Cirque du So'Gay

It's time for a late night rant. I was just watching music videos on OnDemand, as I tend to do when I'm drunk very late at night. In general I appreciate being able to see music videos at all these days, and ComCast does a decent job of stocking the "indie rock" categories with relevant artists and interesting trifles... I'm not sure if The Mountain Goats should even be making videos, but more power. Anyway, tonight I took in two pleasures (it would have been three, but the Morningwood videos have been removed, sadly... you can watch them at the link, and they are WORTH it): Sleater-Kinney (Entertain) and Spoon (I Turn My Camera On). The Spoon video was vaguely Huey Lewis and the News, but still worthwhile, and the song is good enough to carry even a mediocre video (Ava Adore by the smashing pumpkins trounced this particular video in nearly every way, which is sad when one considers the implications of this). And the S-K video was pretty mediocre too-- the creative force behind just making the girls rock out in The Woods for what could have been an amazing video with found footage and grainy 8mm and all that ought to be shot, or at least dug out. Granted, Dig Me Out is one of my top five favorite albums ever, so I have a few things at stake (not to mention that One Beat might be one of the best rock songs of the last five years). But I'm not actually that angry over production values... I mean, whatever. I'm glad enough to be able to see it. Here's the clincher. OnDemand comcastically has decided to mute the word "gun," derived from the fairly innocent (at first blush, at least) lyric "Johnny get your gun." OK, I live in Massachusetts, and I'm more likely to live here due to the gun control and the anti-Stop Snitchin' tshirt campaign (what would Maura Hennigan do?), and having grown up in reaction to New Hampshire, I'm staunchly anti-gun anything. There are some issues here:
1) Censorship. I'm all about censoring Kanye or Korn or whoever the fuck. But censoring Sleater-Kinney is tantamount to female circumcision, at least in this context. I was pissed enough about the muting of "fuck," but given that I don't hear that one too often issuing forth from the television, I'll settle. But "gun?" Come on. If I had pressed fewer than 7 buttons on the remote, I could have followed the video with the unrated version of High Tension. Does comcast mute the word "chainsaw" routinely? Or "knife?" Or "decapitated head blow job?" No, no, and debatable. This does strike me as a strange double standard, especially considering the relative likelihoods of children stumbling upon either product. From the main OnDemand menu, High Tension is but 3 clicks away from the fertile and impressionable minds of those that village has raised. To get to "Entertain" one must scroll off the first screen, select music, select MTV2, choose Indie Rock, and finally opt for Entertain. That's almost too complex for me, let alone a four year old. Fuck. My 15 year old sister doesn't even really use OnDemand due to its complexity.
2) ComCast. I willingly let them rape me (is that possible, logically?) on a monthly basis for basic digital cable. We've had numerous billing issues with them as well. And creating the word comcastic? Fuck you! If at all possible I will always use fabulash or meatnormous in its place.
3) [and here's the part that pitches me into existential murk] MTV2 on OnDemand is sponsored by the US Fucking Army. Each video is followed by that bullshit commercial that takes place on a fire truck. "you know we're a pretty tight team." Oh, I know all about tight teams. I was in the army. You can't jerk off another private and then go shoot up some three year old Iraqi girl beyond all recognition without understanding the fundamentals of teamwork. (I don't mean to trivialize handjobs here... teamwork is essential.) Let's consider this. Does the army really want anyone who would go out of their way to watch a Sleater-Kinney video? Feminists, 90s nostalgics (not that sk is no longer relevant, but the idea just worked better then), people who lost their virginity to "Jenny" (would that I were so lucky, though I wouldn't say I was particularly unlucky), and the rest of the rag tag assortment of womens' lib/LGB (I'd add the T, but I'm not about to assume that trans people automatically gravitate to angry women with guitars to the extent that lesbians, gays and bisexual (women) do [on that note I have a few things to say about Felicity Huffman's Letterman appearance the other night, promoting TransAmerica... but that comes later]). Would anyone who places some small percentage of their identity squarely behind "one beat" even enlist, let alone not commit sutee upon being drafted? I'd be rather surprised if the army was actually intending this... we'd all be better off if Carrie Brownstein had some sway with the commanding officers.
Things are clearly amiss. Spending tomorrow studying for the MCAT and celebrating my grandfather's 80th birthday at a chinese restaraunt in fucking Westford won't help elucidate anything. Right now I'm hoping I don't fall asleep with my headphones in, as I'll wake up deaf and with sore ears. And I've also linked to the US Army website, so the patriot act is totally going to destroy me. Btw, what the HELL is going on with the Patriot Act? Did anyone else find the coverage of the Sentate votes last month to be completely mind-boggling? Is this a victory for civil rights advocates? Are free-thinkers going to get more fucked? Christ... I need another drink before bed to soothe my anxiety over this.