The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
What
would
Jesus
DL?
The Internet is home to all
things bizarre and dis-
turbing, i.e. Second Life,
Rotten.com, Fox News. But from
the beginning, social networking
platforms have dominated the
many options for spending wasted
hours online.
Which is why
the bridge to
religious social
networks
isn't such an
unfathomable
leap for a chat-
room-trained, CAROLINE
blog-obsessed HARTMANN
society.
GodTube, founded by Chris
Wyatt in January, is the fastest-
growing Christian site on the Web
with almost four million unique
hits every month. It's expanded
enormously since its launch,
reaching a wider audience than
its "competitors" like MyChurch
(just check the interactive users-
online map). With a YouTube-like
format, GodTube's focus is mainly
Christian-themed videos, ranging
from recited Scripture to clean
rap lyrics. Its video blogs, chat
forums and GodCaster - a unique
tool for pastors and churches to
stream videos of religious services
for free - have also contributed to
the site's popularity.
At first glance, it's hard not
to find at least some redemptive
value in GodTube. It looks pretty
harmless. But the agnostic within
me wasn't convinced. With the
slogan "Broadcast Him," I'd be
lying if I said the site didn't leave
me fraught with tension. For those
of us wary of the brainwashing
potential of mass religious move-
ments, the site's very principle is
somehow damning.
Would GodTube become
another Conservapedia, that pro-
pagandist endeavor designed to
undermine Wikipedia's allegedly
liberal bias? Would it, too, claim
that hate crimes against homosex-
uals are often hoaxes and merely
"vague intimidation," or that the
arguments defending atheism
"strongly attest to the validity of
theism"? The possibility for God-
Tube to find itself on a slippery
slope to narrow-mindedness - a
mob mentality broadcast to mil-
lions daily - is more than a little
frightening.
And then something changed
my mind. Well, kind of.
In one of the last discussion
sections of the year for a philoso-
phy of religion class, I filled out
an elaborate chart to indicate my
various beliefs (or lack thereof)
- anonymously, of course. But I
couldn't help peeking at a fellow
classmate's responses sitting next
to me. He'd been fairly outspoken
throughout the semester, voicing
his theological skepticisms and
rather staunchly playing the role
of devil's advocate. More often
than not, his comments came off
as unapologetically doubtful of
the existence of any God, let alone
a traditional interpretation of
Christianity. Feeling a little self-
conscious of my own answers, I
let my eyes wander onto his paper,
expecting to find a solid line of
check marks next to "atheism,"
"naturalism" and the like.
But to my surprise - and
frankly, confusion - his chart
revealed exactly the opposite. He
was, in fact, a faithful, practicing
believer of classical Christianity
(at least on paper). Maybe he was
won over by Paley's design argu-
ment. Maybe he was conflicted
and turned to an easy answer.
or maybe he really was a devout
believer disguised as a hair-rais-
ing wiseass.
But I've strayed from the point:
If even this student, seemingly in
blunt support of atheism, silently
declared himself as Christian
when given the opportunity, then
who's to say there aren't others
who would do the same?
This is where GodTube comes
in. As with other religious net-
working sites, like MuslimSpace
or the Jewish Television Network,
GodTube offers the comfort of
anonymity that physical con-
gregations can't. If the notion of
publicly identifying as a believer
makes your stomach turn, God-
Tube may be a welcome change.
And as a non-denominational
organization, the site at least
attempts to achieve a relatively
neutral means of dialogue.
See HARTMANN, Page 4B
NO FUN
From page 1B
for people who play music for their own ego-
centric purposes. No posers for us, thank
you. We love real rock'n'roll."
True to its ethos, No Fun has made a point
of signing Detroit-area bands, giving them
the exposure they deserve. The Cyril Lords,
for instance, were favorites on the scene
for three years before No Fun put out the
group's excellent debut Motherland in 2005.
Another local staple that got its first LP shot
with the label is The Hard Lessons, putting
out its first record Gasoline that same year.
Basically, No Fun doesn't discriminate if a
band knows how to rock.
"We don't shy away because (a band)
might be considered 'too old' or 'has beens'
or whatever," Leo said.
The two bands Leo plays in are the
embodiment of that formula. Both consist
of established veterans of the Detroit under-
ground music carousel that are just now
combining their powers.
To further infuse the local scene with
like-minded artists, the label has retained
a large stable of South American artists
following relocation. Argentines The Tan-
dooris and Los Gatos Salvajes have been
able to put out albums in America and still
tour with healthy frequency in their native
nation with the label's support.
Elsewhere on the international front, the
roster has even grown to include Greek surf-
instrumentalists the Invisible Surfers and
Denmark's sinister The Defectors. Other
bands have come from Peru, Brazil and even
Finland. Most important, No Fun sells all
foreign releases at domestic prices.
