Popscape Moves

Popscape has moved to Wordpress. I have decided that wordpress is the blogging platform for me. Therefore I have moved there. Most of the posts from this version of popscape have migrated to that blog. Check for updates there.

Rocking On in Indonesia

Indonesia’s rock and roll scene is second to none in Southeast Asia.

“Wha’?”

The Archipelago, which is the most populous nation south of China, has a very developed recording industry. Labels like EMI have branches in Indonesia, and MTV is a major media force amongst the younger generations. A large share of the music network’s broadcasts is geared towards commercialism. Of course, it’s MTV.

However, there seems to be something a little deeper to the music industry. Perhaps it is simply that Indonesia is a young nation and has yet to loose it’s innocence to the ravages of advertising and tabloids. Perhaps, as I like to think, the belief in music is part of the country’s culture.

Rock acts like Slank and Dewa pack stadiums when they tour. Though the rock is mostly typical anthem and power pop fare, a few songs with political and religious undertones sneak on the playlists. Dewa, for example, has a recent song, Laskar Cinta, which condemns the views of extreme Muslims. Though a vast majority of Indonesians would be considered completely secular, extremist groups, like the one, which planned the recent bombings on Kuta Beach in Bali, do exist. Along with Slank, Dewa and others seem to be preaching nothing but rock and roll. Judging by the radio airplay and record sales attributed to the bands, not to mention their high visibility on national and regional MTV, Indonesia is eating it up.



Perhaps I am reading too much into the success of rock in Indonesia. But I see nothing negative coming out of the fact that most of a generation seems to be embracing the scene so heartily. Even if the current state of indo-rock is based on a fleeting innocence of that generation, one has to ask what would Indonesia be without her music scene?

Deee-Lite (Remember?)

Deee-Lite’s last successful album was in 1994. They are known “Groove is in the Heart,” which seems to be living on. I remember going to a roller skating rink and requesting this one.


So what are the one hit wonders doing now? The Singer, Miss Kier has fallen from grace in a big way. She sued SEGA for using her likeness in a video game. Not only did she lose, she was forced to pay for the video game company’s legal bills.

Towa Tei seems to be the only guy who is still active musically. He has released an album in his native Japan and has collaborated with Australian singer Kylie Minogue on a dance single called Sometime Samurai. Here is the half hip, half just-weird video of one of his later songs.



The man can still create a groove.

TV's Big Week So Far

Now for something lighter! The last few posts on Popscape have been pretty serious, so lets get back to some good ol’ TV. I’ve been keeping abreast of this weeks many season premiers on broadcast TV. My impressions so far:

1. Nothing too spectacular. It looks like viewers have another good season of Heroes ahead of them. CBS seems to have a decent Tuesday line-up with Cane and The Unit. Another season of CSI gets underway tonight as well. I admit I’m looking forward to it.
2. The biggest surprise was Life. As NBC was promoting their shows, Life seemed to be in the back seat. It turned out to be one of the more interesting shows of the week. It was a bit intense and the lead character a bit of an anti-hero who viewers will like but who might have a dark side. In terms of interesting and complex story lines and dynamic characters, Life is still second fiddle to cable cop shows like The Wire and The Shield, but it could turn out to be one of the most interesting shows on broadcast. (I’m probably jinxing it. For Fox, NBC, et al, “interesting” is usually synonymous with “canceled.”)
3. Ken Burns PBS documentary on World War II has been running this week. It has been as watch-able (“non-boring”) as his other works. As far as Burns’ egotistical claims that the documentary is the truest look at The War ever, I’d have to agree. The interviews with veterans make it that good. You are left with the impression that these men were extra-ordinary for doing what they did. They are also haunted, and almost surprised to look back on the violence that they both experienced and meted out.

Web of Agendas

The advertising industry is getting the hang of youtube. But what about those with an agenda? The movement to bring attention and a resolution to the conflict in the Darfur region of The Sudan is very visible on video sharing sites. While TV newscasts concentrate on the McCann family follies, those who want attention on bigger matters are almost forced to move to the internet for coverage. Granted, a lot of the videos showing up on the internet serve the “action in Darfur” agenda. Few can be considered pure journalism. But, with the U.N. and the world’s powerful nations pussy-footing around on the Darfur issue, effect pieces have brought the calls first heard on TV to the web. Proof that the world is still watching is in the video below, which has already been viewed 200,000 times.



After all, George Clooney and Bono can’t do it all by themselves.

TV's Big Week

For TV watchers, this is premiere week. As TV's second string hits the showers after a summer of time slot filling, the popular and promising fall line-up lines up for introduction. There are plenty of new entries, most which won't make the grade. Still, this one of the more exciting season premiere weeks in my memory. Here is what I am looking forward to during the coming season.

NBC seems to be swinging for the fences. Journeyman and The Bionic Woman join network hero Heroes this week. NBC found a hit with heroes and seems to be trying to replicate the success with two more sci-fi-ish shows. Journeyman seems interesting and star Kevin McKidd was stellar in HBO's Rome. Still, it will depend on the shows writers to take Journeyman from good idea to hit show.

CBS, which might as well change its name to CSI has brought Jimmy Smits in to try to score with Cane, a kind of modern day Dallas. Moonlight has an interesting premise: a private investigator who happens to be a vampire. I'm also rooting for David Mamet's show, The Unit. Yes, it stars the Allstate Insurance guy, but it had its moments last year and Mamet and The Shield creator Shawn Ryan are deserve a long running hit.

Reality TV? I liked BEauty and the Geek on the CW last year. Unlike the Bachelor, I was able to watch it without losing hope in all humanity. Kid Nation might be interesting. Might be.

Next week holds a lot. Of course, there is also some more highbrow viewing, in the form of Ken Burns' new documentary The War. It runs on PBS this week.

Videos with a Purpose

I came across this recently on youtube.

Sure, there is part of me that looks skeptically at things like Pangea Day. Changing the world is a big proposition, but I hear it almost every day. “I’m going to change the world with politics, or the Olympics, or Live Aid, or film.” If you actually waited for said people or events to change the world, you’d get old and gray and eventually pass away. For goodness sake, the massive U.N., an organization that is supposed to be in the business of world changing has turned out to be little more than a big, self-righteous, teddy bear. So you’ll have to forgive me for being skeptical when I see things like the above video.

However, it is true that grassroots film-making is giving people who were otherwise not on the map a chance to tell their stories. Places like youtube give them a vehicle to show their work to the world. Finding the best of this kind of work is difficult.

Much of the output, of course, is mediocre. But hidden in there are amazing talents capable of using film to astonishing effect...

At least I won’t have to wade through hours of shaky camera work and giggling teenagers to find the best online videos. It looks more and more like grassroots reporting will be the future of online journalism and homemade films the future of online entertainment.

Therefore, I’ll probably be watching next May 10th when Pangea Day brings the best videos to our attention. The world isn’t going to change, but I may well be impressed with what I see.