RSSRock for sustainable capitalism
May 10
Community, Live show, Of Interest propagandhi, vancouver No Comments
No Fun City premieres today in Vancouver
“Remember when we used to believe, that music was a sacred place, not some fucking bank machine.”
Propagandhi – Rock for Sustainable Capitalism
So, I’m going to let you all in on a little secret right here and now. Music does not make money.
[pause so you can recover from the shock]
That’s right kids, no matter what Fiddy Cent or Kid Rawk tell you, the life of an artist and most of those involved in this business (for lack of a better word) is one of tap water and cold Kraft Diner. Or, if you’re vegan like me, perhaps ramen noodles or bean burritos. Sure, there are those who have not been in the game long enough who believe that they are the only ones having to milk their last beer ticker for all its worth. However, the ones who have been there through the ebb and flow of any local scene know that whether you’re playing in front of the mic, coiling the cables at 4am and shutting down the PA, collecting the money at the door, keeping the venue calendar full, taking the pictures to make the local rocker look like a god, or writing the review for the local weekly, everyone is going home to their small apartment, dusting off their vinyl and falling asleep with no more than a little bit of lint in their pockets.
“And I’ll ride back and forth, on this two-bit hobby horse, until she splinters and gives way, I’ll till the flowers by her grave, and whisper her name.”
Now, if you have to ask me why people would be so involved in something that doesn’t lead to money, I’m going to tell you to go watch a few more Jay-Z videos and never quit your day job. The answer to that question should be something you live, breath and eat every day. If it’s not, then you’re never going to survive on music alone.
“If anyone out there understands, can I please see a show of hands?”
However, if you know what I’m talking about, and you just happened to come across this while updating your MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, and every other bit of presence you can muster online to let people know you’re playing this weekend, then this documentary probably speaks to you. In fact, it probably hits a little too close to home. Sadly, 98% of us have stories of that great venue that closed in the past few years. The place that held the best shows, had the best crowds, and was run by people who cared. Then something happened. One bad show where someone got hurt, a liquor law was broken, a neighbour complained about the noise, a landlord couldn’t swallow the missed rent payments anymore, the city wanted to make way for a condo or a wal-mart, etc…
I’d love to say I have a solution, a call to arms of everyone who knows the answer to why we’re all willing to work those shifts that no one wants to work filling the shelves at the drug store or taking the calls in the cubicle, but I don’t have any better ideas than you. All I know is this: just keep fighting. Don’t put down that guitar, don’t stop looking for another empty building that just might work, don’t stop finding a way to pay for the van, don’t give up on postering even if they keep coming down a day later, don’t stop trying to book your favourite bands, and, most of all, don’t stop loving music. Someone or something outside of your control can take away pretty much everything else, but they can’t take that.
And that’s all we have, but then again, it’s all we’ve ever needed, right?
