In short, I think that our media culture would be radically different if artists were less than cooperative in situations where people offer them money in exchange for their work. Or even better: what if the media actually respected artists and their work? I think that media consumers are probably just as guilty as media producers in this. Mainly because it’s the producers who listen to the consumers, and try to give them what will sell, just as consumers look at what’s being produced, and derive their opinions about what they want based on what’s in front of them, rather than thinking outside of the box and creating it for themselves. People have a lust for the artistic. This turns artists into prostitutes. Therefore, distributors are pimps, and everyone else has their dick in their hand. Metaphorically speaking. However, whereas an honest prostitute will say that the only thing that really matters to her in this world is money, I think that most artists generally place very little value on money, and this is where the system short-changes them the most. Venereal diseases aside, prostitutes have it pretty good compared to artists. Even successful artists. Wouldn’t it be totally weird if the industry revolved around giving artists what they wanted, rather than consumers?

In Jack-o’s case, you think he might actually make enough money to buy whatever he wants, but then again, maybe he wants things that can’t be bought. I also think he’s become more of a mogul, or even an icon, than an artist, in a sense. I don’t know whether he’s transcended or just descended. Maybe all artists want is just to feel like they’re worth something, even if that worth is expressed in terms of money. The certainty, though, is that there’s a whole world out there that wants to take advantage of them, and it doesn’t care how much money it has to pay to do it.

Rest assured, I feel the same way about bloated, boring pop celebs who shamelessly appropriate/buy out/benefit from the brilliance of unknown, infinitely more interesing artists.

If any of us were posting loving, NON tongue-and-cheek accolades about the multi million dollar exploits of, I dunno, Paris Hilton or Panties! With a Dickhole or whatever, I’d worry that it clashed with our mission statement. But I don’t see that happening any time soon. :)

Whacko Jacko is such an insanely extreme space dildo freakshow, how could he NOT fascinate us? Seriously, the dude is an Island of Dr Moreau-worthy example of how long term exposure to radioactive levels of celebrity combined with gobs and gobs of money can mutate a human being into something utterly alien. Like Liberace or Prince Ludwig of Bavaria, only more infinitely more warped.

Thanks for playing devil’s advocate here, it’s always a pleasure to think about and discuss these kinds of things. I’m curious to know what you think!

P.S. The real joke about Jack-o…. …is he’s transhuman. Remember, kids…Jack-o is our future.

I’d like to think that Coilhouse balances out its more pop/mainstream posts with attention to somewhat more obscure, homegrown fare.

Regardless, a reminder (since you directly referred to the mission statement):
“because [alt culture] longer exists, we take from yesterday and tomorrow, from the mainstream and from the underground.”

I see no reason why the stranger-than-fiction antics of delusional celebrity mutants like MJ shouldn’t be grist for the mill. It’s all fun and games until someone gets a laser beam in the eye. :D