Pribek

Anyone else see the irony in the fact that Sirius/XM and Muzak could be going bankrupt in the same week?

Remember this?

Abbie Hoffman’s counter culture, textbook that was chock full helpful hints for use in sticking it to the man. Maybe, it really wasn’t “counter culture” because an awful lot of people subscribed to the premise. Hoffman once said…

“It’s embarrassing when you try to overthrow the government and you wind up on the Best Seller’s List.”

The book ended up on the best seller list even though a lot of bookstores wouldn’t carry it because, well…a lot of people stole the book.

If you think about it, it’s not unlike the Radiohead business plan that our friend Gene Simmons was so upset with.

“That’s not a business model that works. I open a store and say ‘Come on in and pay whatever you want.’ Are you on fucking crack? Do you really believe that’s a business model that works?”

I don’t know why I get such a hoot out of cantankerous Gene-”Are you on fucking crack?” For some reason that makes me belly laugh.

Anyway, Kid Rock is now on the soapbox. Kid released a video of a faux public service announcement. Kid Rock says…

“The whole debate on downloading music has gone too far,” he said. “There are record companies suing kids. You can illegally download my music, steal it if you will. Because I’m fucking rich. How can I bitch about you downloading a song or two?”

“What I would encourage you to do? Let’s level the playing field. Steal everything. If you want a new MP3 player or a computer… Do you know how much money Apple and Microsoft have? Go in there, get a new laptop and run. You need a new car? Go steal a Toyota.”

Hey Kid, are you on fucking crack?

Kid Rock says go steal a Toyota. Nice.

What is Kid Rock trying to do here? I don’t think he’s trying to “overthrow the government” like Abbie Hoffman. And, aside from the fact that he lacks Simmons’ eloquence, he isn’t directing his wrath at anybody in the industry like, Gene was.

I think Kid Rock is attempting a little satirical wit in an effort to scold consumers. There is irony only in that, the people that Kid Rock is upset with, are a manifestation of the “counter culture” aesthetic that Abbie Hoffman was promoting back in the early ’70s.

Here’s the video of Kid’s rant.

As always, with the YouTube, just click pause on the music player to your left.

What do you think of this situation with Prince Harry serving on the front lines in Afghanistan?

From the Washington Post…

“All my wishes have come true,” Harry told reporters in last week’s camp interview, wearing a brown military T-shirt and camouflage pants and noting that he had not showered in four days.

“It’s very nice to be sort of a normal person for once; I think it’s about as normal as I’m going to get,” said Harry, now addressed with his rank as Cornet Wales. “It’s much better being here experiencing it rather than hearing all the stories of people coming back.”

I’ve got to admire his grit but question the decision at the same time.

Since the story came out, there has been a lot of talk about a media “embargo” that was in place. And, a lot of what you hear is about how well-behaved the media was in holding off reportage. The irony there is, of course, the fact that the story came out. The “embargo” didn’t work. You can blame it on evil Matt Drudge or whoever; doesn’t matter. If Drudge didn’t do it somebody else would have.

A media embargo is folly. It’s setting a package of raw hamburger in front of a pack of wild dogs and walking away.

The fact is that Prince Harry has lucked out here. This could have ended a whole lot worse. Plain and simple, Prince Harry endangered those he served with. My first thought was that it’s like going to the office when you know you have a contagious illness. You might get credit for toughing it out but decrease productivity by infecting co-workers. It’s worse than that though. You know what it’s like? It’s like that guy who got on the plane knowing he had TB.

All it takes is one of these reporters, who is “keeping it quiet”, to get picked up by the Taliban and interrogated.

Prince Harry; he’s just a kid. He wants to be a “normal person”. He isn’t. He never will be. That’s out of his hands. I can’t blame him for wanting to experience life on this level. And, I can’t blame him for putting other’s lives at risk. The British Government dropped the ball here.

Here’s to you and your good fortune, Prince Harry.