4 The Michigan Daily - Weekend etc. - Thursday, December 2, 1993 Change in the meter When helping someone out becomes a crime A week ago you were sitting Thanksgiving, just got me going around the table stuffing yourself with about how we as a society don't turkey, dressing and all the other tra- encourage kindness or gratitude. We ditional fixins. Or maybe you were are so desensitized to the needs of content with poppin' a turkey pot pie the people around us that we hardly iq the microwave. Whatever you ate, notice homeless people huddling the point was to be thankful and rec- over vents. We walk down the streets ognize your blessings. as if we were wearing blinders, not But as I sat at the table and looked around at family and friends, Icouldn't help but think how sad it is that most people don't take more time out to think about all the riches in their lives. N4ow I know that not everyone feels grateful for what they have and maybe they don't have much. But it seems as if we rarely take time to even think about what we have unless there's turkey on the table. When I was thinking about all the things I'm grateful for, I thought about ways I could share my fortune with chers. Then I flashed back to a con- versation I had with my friend Mike (how unusual to have a friend named Mike)., He had been telling me about this parking enforcer who practically accosted him because he was putting money in someone else's meter be- cause their time had run out. Now, I thought this was a very nice thing to do and had never thought of doing it myself, however, the ticket writer didn't see it that way. She promptly informed Mike that it is a misde- meanor to put money in other people's meters. She explained that the city would rather have the money from the parking ticket than Mike's quar- ter. I was also surprised to find out that Mike was not the only one who has been told this. Several people I spoke with had heard the same thing from parking officials. s This didn't exactly fly with me, so I decided to call the city attorney's office to find out exactly what this law "prohibiting this good deed said. Come to find out, the woman who answered 'the phone said there is nothing written which prohibits putting money in some- one else's meter. (I did hear later that putting money in another's meter is a civil infraction - meaning you can be ticketed for it. This has not, however, been confirmed.) This incident, coupled with smiting or even acknowiedging the few smiles we may receive. Maybe I sound like a Pollyanna, but I just don't get it. I grew up in inner-city Detroit where my mom taught me how to watch the shadows to see if anyone was following me down the street at night. I know the world sucks. What I don't under- stand is how we can sit at home pissing and moaning about the state What I don't understand is how we can sit at home pissing and moaning about the state of the world, country, state, community we live in if we aren't willing to do the little things necessary to fix it? of the world, country, state, commu- nity we live in if we aren't willing to do the little things necessary to fix it? In my opinion we have no right to complain if we ourselves won't smile at the person sitting next to us on the bus, in the cafeteria or the theater. So smiles aren't going to fix the problems of the world. Maybe there isn't that much hope for a miracle. But for heaven's sake, what harm could it do? At the very least you give someone a little hope for humanity or say the only kind word that person will hear all day or all year. I'm not talking about handing over money to every person who asks for it. That's not realistic and probably doesn't do much good. Get creative. Come up with new ways to brighten someone's day. Make an extra sand- wich and give it to someone who's hungry. Volunteer at a center for troubled children. Call that friend you haven't talked to in a month. Ask your neighbor how her test went. Do something, anything. But whatever you do, don't just sit back and let the parking officials tell you it's illegal. Stone Temple Pilots is just one example of a band that MTV took under its Midas-like wing, guaranteeing a success of predecessors like the Spin Doctors. MTV molds musical tastes of its viewers MWV Continued from page 1 minded attempts, but these shows still eat up a good portion of their daily schedule. Consequently, it is nearly impossible to turn on MTV and see a series of videos. And it is more than likely that if videos are being aired, it is during a specialty program, where it concentrates on only one genre of music. No longer is it possible to find rap, metal, pop, R&B and college rock back-to-back during a blocks of videos - you must tune into the pro- grams offered by the network. Therefore, MTV is airing fewer videos during prime-time. When they do, it tends to be the same series of U-. The BEST PRICES-In,,bwn! .The BEST PRICES [n Town! :The BEST:PRICES In R -. . ,. videos. Consequently, MTV is dictat- ing America's musical tastes. When they pick a video for heavy rotation or