Sunday, June 10, 2012

Buh-bye: Fear of Music

My friend Pat Petro, who was music director at CJAM in the mid-80s,  was talking to me the other day about the attitude of the first generation of FM broadcasters at the station (I'm paraphrasing slightly):
"We might have come off as cocky and confrontational, but really we just had confidence that we were providing a service to the community that was absolutely unique on the radio dial."

At the volunteer meeting yesterday to discuss the allegedly temporary allegedly total ban on alleged profanity, I heard from staff, board and volunteers (and I'm paraphrasing wildly, combining scraps of different people's conversation): "We've got to play it safe, keep it squeaky clean, we don't want to offend anybody, we don't own the airwaves - the government owns the airwaves, being on the radio is not a right."

I'm sorry for troubling today's CJAM family by disagreeing with CJAM management and the board that is supposed to oversee it. I like many of the DJs personally.

But if CJAM doesn't rule the airwaves, I'm not interested.


Monday, June 4, 2012

Fuckaz



I have been written up by CJAM [SEE CORRECTION BELOW] for playing this great song on Wake the Town on April 27, 2012. It was not the first time we played this song, and hopefully it won't be the last.

As the title suggests, this song contains material that some may find offensive. Listener and reader discretion is strongly advised.

FUCKAZ -- Music by the Bug/Lyrics by the Spaceape:

All them people who hold the keys
But continually close doors inna people dem face
Fi all them fucking people who think (?) that
Because you no have what them have, you is weak
Fi all them fucking people who lie, continuously lie
Just so them can stay right (?) wit' dem there, haha

Fi all them fucking people who ignore blatant facts
Just so them can maintain an order beneficial only to themself
Lord God!
Fi all them fucking people who smile inna yer face
Only because them wan' see who there behind you, haha

Fi all them fucking people who believes all is fair an' equal
Ignorant of the fact that nuttin' no go so
Fi all them people who never wan' see a man succeed
Improve an' better 'im bloodclaat self in life

Fi all them people who believes that charity begins at 'ome
Look here, mi say look ‘pon the state of your 'ome
Fi all them fucking people who only concern in life
Is to mine our permanent state of hesitancy... believe me

Fi all them fucking people who look by your face
And try to control how the way you run t'ings
Fi all them fucking people who like to see a grown man
Pick up them shit after them, trust mi

Fi all them people whose worthless ambivalence
Leads to nuttin' but frustration and self-obsessed anger
Fi all them people whose gain is my pain
There will come a time in life when only your pain will remain

Fi all them people who use the word 'friend' as an excuse
To carry on with slackness
An' take a whole heap of bloodclaat liberty
Fi all them fucking likkle yout' bwoy who face (?)
They known everything about life,
But them know nuttin', trust me

Fi all them people who full up them yard with pickney
Then come their tooth loose
Them a bawl an' beg me out on the street
Fi all them people whose worthless stupidness
Is only surpassed by the wickedness of other people

Fi all them yout' there who believes that charity begins at home
Believe me... nuttin' begins at 'ome

... space it ilie... come tell the man them about how to run tings
... with our people who take a likkle bit of poetry...
All them fuckers... tell the man them

Fi all them people who face that becau’
you no have what them have , you is weak, haha
Fi all them people who lie, continuously lie
Just so them can stay right with dem there

Fi all them fucking people who ignore blatant facts
Just so them can maintain a order beneficial to themselves
Fi all them fucking people who are smile inna your face
Only because them wan' see who there behind you, trust mi

Fi all them people who believes all is fair and equal
Ignorant of the fact that nuttin' no go so
Fi all them people who never wan' see a man succeed
Improve an' better 'im bloodclaat self in life

Fi all them people who believes that charity begins at 'ome
Trust mi, look ‘pon the state of your home
Fi all them people whose only concern in life
Is to mine our permanent state of hesitancy

Fi all them fucking people who like to see a grown man
Pick up them shit after dem, heh heh
Fi all them people whose worthless ambivalence
Leads to nuttin' but frustration and self-obsessed anger

So, how did we get here and where do we go now?
How did we get here and where do we go now?
How did we get here and where do we go now?
How did we get here and where do we go now?

As with all the lyrics I post here, I invite all readers and listeners to correct any errors in the comments.

Resist censorship!

CORRECTION: I've been informed that although I received an official e-mail from CJAM, alleging an infraction of policy, with details of time, date, title of song, alleged frequency of the alleged infraction, and a personally delivered reminder of policy, I was not "written up" according to the meaning of "written warning" in CJAM's Discipline Policy. For more details, see the comments.