I am going to take a time out from the law and politics to talk about MTV, Miley Cyrus, and the current sad state of music now. Watching the MTV music video awards the other night, I suddenly felt like one of those older folks I used to make fun of when I first started watching MTV in the late eighties and early nineties. There was a big difference though between MTV then and MTV now, and that is that MTV actually played music videos back then.
Granted, I do not currently watch a whole lot of MTV. In fact, I watch very little TV other than the one show per night my wife likes, or the non-stop Disney Junior that my kids like. Other than that, it is usually just the NFL Network for me. However, I cannot remember the last time I actually turned on MTV and saw music videos. Heck, I remember when “The Real World” first started. Back then, it was a dramatic departure for MTV to get into TV programming. Then there was “My So-Called Life,” and from there, it just seemed that MTV became less about the “M,” and more about “TV,” as in TV shows. That is where they lost me, somewhere in my late teens and early twenties. Seriously, I didn’t see any ads the other night about shows where MTV was actually going to play music videos. But there were plenty of “Jersey Shore” ads, and ads for other reality shows that just made me wonder if they were a bad joke.
Tuning into the VMA’s is usually my one opportunity per year to see where exactly MTV and music in general is at. After the other night, I don’t think I will check back again next year. This of course leads to Miley or the daughter of Billy Ray Cyrus as my parents would state. I owe Miley a big thanks for expanding my vocabulary, as I had no idea what “twerking” was until her performance. Now that I know, I have one more reason to wonder why kids and young adults, who have the internet and better video game systems than my generation ever dreamed of, keep coming up with those odd names for movements, like “twerking” and “planking.” Simply, how can they be that bored when you can watch TV on your darn cellphone?
I also want to thank Miley for making me a better parent. Immediately after her performance, I started to figure out the parental blocks on my TV. Now, there will be no more Miley or “twerking” by MTV, at least until the kids figure out how to bypass the same. Watching Miley do whatever the heck it is she was doing also made me think about my daughter, and how I hope I can raise her to respect herself. There is nothing wrong with being a sexual being – we are all human. But what does it say about yourself when you are humping a giant teddy bear on national TV? Not a whole lot in my book.
And that leads me to music in general. I once left the University of Florida to pursue my own musical aspirations. Back then, people made music with guitars, drums and singing. Today, it seems like only computers make music and all the music, at least the popular type, is electronic. Granted, not everyone is going to love ninety’s grunge and alternative, or hard rock. But is the rock band actually dead and gone? Don’t you miss the days of Guns N’Roses and Aerosmith, even just a little? I even miss the old school rap. It just seems to me that now everything is mixed and thrown together, all genres and types. You got a pop song and a rock song, with a rap song in the middle. No matter what your favorite music is, this leads you to like a half a song, and completely hate the other half. Too bad I-tunes doesn’t let you do half-song downloads, I guess.
I don’t mean to go all Andy Rooney here, and maybe I am just getting old and cranky. But music, and MTV, much like everything else in our society, just seems to lack balance. Everything is about one-upping the next act and no one or anyone seems to really stand out. Well, except for those bears and Miley I guess. It is sad that I actually liked and respected Hanna Montana more.
Michael T. Gibson is an Auto Accident Lawyer in Orlando. The law firm of Michael T. Gibson can help you obtain compensation for medical treatment, loss of wages, pain and suffering, etc. that you have incurred as a result of a car accident. Call 407-422-4529 or visit the website at www.autojusticeattorney.com.
