, and there’s nothing to
root for because, when you think about it, there’s no
possible outcome to the situation that won’t be completely
depressing.
During times like these, it’s hard to remember that
music’s not all doom and gloom. There are still a lot of
reasons for UCLA students to stay chin-up.
First off, being in college means you can almost always find
people who are willing to go to just about any concert with you.
Just last week I went to go see Antony and the Johnsons at the
Barnsdall Gallery Theater. This time I was playing the role of that
willing friend, as my buddy Mike had an extra ticket. Antony also
performed at Amoeba earlier that day, and another friend of mine
had offered a ride there, as he knew several UCLA students who were
going.
Well, Antony is basically a dude singing on the piano, in drag.
Not really something you could have convinced too many friends in
high school to drive out to Hollywood to go see.
In college, the variety of people you meet and stay in contact
with thankfully ranges much further. Plus UCLA is in a good
location in terms of surrounding concert venues.
One of those venues being none other than our own Royce Hall.
Royce is awesome: UCLA Live pulls in different artists from all
over the world, and the student prices are screaming to be taken
advantage of. When I went to see Caetano Veloso earlier in the
school year, it was only slightly less anticipated than the holiday
break.
And that’s not to mention the JazzReggae Festival that
comes to the Intramural Field every May ““ one of the best
ways ever to chill out for a weekend.
There’s a lot to look forward to from the music industry
itself, too. Like “The Complete Motown Singles” box
set. Every single Motown single, A-side and B-side, ever. The first
volume’s already out, spanning the years 1959-1961 over 155
tracks on 6 CDs. There are going to be 11 more. In the words of
Marvin Gaye, “Mercy, mercy me.”
Groups other than Motley Crue are getting back together ““
Slint’s re-forming, Backstreet’s back (only
half-kidding). Some great artists will be gracing us with new
material in the months to come: The Flaming Lips, Sigur Ros, The
Strokes and, if God exists, that Fiona Apple record that’s
been sitting on the shelf at Sony for about two years now.
Personally, I’m awaiting Common’s “B.E.”
more than anything ““ it drops in May, and it’s going to
be glorious.
If all else fails, and you still can’t find a reason to be
happy about music right now, just remember there are others out
there who share your pain. Misery, after all, loves company. And
old Motown singles.
E-mail Lee at alee2@media.ucla.edu.