Many of No Fun's releases are now avail-
able on vinyl per audience preference, not
Thursday, December 6, 2007 - 3B
CONCERT REVIEW
SOUNDS FROM THE
UNDERGROUND: 10 YEARS
OF NO FUN
At the Blind Pig last Friday
Last Friday at the Blind Pig, No Fun
Records delivered something you don't
see very often: a relentlessly loud, no-
holds-barred old-school rock show.
In honor of its 10th anniversary, the Ann
Arbor/Detroit indie label treated its fans to
Sounds From the Underground Vol.6, a five-
band extravaganza of the est oftthe rock and
roll sound as it was once played: loud, tast and2
fun. Even in a room full oftthe hippest hipsters,
no one managed to keep from dancing. And
that's how it should be.
The show kicked off with Silverghost, fea-
turing members ofthe slightly better-known
and similar-sounding Von Bondies, and fol-
lowed with the super-psychedelic Siddhartha,
playing their last show under their old name.
The Meltdowns's set was the first real throw-
hack at the night- their sound would ft
perfectly into the 1960s British Invasion years.
Why is it that bands in suits always kick ass?
The Concussions played a garagey version
of the reverb-heavy surf-rock you'd expect to
hear in a '60s beach movie. They were catchy
and groovy, and theirset was completely
instrumental. That's probably a good thing
- it was pretty difficult to understand their
stage banter through the matching skull
masks.
The Coronados finished the night strong
with their punked-out take on rock'n'roll.
Singer Rick Lappin strutted the stage like a
young Mick Jagger with a Sid Vicious sneer.
Even though it was closing in on 2 a.m., the
end of their set came too soon.
MATTRONEY
Detroit garage-scene veterans The Avatars, featuring Claudia Leo, Vice President of No Fun Record!
only giving the music the analog richness
its timbre begs, but also providing the per-
fect 12-inch canvas to show off a band's aes-
thetics. Be it retro new-wave group shots
or wannabe posters for an Ed Wood movie,
No Fun and its artists match album content
with covers to produce records that are a
complete artistic package.
Its efforts for artistic authenticity haven't
gone unnoticed by the cult following of
fans that share in the enthusiasm for rock
as it was meant to be played (Leo described
them as the "cultish underground scene
fond of nuggets from the past"). No Fun was
the only label to sell out its showcase at the
Motor City Music -Conference. At another
anniversary event in Buenos Aires, loyalists
traveled from faraway corners of the world
like Uruguay, Boston and Switzerland to get
their fix of the label's bands in action.
If No Fun's mission reflects an obvious apa-
thy for commercial prospects, it isn't because
a lack of business savvy. The label managed
to survive the collapse of the Argentine econ-
omy in 2001, and then harnessed the effects
to strengthen its business there. Successful
maneuvers like that have enabled a grass-
roots, fan-and-band-oriented approach to
thrive across two continents for 10 years.
By calling itself No Fun Records, it might
seem the label's attempting to convey its
unwavering ideological commitment to its
music. But it's a music label, not a political
party, and in this case, living asp to that com-
mitment means doing what you love. Bank
on the name being underhanded sarcasm. It
looks like everyone involved with No Fun is
enjoying the ride.
a"no"use cor'"na wan "anyotnerotter;
new tenants only; with this ad: Expires 12/31/07
ST
the STORAGE CHEST
2333 S. State St. 3033 W. Liberty
1 mile north of I-94 Between Stadium & Wagner
734-222-0277 734-663-6443
statestreet@pogodaco.com storagechest@pogodaco.com
NATIONAL NATIONAL
STOR AGE STORAGE
2200 Airey Ct. 3870 JBckson Rd.
Near Tager on Oak Valey Drive 1 1/2 mle Heart Wagner Rd.
across the street from the
Ann Arbor ice Cube
734-669-8880 734-747-9060
nsc_aireyct@pogodaco.com nscjacksonrd@pogodaco.com
www.selfstoragespecialists.com
Come celebrate the festival of Our Lady of
Guadalupe with evening Spanish Mass and
reception to follow. Bring food to share. Be part
of a beautiful Mexican tradition!
Los invitarmos a venir para celebrar la misa de
Nuestra Sefrora de Guadalupe. Despues de la
ceremonia tenemos una recepcion. Los invitarnos
tambien a que traigan comida para Compartir y
sean parte de una bonita tradicion mexicana.
El 12 de diciembre a las 7:00 p.m.
December 12 at 7:00 p.m.
sl
Celebramos la misa en espaiol todos los domingos a las 2:00 p.m.
St. Mary Student Parish
331 Thompson St.
( At the corner of Thompson & William)
734.663.0557
U
www.stmarystudentparish.org