label it a "Buzz Clip," the network is setting the video up so it will almost assuredly sell. The video will be aired constantly during a fixed amount of time - the public is exposed to the video repeatedly, without stop during the few hours of pure video time avail- able during the day. Because of this, nearly every major success story since Nirvana - Spin Doctors, Stone Temple Pilots, Soul Asylum, Radiohead, Blind Melon, 4 Non- Blondes, White Zombie and even Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dogg - has been because of MTV's heavy rota- tion of their video. Soul Asylum was struggling to stay afloat for years, but when MTV jumped on the "Runaway Train" video they became overnight sensations. However, they are the exception to the rule. Most- of the bands that MTV has brought to the forefront are new artists that hap- pened to hit the jackpot. Sometimes the bands are worthy of attention, but most of the time the bands will not be able to follow their major hit. After a string of one-hit wonders, MTV is finally beginning to push bands - Smashing Pumpkins, the Breeders, Suede and Urge Over- kill - that deserve the exposure, but that is only because those groups have made videos that subscribe visually to MTV's idea of alternative. Of course, MTV has destroyed whatever underground that existed in America with "120 Minutes," "Alternative Nation" and the constant airing of Nirvana and Pearl Jam clips. MTV has become something America has never had - a national radio station. For decades, Great Brit- ain has had a national radio station as well as two powerful music newsweeklies. America's musical scene has become smaller under MTV. No longer does each area of the coun- try have its own specific, regional music - everyone is exposed to ex- actly the same songs, at exactly the same time. It effects both new and old bands alike. Older artists, like Aerosmith and Soul Asylum, are pressured to either redefine themselves for a larger audi- ence with their video or solidify their support with the medium. Occasion- ally, artists can resist making a video without hurting their sales. Pearl Jam has no plans on shooting any videos for "Vs.," and the lack of videos has certainly not slowed the sales of the album. However, they are the excep- tion to that rule. It is more likely that the artist is either severely damaged by not releasing a video or is simply not allowed not to make a video. Geffen Records will not release Nirvana's next single, "Rape Me," not because of the subject matter, but because the band is not interested in filming a video for the song. Although not impossible, it has become much harder for a band to build support - a small, solid follow- ing across the country - without MTV. Breaking artists desperately need MTV exposure in order to stay afloat; major labels will drop a new band instantly if the record is not moving. Even for semi-established artists like Smashing Pumpkins and the Breeders, it is imperative that their video be placed into heavy rotation as a Buzz Clip. Consequently, the nation's taste is at MTV's whim. When it comes to Nirvana, it is a blessing; when it is Stone Temple Pilots and Radiohead, it is distasteful. When it is the "Unplugged" phenom- ena, it is downright insidious. Although "MTV Unplugged" has produced some genuinely outstand- ing music, the practice of releasing albums of the concerts is much dirtier than anyone imagines. Since MTV owns the program, it gets a share of the royalties from the sales of each record. And since they have the powe to plug the record, they air the videos from the albums incessantly, instigat- ing even greater sales. Combined, the Eric Clapton, Mariah Carey and Rod Stewart albums have brought the com- pany a hefty amount of money. Beavis and Butt-head's new album functions exactly like the "Unplugged" albums. MTV is constantly playing commer- cials for the album and as soon as th video for Cher and Beavis and Butt- head's rendition of "I Got You Babe" is released, it will immediately be placed in heavy rotation. And since they are marketed as "MTV's Beavis and Butt-head," you can be damn sure that MTV is receiving a huge amount of money from any merchandise from the show. Still, none of this makes MTVaxa inherently evil force, no matter wh some would like to believe. As long as it is watched with a critical eye, it can be embarrassingly entertaining. And that is all it is - entertainment. It markets everything from Denis Leary, Cindy Crawford, Beavis & Butt-head and Dr. Dre & Ed Lover, to Jackyl, Primus, Madonna and PJ Harvey as if they were exactly the same thing. And that is where "The Music Revolution" lies - MTV treats all videos as if they were interchange- able. PJ Harvey is as important to "120 Minutes" as Madonna is to Prime-Time; to MTV, they fulfill the same role for their separate times. MTV doesn't make judgments about the music, they simply pick what is the most marketable. As it happens they mold the tastes of nation, but that is not their intent. 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