Fish out of mainstream.

I'm a little bit disappointed, readers. As I unwrapped my Christmas presents this year, I was quite excited when I uncovered comedian Jason Manford's new stand up DVD. I saw him about a year and a half ago, and I loved him. He came across humble, accessible and his comedy had a light, happy feel to it that left me smiling all night. However, as I watched his new DVD, I felt a sinking feeling of de ja vue. By the end of the DVD, I realised that, to my horror (I'm not exaggerating) about 80% of his material was from a year and a half ago. And yes, it was funny, but it wasn't funny enough to be excusable for retelling it a whole year and a half later. What comedian can't think of new jokes in that amount of time? And not just any comedian, a well established comedian who regularly appears on our televisions on quiz shows and 'live at the Apollo'.
It made me wonder, there must be funnier people out there that don't take so long to think of new jokes, people that aren't as famous. One of my favourite bands of all time, Mesh 29, http://www.myspace.com/mesh29, aren't famous. So what is it exactly that decides what reaches the mainstream?
A recent article, entitled 'The Best Albums You've Never Heard In 2009', lists albums that missed out on the 'commercial love' that they deserved (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8426925.stm). The 'c' word makes me feel a little bit sick, really. But it proves a good point - I checked out the music that's mentioned, and they're not all that bad. Why is it that the majority of people just let the radio decide their favourite songs? Why is it that we can't think for ourselves? We get spoon-fed the same music and films all of the time, and because it's there to make money and appeal to everyone, there's nothing special about it.
My favourite music is from the 70's/80's, when there was almost a rebellion against mainstream music. And the music has passion behind it, and gives the impression that it was made through enjoyment, not greed.
Going back to Jason Manford, why is it that he gets the career that many people can only dream of? When there's probably funnier people talking to sleeping alcoholics in dingy little pubs? I guess it's our own fault really. We're too mindless to go out and find talent, so there'll always be crap churned out for us to buy. Rage Against The Machine's recent two fingers up at mainstream music is exactly what I'm talking about.
I'm really trying not to make this blog too subjective, but really, do you not think that we have a bit of a weird music industry these days? It seems the less famous a band are, the more talented they are. I'm aware that that's a sweeping statement, but just click on the link to Mesh 29 to understand what I'm saying.
When was the last time you looked for music yourself instead of following music channels? There's something to think about, maybe. And as the theory goes, my blog is definitely not well known. Just saying….