Artists @ MindSay

     Each week we, as people, are bombarded with images of supposed celebrities, alongside comments that are dreamed up over coffee in media offices around the world (“Just look at her dress – how wonderful / ugly / whorish” *delete as appropriate). Of course, many people make a living from this – photographers, editors and even the stars themselves, right down to the girl who works in the Starbucks around the corner. That’s how the economy works, with each section having a knock-on effect on the next.

     However, while the girl in Starbucks is selling something real, in that you can drink it, what are the celebrity gossip pages selling? They are selling two things, it seems. They sell fact and fiction, or dreams and normality. With one stroke they show us the red carpet shots from a glamorous premiere, we see the flashy cars, bespoke suits, designer dresses, camera flashes and air kisses. We see a champagne lifestyle, holidays in whichever destination is deemed the place to be (seen) and luxury mansions. We are sold a dream. A “wouldn’t it be nice.” However, even as we place our admiration or adoration on the perfect bodies, elite social circles and ostentatious displays of wealth, the cult of celebrity has a way of introducing a dirty side. Like a glass of wine across a designer frock, the sellers of celebrity bring those in the limelight back down to earth.

     The slightest fashion misstep or a bad hair day can be enough to set off a media-driven frenzy of neck rolling and head shaking. Let alone a real drama such as that which Chris Brown and Rihanna have been caught up in of late.

     The problem is that all too often we are encouraged to see celebrities as pillars of society, as bastions of grace and good taste. However, this is a tall order – one, which even those who are trained in such a demanding dignity, such as the British Royal Family – can find leads to easy failure. Where we should be glad of someone’s skill as a rapper, actor, musician or sportsperson it is easy to find ourselves wanting them to become a reflection of a perfect society. Whatever, nuance that ‘society’ may take on – as of course we expect different behaviour from The President, Will Smith and Snoop Dogg. 

     Perhaps it’s about time we began to redraw the blueprint of celebrity. When a child says “I want to be famous” we have to ask, for doing what? A famous painter, architect, musician, sportsman? To see a goal is one thing, but when that goal is simply a media-driven fame-for-any-reason mentality then we need to wonder what we are doing. And yes, positive role models are a good thing for all people – it’s just we need to remember that, without excusing the inexcusable, even positive role models might have a bad day…

Those of you with a more advanced musical appreciation will know what I mean when I say that different days lead to different tunes. Let’s put it this way, when the rain pours and the wind howls there may be a need to step outside with your coat high, your hat low and something suitably bleak on your headphones. However, when the sun shines and all seems right with the world it may be time to break out an equally bright soundtrack. And the mood is not necessarily lyrically defined so much as musically. 

Of course certain locales are known for the type of music they produce. The Queensbridge housing projects, for example, traditionally crafted a particular sound that was very different from the sounds coming from the more expansive territories of Los Angeles. This geographical definition is further complicated by the local fashions and trends. Detroit, for example has become synonymous with a blend of sound that has less to do with Eminem and more to do with names like the late J. Dilla. All sorts of factors go into this - from housing, society, weather and beyond, leading to very definite local styles.

While this may seem stifling for creativity it has a great bonus for the consumer. A little knowledge of the stylistic determination of a given area can offer a heads up when it comes to finding other, similar sounds. Or more simply, if you know what you get, you know where to look. 

Sure, there comes a time when there is the odd curve-ball thrown into the mix (think of Snoop covering some well-known New York classics across his career) but more often than not you can have a pretty good idea as to what to expect even before you slip a CD from its case. 

Some days may find you feeling introspective and, on others, a little more outgoing, or even positively rowdy. So, that said, what are you going to be checking this week? No doubt it will depend on what’s going on in your life. As for me, aside from whatever I may check out for you all at Grind Mode, I’m just going to keep an eye on the weather and, if Spring starts hitting you can bet the music will get lighter to go with it…

Would love to know what you think?