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Miss Pufnstuf's avatar

Matt Johnson brilliant songwriter and founder of the underrated post-punk band “The The” Check out their official YouTube videos of their songs “Heartland” and the “Beat(en) Generation”

Heartland

Beneath the old iron bridges, across the Victorian parks

And all the frightened people running home before dark

Past the Saturday morning cinema that lies crumbling to the ground

And the piss stinking shopping center in the new side of town

I've come to smell the seasons change and watch the city

As the sun goes down again

Here comes another winter of long shadows and high hopes

Here comes another winter waitin' for utopia

Waitin' for hell to freeze over

This is the land where nothing changes

The land of red buses and blue blooded babies

This is the place, where pensioners are raped

And the hearts are being cut from the welfare state

Let the poor drink the milk while the rich eat the honey

Let the bums count their blessings while they count the money

So many people can't express what's on their minds

Nobody knows them and nobody ever will

Until their backs are broken and their dreams are stolen

And they can't get what they want then they're gonna get angry

Well it ain't written in the papers, but it's written on the walls

The way this country is divided to fall

So the cranes are moving on the skyline

Trying to knock down this town

But the stains on the heartland, can never be removed

From this country that's sick, sad, and confused

Here comes another winter of long shadows and high hopes

Here comes another winter waitin' for utopia

Waitin' for hell to freeze over

The ammunition's being passed and the lords been praised

But the wars on the televisions will never be explained

All the bankers gettin' sweaty beneath their white collars

As the pound in our pocket turns into a dollar

This is the 51st state of the U.S.A.

This is the 51st state of the U.S.A.

This is the 51st state of the U.S.A.

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Kelly B's avatar

It strikes me how the audience in entertainment has become a character in the plot, with their own parts or responses, kind of like an RPG. Virtual reality is an example of that because it gives the viewer an individual experience that they can direct to an extent. Just like the fandoms demanding creators follow their script instead of having to accept and experience s that person’s art. I feel like fandoms are less about supporting a creator and their art, and more about liking a franchise or a stereotyped character; it’s less about respecting an artist’s independence and more about their ability to fulfill the demands of the customer. Maybe that’s why I’ve been disappointed with most of the movies released in the last few years.

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