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VARIETY
The Red & Black | Tuesday, January 8, 2002 | 5
Merry oP England serves MTV-2 of better musical tastes
Classic Rant
Parker Davidson
Rotten teeth, foul weather,
revolting food and an indeci
pherable slang... the British
certainly have their problems.
However, there is one thing
the Brits have better than
anyone else — an amazing
taste in music.
During our much deserved
and winter vacation, I was
privileged to have a chance to
visit merry old England.
My girlfriend decided to
spend her junior year abroad
at the University of Reading,
just to the west of London
and host to the annual
Reading Festival.
While spending hours
indoors due to my debilitating
jet lag, I had a chance to
peruse the satellite television
available at the house I
stayed at. Now, true to
rumors, most British televi
sion on the BBC stations is
boring and repetitive. I must
have seen the same documen
tary on cheese making as seen
in the classic “National
Lampoon’s European Vacation.”
However, there was one
channel I actually enjoyed:
MTV-2. This station is avail
able to those who can afford
the expensive digital cable
in America, but as with its
sister station, MTV, it has
slipped down the lines and
now appeals mainly to the
American corporate main
stream audience.
When switching to this
channel, the most alternative
act you could catch might be
a video from Staind or Creed.
I think it is about time we
stop paying attention to
bands whose lead singers
must have attended the
Eddie Vedder school for
deep singers.
One of the biggest surpris
es’ I saw were some videos
from new-wave and alterna
tive greats like New Order
and The Human League.
Come on, you remember their
one big stateside song, “Don’t
you want me baby.”
There’s no better way to
get a feel for the culture of a
foreign country than to expe
rience its art and music. More
often than not, MTV-2 fea
tured videos from smaller acts
in Britain. However, most of
Bonus CD caters to the MTV fan
“Orange County: The
Soundtrack”
Grade: C-
Listening to “Orange
County: The Soundtrack” is
kind of like watching MTV
with no pictures.
You hear Sugar Ray, Blink
182 and Green Day.
As long as no one would
dare to glimpse at the CD
packaging, America would be
none the wiser.
But with just one look, the
illusion would be destroyed.
Riddlin’ Kids, one of four
unknown artists featured on
the limited edition bonus CD,
could be easily confused with
Blink 182 while 111 Kidd
comes across as a Sugar Ray
clone.
But the bonus CD also
donates two of the best
works to the soundtrack,
Zebrahead’s hard-edged
“O.C. Life” and The Ataris’
“Radio #2.”
The bonus CD obviously is
patterned after the sound
track itself in that only half
the songs can be tolerated.
The highlight is a live
version of Social Distortion’s
“Story of My Life,” taken
from its 1998 album “Live at
the Roxy.”
Pete Yom also clocks in
with a good number,
although the mellowed vibe
contradicts the rest of the
album’s fast-paced attitude.
The Foo Fighters add a
little more to the California
punk-driven soundtrack with
a new song, “The One.”
The song could have
easily been recorded with Ian
MacKaye on vocals and
included on Fugazi’s “Steady
Diet of Nothing” in 1991. It
couldn’t be farther from
“Walking,” the band’s most
recent chart toppers.
At least mediocre, 12 Rods
rings in with “Glad that it’s
Over,” a song that’s not so
bad once the shock of its
opening notes sounding like
a dying robot is gone.
But that’s where the good
ness ends.
Lit’s “Everything’s Cool”
sounds like, well, every other
Lit song.
And “Butterfly” doesn’t fly.
The Crazy Town single may
have experienced a
little bit of success on the
charts last year, but it’s more
mocked in the movie than
enjoyed.
Bad Ronald donates a
song that sounds as if ripped
from the “Reality Bites”
soundtrack, and Phantom
Planet brings a catchy pop
song to the table.
Creeper Lagoon is a
.disappointment, not living up
to its name and providing a
song more mellow than the
contributions of 59-year-old
Brian Wilson.
The former mental patient
and Beach Boy adds two
songs from his ’90s solo cata
log, including “Love and
Mercy,” which sounds as if it
may have been rejected by
the rest of the Boys in the
early ’60s.
The bottom line is that the
Orange County soundtrack
will give MTV exactly what
they want. If the guys fea
tured on it are half as appeal
ing as Sugar Ray’s Mark
McGrath to the high school
crowd, they’ll one day be in
Buzz Clips.
The best part of the CD?
It’s over in less than an horn'.
— Leah Newman
the no-name bands all
sounded like Oasis or a
cheap version of Radiohead.
Big surprise, eh?
There were a few bands
that actually did strike me as
something new. Although
gaining a small rapport in the
states, the band Air is really
popular in Britain. Air is a
sort of space-rock band who
can be heard on the sound
track for “The Virgin
Suicides.”
Fortunately, many
American corporate bands
and completely manufactured
boy-bands were not granted
much air play.
Yes, yes, you may say that
Britain started the whole neo
pop revolution with groups
like the Spice Girls and Take
That. Pop music is still
incredibly popular in Britain,
but they offer more choices.
Call them “alternatives” if
you will.
Overall, I would say that
watching MTV-2 in Britain is
like visiting an American
masseuse, rather than going
to a British dentist.
You may be thinking to
yourself, “did this guy do
anything else besides watch
television while in a foreign
country?”
The answer: Yes. I visited
many of the tourist attrac
tions like Westminster Abbey
and the Tower of London, but
they are hardly worth men
tioning because seeing them
is almost a given.
Viewing MTV-2 in Britain
was an enlightening experi
ence because it proved to me
that someone else enjoys
music with a purpose in the
world and not the stuff the
old men in suits feed you.
Pray that one day, the cor
porate executives will realize
they can make money off of
real music, too, and give
everyone a chance to see
other bands that other lands
can provide.
— Parker Davidson is the
variety editor for The Red &
Black. The Classic Rant is a vari
ety column appearing weekly.
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