CHANGE THE RIDE

It’s just a ride and we can change it anytime we want..to a better ride.. Bill Hicks

“The World is like a ride”.. so said Bill Hicks. I would add that it can be like a pantomime too. A pantomime at which we are in the audience and every so often the actors invite us to join in, “He is behind you!” style. From time to time we will get to vote in an election, whose result will, most of the time, in reality make little change to the World we live in day to day, nothing positive anyway.

So the only question is do you like your music, your rock music, to actually say something, to have some meaning, to make a contribution, maybe be the confirmation of your World view? If that’s a “Yes” then stop reading and go listen to some songs.

“Change The Ride” is about creating music, rock music, with something to say. Throughout my life music has spoken to me, educated me, made me consider possibilities outside my paradigm, my reality box. Now, at a time when we need new relevant protest songs, socially aware lyrics and some dreaming chucked in too, the mainstream just keeps pumping out the same stuff day after day with a different face on it.

I said above music had spoken to me “All my life” and I would like to add that this life of mine began in 1960. I grew up listening to The Beatles and The Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, The Doors, Led Zeppelin oh and so on and on. My point is I have experienced the changes, from the 60’s when anything had the opportunity to make it into the charts, just check out the 1967 charts, early 70’s Glam Rock, the later 70’s Punk Rock explosion..the 80’s which I appreciate more looking back now than I did at the time, same with the 90’s..then check out what we have now..

I know it’s not all bad, but let’s be honest, the music in the charts, the stuff everyone is exposed to, doesn’t exactly push boundaries or poke at the establishment like it used to, it’s more us and us, not us and them, it doesn’t inspire much of anything. From time to time there’s a wee glimmer of hope but that soon dies down.

With “Change The Ride” I hope listeners will feel what I am saying. It’s the message which is important, more so than than a falsely computerised and processed polished performance. If I can have someone question something, anything, maybe do a bit of research on an idea that interests them or perhaps they think they might like to disagree about some point or other, then it’s job done.

Stop reading this and go listen to some of the music now.