Mob Music July 11, 2007
Posted by boydzone in : points, sports , trackbackOkay. So, I’m pretty much full fledged back into the Tour de France now. I bought the official ‘07 guide magazine, though the sales team from my full-time job at an internet media delivery company declared magazines to be dead. I must have door to the afterlife somewhere in between the office and my apt. If I wasn’t working all day long, I would probably watch most of the day’s stage. Instead, I’ve had to handle the abbreviated stage recaps, or the online updates. Much like my interaction with the Tour, my actual riding time has been truncated ( a popular term in internet media ) due to the limited amount of free time in the day.
The weekends are usually a little different. Last Sunday I went for ride that took me through one of Pittsburgh’s public parks, Highland Park. Most of the time when I ride there its in the morning hours, and so its relatively calm. This past Sunday that was not the case. The streets that wind through the park were packed with cars, the picnic gazeboes were packed with BBquers, and the pool was so crowded that you probably could have gotten away with mainlining heroin in it due to the confusion.
The entire scene looked like a mix between an Pyrenean stage in the Tour and the Fresh Prince’s “Summertime” video. However, instead of Will Smith’s “little somethin’ to break the monotony” I heard Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy” leaking out from one of the passing boomboxes.
Now, I’m a little late on the Gnarls Barkley bus. For better or for worse, I tend to avoid something I hear more hype about, before I actually hear it for myself. Over the last week I’ve been listening to Gnarls Barkley quite a bit. Aside from the acclaimed production and the catchy melodies, I admire the the adventurousness of the lyrical subject matter. The Allmusic guide had this album categorized in the “Rap” genre. Now, I consider myself a fan of Rap music. I had Public Enemy’s “It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back” when I was 10 and its been one my favorite albums ever since. I still tune into Wamo and went clubbin’ last year in Myrtle Beach.
I would argue that most popular rap music, like most other popular music, is not very introspective. When I tune into the modern Hip-Hop and R&B radio station most of what I hear the artists singing about is clubbing, partying, sex etc…
Most people who are tuning into the radio are probably doing so on their way to work, or while they’re at work (or in my case, while I’m cooking in the kitchen) and probably don’t want to take the time to really dig deep into themselves and analyze their lives while navigating construction zones on the expressway, or the Whole Foods parking lot for that matter.
I actually heard Gnarls Barkley a lot throughout the past year, but didn’t even realize it was them. In fact, I purposefully avoided even finding out what their music sounded like. The name Gnarls Barkley and the pictures of them posing in Napolean Dynamite gear were turn offs to me.
But their music is actually good. Cee-lo’s voice possesses a rare sound in modern Hip-Hop and R&B. Its a very sweet, yet powerful and spiritual sounding voice. Despite “Crazy”s steady beat, the mood of the song is predominantly melancholy. The tone switches from minor to major and back, much like someone who has the resiliance to make it to the end of the war, by keeping faith that life may be good again even though they’re buddies have been gunned down.
Cee-Lo comments on the peace achieved by losing his mind in the line there was something so special about that place/leaving your emotions at an echo/with so much space. The reason he loses his mind is that he ‘knew too much’. I presume that he is referring to the idea of thinking too much on life. He is one who is disappointed with complacency. He has hopes, but has been let down by others or himself.
Some of the other songs on Gnarls Barkley’s album “St. Elsewhere” address issues like self-doubt and identity. The song “Just a Thought” states “Why is this my life?”/ Is almost everybody’s question and is followed by the very honest but heavy hook And I’ve tried / Everything but suicide / But it’s crossed my mind. In title track from the album, Cee-Lo tells us that he packed a few of my belongings /
Left the life that I was living Because as long as I’m not there / Anywhere is St. Elsewhere. Once again he’s abandoning the life that was not fulfilling to him.
It is my hope that those who may have written people who attend public sporting events off as members a mindless mob will reconsider their judgement. Yes, occasionally sports fans succumb to hometown pride and bias when their team is attacked, and yes these may be the same fans that wyle out when the Rednex version of “Cotton-Eyed Joe” blares over the stadium PA. However true this may all be, I’m almost certain that these are the same fans who wyled out to “Crazy” over said PA at some of the Penguins and Steelers games that I attended last year. It could be true that these cotton-eyed-howdowners mistook “Crazy” for being an anthem to ‘go crazy’ and dance like a fool. It could also be that the stadium sound man was crying out for help. I like to think that these fans enjoyed hearing such a good song pour out over the enormous arena sound-system because they have passion and conviction. They have the same passion for their lives and their heroes (my heros had the heart to lose their lives out on the limbs / and all i can remember is i want to be like them ) as they do for a Georges Laraque fight or a Joey Porter homophobic slur. I think that these fans just like to celebrate this passion by downing $7 beers, heckling opposing team’s fans and calling for their players’ blood like any other introspective human being. But maybe I’m crazy …Possibly…
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