frgdr.com

Artist: Maggi, Pierce And E.J. Track: Linda’s Red Button Album: The Red Album Genre: Folk Rock / Soul / Indie Label: EMPrecords Release Date: 1998

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Buy this MP3 track or buy the entire album.

Maggi, Pierce And E.J. aka MPE Band – Linda’s Red Button – lyrics

Sittin’ here in Linda’s bed
Tryin to listen to the things inside my head

I was gonna write a song
But I turned the TV on instead
Woke up with some ideas
Went down to make some tea
I had no strength I just had to see

Any creativity
That was once inside of me
Is now sucked away by MTV,
VH1, HBO, CNN, Cinemax
My brain melts like wax

I know it would have been a hit
If I’d have gotten down to it
But no, instead I know
That my role model’s queer
The trial’s nowhere near
Moe Lester’s skin is clear
The world will end this year

If all that matters is untrue
Hey what does this red button do?
I don’t have a clue

I was gonna write a song
But I turned the TV on instead

Sittin’ here in Linda’s bed
Tryin to listen to the things inside my head

Look on us,
Look on them -
Who is more similar to you?
 
  - -- mock rapper X-Plain -- Throws on you TIL

With 4 out of 5 Israelis supporting the current military campaign in Gaza, Channel 2’s popular satirical show Eretz Nehederet (A Wonderful Country) could have chosen to go on vaction so not to be controversial under fire. They could have ran old episodes for that fluffy feel-good feeling viewers might crave, and no one would have contested. But the higher-ups decided to be brave and present critical views when they can still make a difference.

Now on its sixth season and with more than 30 percent of Israelis watching, Eretz Nehederet is at the cutting edge when it comes to Israeli satire, slaughtering whatever sacred cows are left in this country, using a tongue-in-cheek approach. Check out three short examples (translated to English) from the last two weeks, the first two videos were broadcast just 3 days after the campaign had started.

Ehud Barak predicting the phases of war from euphoria to dysphoria:

The public opinion of acceptable body count:

Rapping for world understanding:

Wars don’t happen in winter anymore
Even for us it is a bit too cold to hate
Wars don’t happen in winter anymore
Even for us it’s a bit too cold to conquer
 
   – - “Big Hero” by Si Himan (translated from Hebrew)

I have already written on Israeli journalists playing dress-up, but that was during peacetime. Now that a new war might be imminent, it seems our journalists collectively decided to wear uniform in the form of leather jackets. I have been glued to the TV screen during the past few days, zapping between Channel One, Channel Two and Channel Ten – and it looks like one hideous leatherwear catalog from the 1990’s that magically came to life:

We already knew soldiers have their standard operating procedures – but now we know TV newsmen have them too.
Continue reading…

While I realize the entire world is slowly going into a recession, and I do acknowledge that publicly funded broadcast television has always been on the brink of bankruptcy – still, it seems Israel’s IBA News has really gone too far this time:
This past Thursday I was watching Channel 1’s evening news, when the anchorman turned to culture correspondent Dana Herman and I noticed there was something under the back of her shirt, an object that looked eerily similar to a price tag:

Is this a major faux pas on Herman’s part, or does Channel 1 force their reporters to perform the ol’ wear-once-then-return-for-a-refund trick? …and if that is the case, can someone tell the director not to shoot the reporters in the back from the back?

While we’re at it, could someone at Channel 10 talk to the cleaning people? Tell them that you may turn a blind eye when they occasionally do not clean the dust from the studios, but they cannot ignore a big rope lying around on the floor. This is from this past Thursday’s London & Kirschenbaum: