FINGER OF DEATH
Media and the Message; Part 1
Excerpt from, "SATAN'S CIRCUS", By Nigel Shindler
Volume III: "THE BRITISH LOTTERY CLUB; The Evil Within"
Another Day in Paradise; Propaganda and the Media
The more one forgets himself – by giving himself to a cause to serve or another person to love – the more human he is and the more he actualizes himself.”
Viktor E. Frankl, “Man's Search for Meaning”
Beyoncé Knowles is one of the world’s bestselling musical artists, (1). She claims her success can be credited to her founding “Parkwood Entertainment” in 2010, which is named after the street she lived on in Houston, Texas.
According to Beyoncé; “I started my company when I decided to manage myself. It was important that I didn’t go to some management company”, (Columbia Records; an American record label owned by Sony Music entertainment, S.M.E., markets, promotes, manufactures, and distributes, her music). “I felt”, (sounds very decisive), “like I wanted to follow in the footsteps of Madonna”, (does the word, “follow”, mean; following a course that would enable her to achieve the same, or comparable, level of success as a musical artist?), “and be a powerhouse, and have my own empire”, (no mention of music), and show other women, (men don’t matter?), “when you get to this point in your career”, (accumulate enough savings), “you don’t have to sign with anyone else, and share your money, and your success” (2); (this, definitely, sounds like she craves being in the spotlight, but are others deserving of recognition, kept in the dark, that she doesn’t want to mention?).
Has Beyoncé acquired such a level of expertise in the many facets that go into the making of a musical album; writing lyrics; composing music; playing instruments; engineering; producing; etc., that she has the power to do as she pleases due to not being dependent on others to make a contribution to the production of “her” music?
She did invest her money in a studio, which means she doesn’t have to rent a studio owned by a Record Company, which, I guess, depending on her level of success, (I’m not referring to the heightening of musical expertise, but, the amassing of wealth), could save money, however, using her equipment in a space she owns in no way affects how Columbia Records decides to market, and distribute, “her” music, although, I believe she could be implying she doesn’t have to submit to restrictions imposed by others due to owning the space, and equipment, she uses to record music; which reminds me of the scene in, “Spinal Tap”, in which an amplifier can be turned up to 11, instead of , 10.
It is true, however, that Record Companies have been known to take advantage of an artist’s financial circumstance; his struggle to access adequate funds that would enable his music to be produced well. A well-known example of this exploitation is Mike Oldfield, (who happens to be one of my favourite artists). His first album, “Tubular Bells” released in 1973; on which he composed the music on both sides of the album; one song each, approximately 20 minutes in length, received wide critical acclaim. He played every instrument on the album; including 22 different types of guitar. The album reached; “number one in the UK, Australia and Canada, and number three on the US Billboard 200. It ended the decade as the third best-selling album of the 1970's in the UK”. (3) His second album, “Hergest Ridge entered the UK album charts at number one, only to be displaced by its predecessor, Tubular Bells. Oldfield is thus one of only a few artists (among whom are The Beatles and Bob Dylan) to have defeated themselves in this manner”. (4) The album, “Tubular Bells”, made Mike Oldfield famous – an excerpt from the album was used in the movie, The Exorcist; without his authorization – but it also made Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Records, and later Virgin Trains, among other companies, and industries, enormously wealthy very quickly, unlike, Mike Oldfield, who released several more albums before achieving monetary success that would enable him not to be dependent on the services of others.
No comparison, however, is possible between Beyoncé and another of my favourite artists, Jon Anderson, and the release of his first solo album, “Olias of Sunhillow”; recorded while on hiatus from the group, “Yes”; between their 1974 release, “Relayer”, and “Going for the One”; released in 1977. His success with, “Yes”, and the depth of his musical proficiency, enabled him to create every facet of the album; the album’s cover; the inner sleeves; which display a story he wrote; he composed the music; wrote the lyrics; played all the instruments; produced, and engineered, the album, as well.
One might have the impression Beyoncé is as musically versatile as Mike Oldfield, and Jon Anderson; judging from how she’s portrayed in magazines; newspapers; T.V. talk shows, etc., etc., etc., but this impression is created with the intention of conveying a message to women everywhere; if I can do as much as I claim to do, so can you. We are women; hear us roar, little men!
According to Wikipedia, Parkwood Entertainment released Beyoncé’s fifth “self-titled”, (does that mean she chose the title, or is her name a registered trademark?), album; (Columbia Records distributes her music; the word, “released” reminds me of an animal in a zoo escaping from a cage), and caused a, “hilarious, honest, and hysterical reaction among Beyoncé’s fans” (5); (in other words; her devoted followers were left in giggles; hysterical fits; they wouldn’t be lying if they told you this), and “shock” (6), (gives one the impression she created something so original; so unique; nobody was prepared for it).
A “true” artist creates something original; something that didn’t exist before; which is the result of externalizing a part of themselves by the use of some medium.
Beyoncé has stated that she severed professional ties with her father, Matthew Knowles, (he wasn’t, I assume, deemed fit to be on her payroll), in order; “to help her develop an intimate personal album” (7), (the emphasis is that her music is a solo effort). “Her lyrics emphasize monogamy” (8); (judging from the outfits she wears; how little she customarily wears; the way she struts around on stage, and in her videos, one would have the impression, on the contrary, she wants to be sexually engaged with a great many people). Her husband, Jay Z, publicly announced in an interview, and in lyrics to his songs, however, that he doesn’t value the practice of monogamy quite as much as Beyoncé; which begs the question; who does Beyoncé believe she’s in a monogamous relationship with?
METRO; Monday, July 3, 2017; page 9
BADASS BRAGGING AND OLD SCHOOL FUNK?
IT’S JAY Z’s STATE OF MIND
Review Jay Z, 4:44, Roc Nation
By Malcolm Jack
“Within hours of going online 4:44 had already been picked apart almost as if it were a newly published celebrity memoir. Seek and you shall find references to everything from Jay Z’s rumoured infidelities, (as aired on his wife Beyoncé’s last album, “lemonade”) ….”
“When he isn’t apologizing profusely, (“I suck at love”, he concedes bluntly in the title track), Jay Z is dispensing badass braggadocio as only a hip hop billionaire will.”
“’He would die with all the shame” if his kids ever knew about his womanizing and other failings as a father – and yet here he is rapping about them very publicly, hardly an abject lesson in good parenting.”
?
“The existential vacuum manifest itself mainly in a state of boredom. Now we can understand Schopenhauer when he said mankind was apparently doomed to vacillate eternally between two extremes of distress and boredom. In actual fact, boredom is now causing, and certainly bringing to psychiatrists more problems to solve than distress. And these problems are growing increasingly crucial, for progressive automation will probably lead to an enormous increase in the leisure hours available to the average worker. The pity of it is that many of these will not know what to do with all their newly acquired free time.”
Viktor E. Frankl, “Man's Search for Meaning”
(Quotes 1-9, Wikipedia)
Read the full story about how Satan took over the world, and captured so many souls in "SATAN'S CIRCUS", by Nigel Shindler
Volume I: "NAZI HOMELAND"
The Global Economy
Volume II: "THE EVIL WITHIN; The British Lottery Club"
Consumerism; Exploitation/Degradation
Volume III: "THE BRITISH LOTTERY CLUB; The Evil Within"
Another Day in Paradise; Propaganda and the Media