Gabba Gabba Hey

There has been a bit of correspondence in The Word magazine about what I was mulling over in the last post. Basically Andrew Harrison's column in Issue 80 page 50 states, that “Good stuff costs Money”. Whether it be music or journalism. If you want something for nothing you are going to end up with nothing or nothing of a quality to be worthwile. To a point I agree I'll come back to this at a later date. What is happening though is I'm starting to view The Word as, one of my gate keepers. I should really dislike the magazine run and edited by people on dark days I view as the James May and Richard Hammond of the music world. Not evil enough to be a Jeremy Clarkson, just annoying enough. I'm my youth they were the last and least charismatic presenters of the Old Grey Whistle Test, a distinction of sorts.
I'm starting to really respect their damn magazine, despite their sulky dislike of Punk Rock. The best columnists around, not giving album reviews a star marking.They are making you think for yourself. A scary notion in modern Rock and Roll and the journalism that goes with it. Oh! and also the biggest article I've seen on Yo La Tengo in any of the monthly glossies. They also managed something I though would never happen. I'm part of the generation that doesn't listen to The Beatles. They split up the year I started listening to music, and come 1977, the year I was 16, and the age that defines your musical tastes, they were dead and buried. Shindig Magazine – another gatekeeper, summed them up for me recently, good but over rated. My heart sinks when I'm presented with another glossy cover of the fab four, I believe they add thousands to sales. Still a recent copy of The Word had them on the cover, and the articles were so good I actually listened again to The Beatles. There is no great epiphany, still think they are OK, if over rated. Anything that makes you re-evaluate long held beliefs and or bigotries must be good journalism.