the end is nigh...

Not posted in an absolute age, so I thought it was about time to. usually i have a very well thought-out and written piece to post (i'm pretty pedantic at times..) but this time i thought i wing-it so i apologise in advance if this is a bit ramble-y and will probably contain like 100 typos...

anyway i was struck the weekend past by how much the Christmas no#1 still motivated the British people's imaginations (and their vitriol) what with the Joe McElderry vs. Rage Against the Machine chart battle. Though overcome myself, as many of my friends were, by a sense of apathy over the fight and result I thought it a little bizarre how much people both wnated to show their rejection of the domination of reality TV, and Simon Cowell over their musical culture. Perosnally I wanted Joe to be number 1 both becuase i'd watched x-factor and thought he was adorable and because new music, however weak and soppy (though I have shamefully identified with the lyrics of 'The Climb' in times past...)should surely be given a chance, no-matter how strong a musical hertiage we have. In the end, however, I didn't really care as I never actually listen to the chart during the rest of the year. As such I found it weird how much attention it got. Aren't we living in an essentially post-genre, post-chart musical culture that makes the official chart more or less redundant as an indicator of what the most popular contemporary music is? People, including members of Rage, claimed that they were sick of being spoon-fed ballads at the hands of Simon Cowell and his ilk. This to me seems a bizzare argument to make, no one was foricng anyone to watch the x-factor, listen to Joe McElderry or buy the single and I have never exactly found it an onerous task to find out music that speaks to me. Thus opposing Joe McElderry on an anti-corporate front doesn't seem to make much sense to me. If anything myspace, facebook, online downloads have torn down the monolithic power of the singles chart (and the big companies) and has made the music industry more accessible. If anything a meritocracy has been formed through these new methods of breaking into the industry so why the hubbub over the domination of the 'manufactured' over the Christmas singles chart? If artists can now make a living through making 'real' music surely it doesn't matter that pre-packaged pop still rides strong at Christmas?

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It's New Year's soon which I always find one of the most anti-climactic holidays, so in an attempt to curb this i'm having a house-party at my student residence and me and my mates are inviiting some of our home friends up which should be fun.

More importantly i'm looking forward to what 2010 will bring, totally does not feel 10 years since the turn of the millenium. I remember 'celebrating' it at one of the most dull-dinner parties I have ever been to (ok i was 11 and at my mum's friend's house and i've not been to all that many dinner parties but...) the end of the night could not coem quick enough and frankly all the millenium-bug hysteria had come to a big-fat and rather unexciting nothing. the potential apocalysm of the moment was not lost on me and a morbid part of me would quite liked to have been at the edn of time...

anyway it's not really new year, as i will be continuing on my third-year of my degree after it, which hardly feels like a departure at all, not least as the season shall be spent (or should anyway) going over notes for my 'special' (history dept. words not mine) subject and my dissertaion both of which carry into the next semester, a semester that my house-mate happily worked out for me would see me tested on 100 credits (i take 120 over the year) of this year... joy

BUT 2010 does hopefully signal some interesting times, Lady GaGa pretty much has 2009 sewn up will she last? (I hope so i've got tickets for March) I wonder who'll dominate the scene? The next UK General Election is due which will lead to all sorts of excitement. I'm largely a Labour supporter and no critic of Brown's - he's had to make some tough choices and some he's got some right and some wrong - he was probably the best man for the job. Personally I think Labour would do well to get David Milliband to lead the party, they might secure mroe than a hung Parliament that way and save us from Cameron's lack of direction. However, he might be reluctant, a failure in his first run could signal the end to his hopes of ever becoming PM, or so it seems to go these days...