Interference Interuption:

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The Edge

The Fly
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Sep 24, 2004
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The band and I were discussing past tours and ideas we had used. We came to talking about ZooTV and I thought a song we used in the pre-set has become more.. if not... at least as relevant now as it was at the time. This is probably for those with long memories or who are just getting on....:wink:
In this century it can probably be applied to the personal computer and I am as guilty as the next.....

Thoughts:



One nation
under God
has turned into
one nation under the influence
of one drug

Television, the drug of the Nation
Breeding ignorance and feeding radiation

T.V., it
satellite links
our United States of Unconsciousness
Apathetic therapeutic and extremely addictive
The methadone metronome pumping out
150 channels 24 hours a day
you can flip through all of them
and still there's nothing worth watching
T.V. is the reason why less than 10 per cent of our
Nation reads books daily
Why most people think Central Amerika
means Kansas
Socialism means unamerican
and Apartheid is a new headache remedy
absorbed in it's world it's so hard to find us
It shapes our mind the most
maybe the mother of our Nation
should remind us
that we're sitting too close to...

Television, the drug of the Nation
Breeding ignorance and feeding radiation

T.V. is
the stomping ground for political candidates
Where bears in the woods
are chased by Grecian Formula'd
bald eagles
T.V. is mechanized politic's
remote control over the masses
co-sponsored by environmentally safe gases
watch for the PBS special
It's the perpetuation of the two party system
where image takes precedence over wisdom
Where sound bite politics are served to
the fastfood culture
Where straight teeth in your mouth
are more important than the words
that come out of it
Race baiting is the way to get selected
Willie Horton or
Will he not get elected on...

Television, the drug of the Nation
Breeding ignorance and feeding radiation

T.V., is it the reflector or the director ?
Does it imitate us
or do we imitate it

because a child watches 1500 murders before he's
twelve years old and we wonder why we've created
a Jason generation that learns to laugh
rather than to abhor the horror
T.V. is the place where
armchair generals and quarterbacks can
experience first hand
the excitement of warfare
as the theme song is sung in the background
Sugar sweet sitcoms
that leave us with a bad actor taste while
pop stars metamorphosize into soda pop stars
You saw the video
You heard the soundtrack
Well now go buy the soft drink
Well, the onla cola that I support
would be a union C.O.L.A.(Cost Of Living Allowance)
On television

Television, the drug of the Nation
Breeding ignorance and feeding radiation

Back again, 'New and improved'
We return to our irregularly programmed schedule
hidden cleverly between heavy breasted
beer and car commercials
CNNESPNABCTNT but mostly B.S.
Where oxymoronic language like
'virtually spotless', 'fresh frozen'
'light yet filling' and 'military intelligence'
have become standard
T.V. is the place where phrases are redefined
like 'recession' to 'necessary downturn'
'Crude oil' on a beach to 'mousse'
'Civilian death' to 'collateral damages'
and being killed by your own Army
is now called 'friendly fire'
T.V. is the place where the pursuit
of happiness has become the pursuit of
trivia
Where toothpaste and cars have become
sex objects
Where imagination is sucked out of children
by a cathode ray nipple
T.V. is the only wet nurse
that would create a cripple

Television, the drug of the Nation
Breeding ignorance and feeding radiation
 
I loved the opening of those concerts. It made you think and pumped you up at the same time. But isn't that what your best songs do? I think so. Thanks for the reminder!
 
You would think something that has so much potential to spread information for the benefit of people would have done so...instead it has been almost the opposite effect. This creation we have made now controls us almost in a way. And it has lulled us into a corpulent, distorted sense of reality. I'm definetly guilty as charged.
 
is not only information but immediate information, and that becomes addictive. we want info and immediately, it makes the attention span soo short. its definetly true, i too am guilty of it.

i'm losing my mind waiting for this new album.
 
Stars, why is it you are always the first one there when Edge posts, or is it just that you are ALWAYS here? :p

It's funny, somebody was just saying how much they missed ZOOTV, but that the band wouldn't do it again. I guess the surprises never end!
 
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Yeah, TV kills the mind, but what else is their to do between U2 albums. (LOL----Just kidding). 57 channels and nothing on or more like 257 channels and nothing on these days. I liked the point of that song you quoted then and I like it now.
 
U2Kitten said:
Stars, why is it you are always the first one there when Edge posts, or is it just that you are ALWAYS here? :p
!

It's really wierd...I was upstairs and I just felt like I should go down and check up on "the state of Inteference". That's what's been happening.... I think it's my spidey senses :p
 
24 hours there are live feeds to be fed on
because all lives need to be fed off of.
the television reminds me of suffering.
these are not people connecting, these are wires.
and we are the great grand children of liars
 
Hey, you told us to watch more TV!


Love what you had to say, Edge. Very thought provoking and timely.

PS: I was happy to see that Interscope submitted Vertigo for the Grammy submissions. You'll have my vote for song of the year and rock song. I met you at the Grammy rehearsals a couple years ago and it was a pleasure. I realized just because I work in the industry doesn't mean I can't be a fan!

PS: to everyone here, a submission does not mean a NOMINATION, however I have faith that when the ballots go out, Vertigo WILL be nominated for both of these categories.
 
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Mindless TV viewing is a form of escapism like mindless pop songs. There is a place and dare I say even a need for this society, but I do believe we as a society have become too dependant this escapism.
 
thanks for bringing that back to us. :wink:

reminecent of being in a room with Naomi Klein and Noam Chomsky for some reason ..
 
wow, i'd never heard that before...thanks for posting Edge, HAHA, omg, that's so fun to say, hehe, ok, i need to calm down now...but yeah, tath's really cool stuff.

Oh Edge, hey, in case you se this, i was wondering what you think of the new REM album, i bought it yesterday and am really impressed...just though maybe someone in the biz could shed some light? :D thanks...
 
Interesting. While the net can certainly be addictive to many, and will transform culture, I argue it wouldn't be for the bad. While TV is something that just feeds you data, the computer is different, it's interactive, it challenges the mind. It's not just controlled by some, anyone can countribute to and learn from the internet. The internet can be used to support almost any viewpoint (a lot of time with false facts), but to an objective thinker, it is the anti-thesis of something that would spread ignorance. I think that the internet has actually helped people's minds become more engaged and because of it they challenge what they see not just on places on the internet itself that can't be trusted, but also the so called mainstream media. Just some thoughts of mine.
 
I remember it well. I guess I'm getting on :wink: . Still incredibly relevant--it could have been written yesterday.
 
Such awesome lyrics.. and such a suitable fit for the fabulous irony that was ZooTV!

Whenever I spend some good time outside in the sun and wind, I realize how much more valuable to the spirit those aspects of the world are as opposed to sitting in front of the TV or computer. And yet here I am on the internet.

Sometimes I wonder if connectivity is all it's cracked up to be.. is it really useful to us as individuals? does it help our lives the way we think it does? I really think that Britain has it right with government controlled TV and Radio.. a la BBC.. there's obviously the risk there, but when there's principles driving what's being shown beyond making a quick buck, the difference is very obvious. Just see how actors in Britain always look more like real people than in the US where appearance is the deciding factor.

Ah consumerism...

Well I could ramble at some length about all of this, but for now I'll stop. But how I'd love to be in a room with Naomi Klein and Noam Chomsky... :p
 
jphelmet said:
is not only information but immediate information, and that becomes addictive. we want info and immediately, it makes the attention span soo short. its definetly true, i too am guilty of it.

i'm losing my mind waiting for this new album.


Yes information is addictive ... and soon they will make us pay $$$ for it.



:huh:
 
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