This made me think. And laugh. That’s a pretty powerful combo.

It’s funny how your mood will affect what you find funny. I’ve had a cold all week. I searched the web for an hour and a half yesterday for something to put up on the site, and like a cranky baby, was totally unsatisfiable. Couldn’t find anything I liked. Stayed up too late. Was tired and pissed, and finally gave up and went to bed.

I just got wind of this video “Thou Shalt Always Kill”, which has all ready had over 330,000 views on YouTube, from the LefsetzLetter, a music industry newsletter by Bob Lefsetz, which I subscribed to 2 days ago after seeing him in an interview on The Hour.

Thanks Bob. I needed this. And thanks for your letter. I am really digging it.

The last 2 days I’ve read every word of every long email that he has sent, and then gone onto his web site for more.

Lefsetz is opinionated, and so he’s controversial. But I like opinionated people. I learn from them; I listen to their viewpoints and reasoning, compare them with my own, see what makes sense, then change, discard or keep what I see fit.

Currently Lefsetz has been writing about and posting letters from the manager and band member the band Cartel, who are currently recording their second album in a bubble in New York. That’s an actual bubble. A publicity and marketing stunt.

The exchange has been really interesting. Check out his post “Thou Shalt Always Kill, “ a response to “From The Bubble Boy.”

Lefsetz posted the link to this Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip video as an example of creativity and “art”, to back up his position that that is what people really want and crave, and what is currently lacking in the music scene today. They want something stimulating.

I have to say that I really did enjoy this video. Like Lefzetz says, it’s more performance art than music, but it does say something. And I am all for “meat.” So much of our mainstream media is all about the packaging and gloss, with nothing underneath but some thin, watered-down, spiritless soup that the marketing team thinks is inoffensive enough to sell to the masses, that we’re a pretty hungry bunch.

Oh, by the way, “Thou Shalt Always Kill” made me crack up laughing out loud once. And that’s pretty good for this cranky, stuffed-up person staring at a box, in a room, all by themselves.

The lyrics.

Thou shalt not steal if there is direct victim.
Thou shalt not worship pop idols or follow lost prophets.
Thou shalt not take the names of Johnny Cash, Joe Strummer, Johnny Hartman, Desmond Decker, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix or Syd Barret in vain.
Thou shalt not think that any male over the age of 30 that plays with a child that is not their own is a pedophile. Some people are just nice.
Thou shalt not read NME.
Thall shalt not stop liking a band just because they’ve become popular.
Thou shalt not question Stephen Fry.
Thou shalt not judge a book by it’s cover.
Thou shalt not judge Lethal Weapon by Danny Glover.
Thall shalt not buy Coca-Cola products.
Thou shalt not buy Nestle products.
Thou shalt not go into the woods with your boyfriend’s best friend, take drugs and cheat on him.
Thou shalt not fall in love so easily.
Thou shalt not use poetry, art or music to get into girls’ pants. Use it to get into their heads.
Thou shalt not watch Hollyoakes.
Thou shalt not attend an open mic and leave as soon as you’re done just because you’ve finished your shitty little poem or song, you self-righteous prick.
Thou shalt not return to the same club or bar week in, week out, just ’cause you once saw a girl there that you fancied but you’re never gonna fucking talk to.

Thou shalt not put musicians and recording artists on ridiculous pedestals no matter how great they are or were.

The Beatles – Were just a band.
Led Zepplin – Just a band.
The Beach Boys – Just a band.
The Sex Pistols – Just a band.
The Clash – Just a band.
Crass – Just a band.
Minor Threat – Just a band.
The Cure – Just a band.
The Smiths – Just a band.
Nirvana – Just a band.
The Pixies – Just a band.
Oasis – Just a band.
Radiohead – Just a band.
Bloc Party – Just a band.
The Arctic Monkeys – Just a band.
The next big thing – JUST A BAND.

Thou shalt give equal worth to tragedies that occur in non-English speaking countries as to those that occur in English speaking countries.
Thou shalt remember that guns, bitches and bling were never part of the four elements and never will be.

Thou shalt not make repetitive generic music

Thou shalt not make repetitive generic music

Thou shalt not make repetitive generic music

Thou shalt not make repetitive generic music

Thou shalt not pimp my ride.
Thou shalt not scream if you wanna go faster.
Thou shalt not move to the sound of the wickedness.
Thou shalt not make some noise for Detroit.
When I say “Hey” thou shalt not say “Ho”.
When I say “Hip” thou shalt not say “Hop”.
When I say “he say, she say, we say, make some noise” – kill me.
Thou shalt not quote me happy.
Thou shalt not shake it like a Polaroid picture.
Thou shalt not wish your girlfriend was a freak like me.
Thou shalt spell the word Pheonix, P-H-E-O-N-I-X not P-H-O-E-N-I-X, regardless of what the Oxford English Dictionary tells you.
Thou shalt not express your shock at the fact that Sharon got off with Bradley at the club last night by saying “Is it”.
Thou shalt think for yourselves.

And thou shalt always kill.

Tags: funny video, music video, Lefsetzletter, Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip, Thou Shalt Always Kill