Well it's new to me....
I can't figure out how I ran across this today, or how I missed it last year when it was apparently an internet meme--but here's a group of high school students calling themselves The Wrong Trousers busking in San Diego and bringing the awesome with their version of "Video Killed The Radio Star," the song that MTV launched with before they were even born:
Who knows what will persist, or why? Clearly, this Buggles song had more life in it than anyone knew. It was a novelty song, a forgettable one-off. Was it MTV that gave it enduring life, or something about that catchy little riff? You gotta give Buggles credit for a catchy riff.
Whatever. The Wrong Trousers are a helluva lot more interesting than anything you'll hear on the radio, and that's exactly where you won't hear them. And when CD Baby gets their album back in stock, I'll be purchasing a copy--a sale that will be completely beneath the radar of the Big Four labels, who will insist that nobody is buying music anymore because everyone's too busy stealing it and trying to treat the recording industry like a Shmoo. Because declining record sales aren't a complicated phenomena resulting from a combination of factors including a declining corporate monoculture that is too inflexible to supply the diverse demands of a fractured, globally-connected consumer base (i.e. the labels insist on re-releasing last year's crappy fad to an audience that has instant access to recording artists on six continents).
Oh, before I forget: while MySpace is pretty much Of The Devil (or something like that), it did originate as a way for bands to self-publicize, and The Wrong Trousers do have a page where you can listen to four of their songs. They're good.
Who knows what will persist, or why? Clearly, this Buggles song had more life in it than anyone knew. It was a novelty song, a forgettable one-off. Was it MTV that gave it enduring life, or something about that catchy little riff? You gotta give Buggles credit for a catchy riff.
Whatever. The Wrong Trousers are a helluva lot more interesting than anything you'll hear on the radio, and that's exactly where you won't hear them. And when CD Baby gets their album back in stock, I'll be purchasing a copy--a sale that will be completely beneath the radar of the Big Four labels, who will insist that nobody is buying music anymore because everyone's too busy stealing it and trying to treat the recording industry like a Shmoo. Because declining record sales aren't a complicated phenomena resulting from a combination of factors including a declining corporate monoculture that is too inflexible to supply the diverse demands of a fractured, globally-connected consumer base (i.e. the labels insist on re-releasing last year's crappy fad to an audience that has instant access to recording artists on six continents).
Oh, before I forget: while MySpace is pretty much Of The Devil (or something like that), it did originate as a way for bands to self-publicize, and The Wrong Trousers do have a page where you can listen to four of their songs. They're good.
Comments
(because i know they are in it for the money.)