______  __     _______ 
    / __  / / /    / _____/
   / /_/ / / /    / /_  
  / ____/ / /    / __/
 / /     / /__  / /
/_/     /____/ /_/

"..Music used to have a soul.." Commented the late comedian Bill Hicks. Yeah it did, and in some cases it still does. What have we got against Hear'Say? Nothing as individuals, but lots against what they represent; they are the ultimate symbol of music not as a creative process, but as a manufactured one; like making carpets, bog-roll or fizzy drinks.

You see, artists have the power to influence people; to be heard, to be listened to and to make a difference. The problem is that the only thing a manufactured band is likely to influence is our shopping habits. Does it matter that their brand of music is nothing more than an extension of advertising? Yes it does, Bill Hicks ranted about corporate rock'n'roll muppets as, "demons sent to lower the standards…". Corporations sell us stuff we don't need, which is often manufactured using the suffering and oppression of the third-world. Would Hear'Say refuse to endorse Gap? Nike? Nestle? Doubt it, even if they gave a shit, their contract probably stops them from expressing anything remotely resembling a serious opinion.

Madonna getting married, Spice Girls splitting up is headline news. Forget the reality of the world we live in. Forget the injustice, poverty and inequality; just let corporate music wrap you up in a cocoon of celebrity gossip. What price do we pay for the corporate creativity being offered? Ask Albert Einstein, "He who joyfully marches to music in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would suffice." Next thing you know Albert Einstein will be endorsing products from beyond the grave (oops, he already has!). Death is no obstacle for the advertising machine. Even when Hear'Say are dead we'll probably find their ghostly images exhorting us to use brand 'X' mobile phones.

Even when a popstar does break ranks and attempt to do something useful, it's often misguided pap. Michael Jackson, tears in his eyes asked that children have the right to be listened to above the evening news, or the right to be read a bedtime story. What a saint. But Michael, try concentrating on the fact that 70-odd% of the world's parents can't even read and that 80-odd% percent don't even have electricity yet, never mind watching the evening news. Like we said; living in a celebrity cocoon.

Hear'Say is manufactured using people who want fame and money more than music. Even if their stuff does sell; it's no surprise considering their army of PR, media consultants, song writers, session musicians, dance instructors and voice trainers hammering away at them. Witness the comments of an insider when Orange began using adverts featuring popstar Myleene made before she was famous, "The company will be trading on Hear'Say's image for publicity they have not paid for."

It's the money that counts.

< / rant >